Reform efforts in Ukraine have faced numerous challenges in 2020. In March, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy fired many of the reform-minded technocrats in his cabinet and replaced them with establishment figures. Anti-corruption efforts are stymied by courts backed by special interests, while oligarchs and Russian agents control blocs of lawmakers in the Verkhovna Rada, rendering legislative reform difficult.
Once again, “business as usual” has prompted skepticism in the Ukrainian people. Local elections in late October delivered a sound rebuke of Zelenskyy’s Servant of the People party, which lost seats in regional parliaments across the country and performed poorly in major mayoral races. What explains the complicated reform dynamic in Ukraine? What can Western partners do to help Ukraine get back on track?
Speakers include Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk, former prime minister of Ukraine and a distinguished fellow at the Eurasia Center; Dr. Tymofiy Mylovanov, former minister of economic development, trade, and agriculture of Ukraine; Serhiy Verlanov, former head of the state tax service of Ukraine; and Melinda Haring, deputy director of the Eurasia Center. Ambassador John Herbst, director of the Eurasia Center, moderates and Dr. Emily Channell-Justice, director of the Temerty Contemporary Ukraine Program at Harvard University’s Ukrainian Research Institute, welcomes.
Creating lasting progress
Reform in Ukraine
Since the Revolution of Dignity in 2014, Ukrainians have expressed their strong desire for lasting change and reform to Ukraine’s economy, politics, and society. Some progress has been achieved but challenges still face reform in Ukraine.
Tue, Jan 26, 2021
Resetting Ukraine’s reforms
Since the 2014 Revolution of Dignity, Ukraine has embarked on an historic reform process that has produced decidedly mixed results. A reset may now help get the country’s transformation back on track.
Sat, Jan 30, 2021
The rejection of reformer Yuriy Vitrenko highlights Ukraine’s broken politics
The Ukrainian parliament’s failure to confirm the appointment of veteran reformer Yuriy Vitrenko as Energy Minister raises serious questions over the maturity of the country’s political culture.
UkraineAlert by Adrian Karatnycky
Fri, Jan 22, 2021
Ukraine’s historic gas sector reforms are under threat
The transformation of Ukraine’s gas sector is widely seen as one of the few reform success stories since the country’s 2014 Revolution of Dignity, but recent political decisions are placing this progress in doubt.
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The Eurasia Center’s mission is to enhance transatlantic cooperation in promoting stability, democratic values and prosperity in Eurasia, from Eastern Europe and Turkey in the West to the Caucasus, Russia and Central Asia in the East.
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