Poroshenko accuses Tymoshenko of acting in Kremlin interests

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko accused on Oct. 6 certain politicians of destabilizing the domestic situation and acting in Russia’s interests in its hybrid war against Ukraine. “Turn your attention to how disunited and egotistical our political class is,” Poroshenko told history students, as reported by the Ukrainian News agency. “She – excuse me, I misspoke – it (the political class) doesn’t feel the need to take into account foreign conditions to restrain and keep within bounds a reasonable level of political competition.” Whether or not it was truly a gaffe, the reference is widely believed to former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, the head of the Fatherland parliamentary faction and most popular politician at the moment.

Zenon Zawada: Indeed the Poroshenko-Tymoshenko conflict brought down the pro-Western government in 2005 and now it has resurfaced a decade later. If Poroshenko and his team prosecuted members of the Yanukovych administration, aggressively pursued reforms and prosecuted high-ranking officials in all parties, Tymoshenko wouldn’t be relevant. But because they have largely failed in these areas, Tymoshenko and all her criticisms and populist stunts are viewed as legitimate and even necessary by the Ukrainian public.

If Poroshenko wants the Tymoshenko threat to go away, he simply needs to roll up his sleeves and work harder at accomplishing systemic reforms that improve the investment climate and create jobs. There is nothing more important than overhauling the judiciary to ensure rule of law is enforced, which will encourage business activity. Instead the president and his team are being widely criticized by the NGO community and civil society for pursuing legislation that merely enhances his authority, even in the very sphere of judicial reform.