U.S. government assists Saakashvili in reforming Odesa

The U.S. government has agreed to pay the salaries of the employees of the Odesa regional administration and police in California will train future police officers in the Odesa region, announced on July 6 Mikheil Saakashvili, the head of the Odesa regional administration, during a meeting with U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt. The U.S. government will also help finance regional anti-corruption initiatives that involve Ukrainian and international experts, said a U.S. Embassy press release, as reported by pravda.com.ua. 

Zenon Zawada: The U.S. government’s assistance with reforms is a strong source of support for Ukraine and its attempt to develop Western institutions. Such efforts reflect the U.S. government’s policy of using soft power in Ukraine and the reluctance to offer artillery, lethal weapons and soldiers. We expected such military aid would be offered to defend against a possible Russian-backed assault on Mariupol, a possibility that remains speculated upon on a daily basis. Yet the soft power approach seems to be working so far, avoiding an escalation in the war. That’s so far, we stress, and Russia’s future intentions are hard to predict.