15 August 2018
U.S. National
Security Adviser John Bolton will visit Ukraine next week to meet with key
Ukrainian officials, the Ukrainian Embassy in the U.S. reported on its Facebook
page on Aug. 14. The same day, Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S. Valeriy Chaly
reported that a U.S. government representative will be present for the military
parade in Kyiv on Aug. 24, Ukrainian independence day.
Zenon Zawada:
Bolton’s visit confirms that Ukraine’s defense remains a top priority for the
Trump administration. Besides the standard topics for discussion (Minsk Accords
fulfillment, Russian military buildup in the Azov Sea, the release of Ukrainian
prisoners such as Sentsov), Bolton is likely to discuss measures to ensure
domestic stability during the presidential election campaign, which will be in
full swing in September. It’s quite possible that Bolton will be the honored
guest mentioned by Chaly to attend the military parade.