Ukraine supporters among U.S. Secretary of State candidates

Three candidates have emerged as the potential U.S. Secretary of State under President-elect Donald Trump, reported on Nov. 10 the politico.com news site.

John Bolton, who served as the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. between 2005 and 2006, has been among the most outspoken critics of Russian President Putin, his military aggression in Ukraine and his sponsorship of terrorism in Ukraine. He has also been an outspoken critic of the Russian foreign policy of U.S. President Barack Obama, accusing him of acting in confusion in regards to Ukraine.

Bob Corker, the current head of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is an outspoken critic of Russian President Putin and his military aggression and sponsorship of terrorism in Ukraine. Corker has accused U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry of  “wishy-washiness” (confusion) in emboldening Putin in his actions in Ukraine.

Newt Gingrich, who served as the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives between 1995 and 1999, visited Ukraine in September as part of the Yalta European Strategy summit. During this visit, he gave an interview to the eurointegration.com.ua news site in which he stressed the need for the U.S. to enable Ukraine to defend itself militarily against Russia and the willingness of a Trump administration to sell arms to the Ukrainian government on loan.

Zenon Zawada: This list of candidates looks as realistic as any. While the future U.S. Secretary of State remains merely a topic for speculation at this point, it’s apparent that Trump will avoid appointing someone as controversial as Carter Page, who has close contacts in the Moscow investment community and has firmly pro-Putinist positions.

That being said, Trump has made very clear that he wants improved relations with Russia, particularly in cooperation to combat the radical Islamists in the Middle East. So pro-Putinists like Page are almost certain to be among Trump’s key foreign policy advisors.

What we’re observing are the shoots of a new U.S. foreign policy on Ukraine. A compromise can emerge between the Ukraine hawks and the Putinists in the Trump camp. In this compromise, sanctions over Crimea could be removed or adjusted (no sooner than a year) and in exchange, Ukraine is offered extensive security guarantees and Western armaments to deter any further Russian aggression.

In this compromise, the current war in Donbas could be brought to an end, but with enough security measures that the Russians won’t be tempted to renew their military aggression any further in Ukraine. This is one scenario of a political breakthrough that is desperately need for Ukraine, no matter how painful or risky it might be.