Key U.S. military advisor on Ukraine to depart in October

Evelyn Farkas, the deputy assistant U.S. secretary of defense for Russia/Ukraine/Eurasia, will depart at the end of October, reported the politico.com news site on Sept. 29, citing anonymous officials. Farkas advised three secretaries of defense on Russia policy, having been appointed five years ago, and was deeply involved in securing USD 244 mln in support for Ukraine, the report said. She was among the few people in the Obama administration who vocally opposed Russia’s aggression towards Ukraine, including the annexation of Crimea. “There are not a lot of Europe experts in this administration who have a long record of accomplishment,” the official said. “There’s no doubt this leaves the Pentagon weaker in terms of its policy-making on European issues.”

The U.S. government is no longer demanding the immediate resignation of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told CNN on Sept. 29. Instead, Assad should resign after a “planned transition period,” Kerry said. “We need to have an orderly transition, a managed transition, so that you don’t have a fear for retribution, loss of life, revenge,” he said, urging a leadership change over a “reasonable period of time” but declining to be more specific. He referred to the involvement of Russian President Vladimir Putin in Syria as an “opportunity” that could force Moscow into a complicated situation that could affect its policy towards Assad.

U.S. President Barack Obama signed a memorandum on Sept. 29 authorizing the U.S. State Department to allocate up to USD 20 mln in defense items and services, as well as military education and training for the Ukrainian government. The memorandum also allocates USD 1.5 mln in non-lethal items and services. 

Zenon Zawada: Suspicions have been constantly persisting that the U.S. has been sacrificing its defense of Ukraine in exchange for Russia’s cooperation in Syria. Farkas’s departure is a bad omen for Ukraine in this context, though it’s not clear if she’s resigning altogether and what position she will occupy afterwards. Another omen prompting suspicions is this change in U.S. policy towards Syria. Perhaps the USD 20 mln in aid is intended to dispel such suspicions.

We can’t rule out the Obama administration considering in the future to adjust its Ukraine policy to resolve the warfare in the Middle East. But U.S. foreign policy will remain committed to removing Russian soldiers from Ukrainian territory and reversing the annexation of Crimea. And the U.S. will remain committed to starving the Putin regime until it backs down or is replaced.