Western authorities offer both praise, criticism for recent events in Ukraine

The U.S. Embassy in
Ukraine lauded Ukrainian military and law enforcement authorities for their
handling of the July 25 detention of a Russian tanker ship docked in a Black
Sea port. “Ukraine’s handling of yesterday’s ship incident suggests the new
administration is focused on protecting the country’s interests not only
firmly, but also in accordance with international norms and humanely. This sets
a good precedent for the peaceful resolution of disputes,” the embassy tweeted.

Ukrainian
authorities detained the Russian tanker after recognizing that it was involved
in blocking Ukrainian military ships in the Kerch Strait in 2018, the Security
Service of Ukraine (SBU) reported on July 26. SBU officers and military
prosecutors arrested the ship in the port of Izmail, reporting that evening
that the crew had not violated Ukrainian law and international maritime law,
and releasing them to return to Russia. The ship’s officers said they were not
aware of the ship’s participation in blockades, news reports said.

On the other hand,
Hugh Mingarelli, the head of the EU delegation to Ukraine, criticized the
Zelensky administration for sending Security Service (SBU) officers to
investigate the offices of ArcelorMittal, the world’s largest steelmaker that
operates a metallurgical plant in Kryviy Rih, Ukraine’s eighth-largest city.
“SBU raids at commercial companies harm Ukraine’s investment attractiveness.
It’s quite strange to see the SBU in such matters and we were all surprised,”
he said in an interview with the epravda.com.ua news site published on July 26.
He added, “Is the situation at ArcelorMittal truly the worst in Ukraine? I am not an expert and I
don’t have an answer, but when I was in Mariupol and ran my finger against a
glass, my finger turned black. I know for sure that wasn’t pollution from
ArcelorMittal, but probably from a Metinvest plant.”

The SBU opened a
criminal case against ArcelorMittal Kryviy Rih on July 17 for ecocide in
relation to its alleged pollution of the environment in the city, which is
suspected to be causing illnesses. Days earlier, Ukrainian Volodymyr Zelensky
told a meeting with local officials that the metallurgical plant has failed to
fulfill its requirements to improve the environmental situation in the region,
ordering those suffering from environmental damage to be compensated. SBU
officers conducted investigations of the plant on July 20, blocking a project
that is estimated by the company to be worth USD 150 mln.

Zenon Zawada: We see both of these events as
being more positive indicators for the Zelensky presidency. In the case of the
Russian tanker, it’s doubtful that Zelensky, or SBU Head Ivan Bakanov, had any
involvement in the decision-making surrounding the detention, which means that
Ukraine’s leading national security body can function effectively on its own,
regardless of the neophytes that have come to power. Among the key signs of a
healthy government body is when it functions effectively, regardless of its
leaders.

As for the
ArcelorMittal investigations, they are part of the Zelensky’s rather zealous
efforts in the first months of his presidency (and on the eve of the July 21
parliamentary elections) to make a deep impression on the public that they are
serious about improving conditions in the country. In the case of
ArcelorMittal, anonymous sources in the Zelensky administration acknowledged in
an epravda.com.ua report published on July 26 that the president might have
been overzealous, particularly since Kryviy Rih is his hometown.

Any Ukrainian
president genuinely enthusiastic about improving living conditions in Ukraine
is positive, even if some of the initial moves are misguided. Meanwhile, we are
confident that the Zelensky administration is serious about its repeated vows
to make Ukraine more friendly for investors. So we believe this will be an
isolated incident that won’t repeat itself often once Zelensky finds his rhythm
and focuses on his commitments to make Ukraine more investment friendly.