On-line forum for Germans from Russia Researchers

On Wednesday, 24 August of this week, Ukrainians will celebrate 20 years of independence from the U.S.S.R. The Parliament of Ukraine declared its independence on 24 Aug 1991, and the citizens of Ukraine overwhelmingly (90%) supported the referendum which followed. But 20 years later, Ukrainians are disappointed about the present and pessimistic for the future. According to a recent poll, eighty percent of Ukraine’s citizens are saying that their lives have become worse since independence, blaming politicians, greedy businessmen and criminals in their government bureaucracies. Yet a full 93 percent of respondents identify themselves as Ukrainians and consider Ukraine as their homeland. Nevertheless Ukrainians are very divided over where their nation should be headed politically. Fifty-one percent favor joining the European Union, while 47 percent want closer relations with Russia and Belarus. (Thirty-seven percent indicated they wanted both.) This past week, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich announced that Ukraine will sign an “Association Agreement” with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barrosso which will lead to closer trade ties with Europe.
According to a report in the online version of the Kyiv Post, Yanukovich is quoted as saying, "Despite the difficulties, a major step has been taken: we have finally decided on our future. The European choice has become the basis of Ukraine's foreign policy identity. European values have become the foundation of our development.” He went on to say, "Ukraine not only wants to be a European country. This geographical fact does not need any proof. We want to join the great European project - the construction of a united Europe based on values of freedom, democracy and law," the president said.

One of the first tests of Yanukovich’s bold statements will be whether Ukraine agrees to visa-free travel for its citizens within Europe, a move that many Europeans believe would accelerate democratic changes within Ukraine. Political analysts in Europe are divided over Yanukovich’s sincerity with skeptics saying it is European money that Ukraine is pursuing, and not European values. Germany is currently Ukraine’s second largest investor and trading partner, after Russia. Understanding the political rifts within Ukraine, EU officials will continue to act cautiously. There is a well-reasoned fear that using these new trade negotiations to press for democratic reforms will push Ukraine towards Russia. And on the other hand, Europe cannot afford to appear “soft” on fundamental European democratic principles for fear of sending the wrong message to both Ukraine and Russia. For now, it appears to be a “good hand”, and Yanukovich is playing it well.

Merv Weiss. 20 Aug 2011. Saskatoon.

Thanks for your comments Merv. I have posted Merv's comments here as I feel access to our ancestral villages and the political environment the Ukrainian archives operate under are important to all Germans from Russia. Comments?

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Regards, Murray
BlackSeaGR Forum co-Administrator
Gauer Family Website

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Thank you both for a really pertinent post.
Ukraine has a 'love hate' relationship with Germany where the emotion is fading over time.Historically, the reagions of our anscestors were not ,for most of recent history, Ukrainian & we were as much the victims of WW2 as they were.
I'm interested in finding out if there was any return to the Black sea areas by the Black Sea Germans after 1945.