Excerpt:
It has been 21 years since Ukraine gained its independence from the Soviet Union. Since then, Ukrainians have made much progress on reforming and modernizing their country. Ukraine has also become an important partner on a number of pressing global and regional issues, from nuclear nonproliferation to food security and the settlement of protracted conflicts.
Ukraine now stands at an important juncture. Many of its neighbors in Central and Eastern Europe have shown the world what can be accomplished in terms of democratization and economic prosperity. Ukraine has the capacity to do the same. Important steps now have to be taken by the Ukrainian government to fulfill its full potential.
