Ukraine’s “kamikaze” Yatseniuk relishes hawkish reputation

(Reuters) — Ukraine’s prime minister once said he and the emergency government which took power after pro-European protests in February were on a «suicide» mission, fated to take unpopular decisions that would cut short their political careers.
If that is so, it would seem Arseny Yatseniuk now has a permanent death wish.
Far from dodging the ‘kamikaze’ hot seat, the 40-year-old technocrat has used his party’s surprise first place in last month’s elections to outmaneuver rivals and get an assurance he will stay on as prime minister once horse-trading is completed.
And he seems to be relishing a growing reputation as a hawk in the bruising stand-off with Russia and separatists as he continues in a post he has occupied since the heady days of the «Euromaidan» winter revolution that ousted a pro-Russian leader.
On fighting form again on Wednesday, he announced a halt to payment of state funding to rebel-controlled areas in the east. «The money doesn’t reach the people. It’s stolen by Russian gangsters and essentially supports Russian terrorism,» he said.
The strong showing of his People’s Front in the Oct. 26 election means he and President Petro Poroshenko’s party will easily muster a majority in parliament to steer policies they say should help settle the separatist conflict and align the war-wracked economy with European standards.
But there are many who warn already that the «odd couple» might self-destruct.
Yatseniuk’s aggressive language, particularly when talking of Russia, has led people to see him as representing the ‘party of war’.
That could prove a burden for the more diplomatic Poroshenko as he tries — against all the odds — to pursue a peace plan for the east. He is the one who has to shake hands with Russia’s Vladimir Putin at international gatherings.
Events, including a conflict that has killed more than 4,000 people, have transformed the rules of the political game. The way Yatseniuk’s partnership pans out with Poroshenko, a 49-year-old billionaire who made a fortune in chocolates and other sweets after the Soviet Union collapsed, will be decisive.

Продолжение здесь: IPnews

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