    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1994, Book II)]
    [November 22, 1994]
    [Pages 2121-2122]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at the State Dinner for President Leonid Kuchma of Ukraine
    November 22, 1994

        Ladies and gentlemen, President Kuchma, Mrs. Kuchma, members of the
    Ukrainian delegation, diplomatic corps, Ukrainian-Americans, and
    distinguished guests, tonight we meet to celebrate a new friendship
    between our two nations and a new freedom for the people of the Ukraine.
    We also celebrate our peoples' devotion to the shared values that
    produce peace and prosperity. In a time when it is tempting to take the
    easy way out, Ukraine has set for itself the highest goals.
        Mr. President, people around the world admire you for your wisdom in
    leading your country toward a nonnuclear future, a move now heralded
    around the world. And we applaud your courage on embarking on the
    difficult path of economic reform, a path that holds the promise of
    turning the vast resources of your country into real prosperity. As you
    strive to build a peaceful and prosperous Ukraine, we will stand by you
    and work with you.
        The Slavic root of the name Ukraine means ``borderland,'' but the
    independent Ukraine of today is at the very heart of Europe. It occupies
    a central place in our world. Our freedom and your freedom are bound
    together. We share the same desire to build a safer and better world for
    our children.
        Mr. President, you are renowned as the man who ran Pivdenmash, the
    largest aerospace plant in the world. Just as you brought that vast
    operation to the pinnacle of technical excellence, we know you will be
    able to bring the hard work of reform down to earth and that you will
    deploy all your engineering skill to the construction of a new
    democratic nation. I might also add that a democratic Ukraine supports
    the idea of a democratic Russia, which is best for Russia, Ukraine, and
    the United States.

    [[Page 2122]]

        Let me close with a story. More than a century ago in the winter of
    1858, the great Ukrainian national poet Taras Shevchenko had just
    returned to St. Petersburg from internal exile in the Russian Far East.
    There he met the acclaimed American black actor Ira Aldridge, who was in
    the city performing Shakespeare. The son of Ukrainian serfs and the son
    of American slaves became fast friends. Theirs was a friendship born of
    shared ideals, above all the dream of freedom for all peoples. It was
    that dream that led Shevchenko to condemn despotism with the line,
    ``Freedom knows no dying.'' Ira Aldridge was so impressed by his friend
    Shevchenko that it was said of him that forever after he carried Ukraine
    in his heart.
        The steadfast devotion to freedom that brought Shevchenko and
    Aldridge together has also brought us together tonight. So I ask all of
    you to join me in a toast to President and Mrs. Kuchma, to the growing
    friendship of our peoples, and the bright future of a prosperous and
    free Ukraine.

    Note: The President spoke at 8:28 p.m. in the State Dining Room at the
    White House.