[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 30, Number 47 (Monday, November 28, 1994)]
[Pages 2421-2422]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Welcoming President Leonid Kuchma of Ukraine

November 22, 1994

    Mr. President, Mrs. Kuchma, members of the Ukrainian delegation, 
representatives of the Ukrainian-American community, distinguished 
guests: It is indeed an honor to welcome to Washington the leader of one 
of the world's youngest democracies and oldest nations. To have you here 
with us today, Mr. President, is to be reminded that we live in an era 
of wonders, a time when people's long-denied hope or having age-old 
dreams fulfilled, a time when the unstoppable power of men and women who 
wish to be free has been demonstrated anew.
    The rebirth of Ukraine as an independent state after centuries of 
rule by others is one of the most inspiring developments of our time. 
For ages Ukraine was divided by competing empires, then subjugated to 
Tsars and commissars.
    Despite efforts to create an independent Ukraine, dictators, 
terrible famines, and relentless oppression all combined to deny your 
people the right to shape their fate. Despite these ordeals, the 
Ukrainian people have endured, preserving hope and their identity and 
contributing greatly to the glories of European civilization. Now, 
finally, Ukraine has reclaimed its independence and its place as a 
pivotal state in the new Europe.
    We congratulate you, Mr. President, and all Ukrainians on your 
remarkable achievements in the almost 3 years since regaining your 
freedom. You held a historic referendum and began the hard work of 
reform and building democratic institutions. Above all, Ukrainians are 
weathering the immense difficulties of political and economic 
transition. In the face of continuous hardship, you have shown patience, 
bravery, and the ability to overcome all obstacles, an ability your 
young athletes like Oksana Baul showed so spectacularly in the Olympic 
competition.
    We honor you, Mr. President, in our Nation's Capital as the man who 
is leading a Ukrainian renaissance. Your boldness in the face of 
daunting problems reminds us of one

[[Page 2422]]

of our greatest leaders, Franklin Roosevelt, who provided leadership in 
a time of great hardship in the United States. Like him, you inherited a 
nation in the throes of economic depression. And like him, you have 
lighted the darkness and created hope.
    You have blazed a path ahead on the two most critical issues for the 
future: economic reform and nuclear weapons. Thanks to your leadership, 
Ukraine is making the hard choices that will ensure the prosperity 
Ukrainians deserve.
    And thanks to your vision and that of the Ukrainian Parliament, you 
are removing the threat of nuclear weapons and laying the groundwork for 
an era of peace with your neighbors. I salute the courage you have 
shown. America will stand with you to support your independence, your 
territorial integrity, and your reforms. We are bound together by a 
dedication to peace and a devotion to freedom.
    The flame of that commitment to freedom was kept burning during the 
cold war by nearly a million Ukrainian-Americans, some of whom are with 
us here today, who never forgot Ukraine and who are today contributing 
to its reawakening. Now that your country is again free, all Americans 
are determined that the flame of Ukrainian freedom will burn ever 
brighter. We will stand with you.
    Seventy-seven years ago today, Mr. President, on November 22, 1917, 
another generation of Ukrainian leaders declared the independence of 
Ukraine. It was a tragedy that civil war and bolshevism doomed that new 
state while it was still in its infancy.
    Today we are pleased and honored to welcome you, the leader of a 
Ukraine that is conquering the challenges of independence, poised to 
fulfill its hopes, a nation that will grow into one of the great nations 
of Europe. And we say, Vitayemo. Welcome.

Note: The President spoke at 11:08 a.m. on the South Lawn at the White 
House. A tape was not available for verification of the content of these 
remarks.