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Our Life | Наше життя August | Серпень 2021 35 such, I got a front row seat to Ukraine’s evolution from one of 15 Soviet republics and a “captive nation” into a country that, at 30, has held on to its independence yet still struggles to maintain its territorial integrity, secure its place in the world, and create a successful path to democracy. The changes I have seen in the past three decades – big and small – have been extraordinary. When I first began traveling to Ukraine, I couldn’t imagine that the odd private restaurant and occasional privately owned shop would mushroom into modern-day malls, presenting Ukrainians with the goods and services they had been denied for decades. I could not have anticipated that children born in the waning days of the USSR would become adults who consider them - selves citizens of the world – individuals who interact with the outside world on their own terms, who explore it through the Internet, global media, and travels abroad. As I worked with U.S. military delegations meeting their Ukrainian counterparts, I witnessed the transformation of the Ukrainian Armed Forces – woefully undertrained and ill- equipped – into a fierce fighting force, battle-hardened by a real war on its Eastern border with Russia. I saw a diplomatic corps, weakened by the defection of many of its diplomats to Russia in the early 1990s, rebuild itself and become a strong and capable Ministry of Foreign Affairs, adept at advocating for Ukraine’s interests on the global stage. And I personally witnessed as Ukrainian, a language long repressed and ridiculed, was elevated for use in the White House. I was there when, for the first time in history, an American president uttered “Welcome to the Oval Office” to a president of an independent Ukraine. On that May day in 1992, I had the honor of interpreting those very words, spoken by President Bill Clinton, into Ukrainian, for President Leonid Kravchuk ... as I did for every succeeding President. Ukraine at 30 is far from perfect. Serious challenges remain: rooting out pervasive corruption, revitalizing a stagnant economy, negotiating a peaceful end to the war with Rus - sia, restructuring the judiciary and the healthcare and edu- cation systems, and rejuvenating the cultural landscape. But if Ukraine were a person whose 30th birthday we were cel- ebrating, would we speak about that person’s mistakes and shortcomings? After blowing out the candles on the birthday cake, would we say, “I hope you eradicate corruption”? No, I would say, “Well done, Ukraino! Celebrate everything you have achieved despite the odds, despite your burdensome Soviet past and insidious neighbor. I wish you strength and determination to make progress on all your goals. May you have a long and happy life. Mnohaya lita!” Independence Day, Hunter, NY, August 24, 1991 Clinton-Kuchma Oval Office meeting, November 22, 1994 At the inauguration of President Yushchenko, Kyiv, January 23, 2005 At the Orange Revolution, Kyiv, November 2004
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