This day in history

At the beginning of Bill Clinton's presidency, in 1993, his administration began to seek new approaches to building U.S.-Ukrainian relations. An important role here was played by representatives of the U.S. Congress, who visited Ukraine in April and came to the conclusion that it should be regarded as an independent sovereign state. Its aspiration for independence was supported by the United States. In May, Kyiv was visited by a delegation headed by the ambassador-at-large and special adviser to the secretary of state for the new independent states of the former Soviet Union, Strobe Talbott, who expressed the U.S. side's desire to start a new stage in relations with Ukraine, in particular the refusal of Clinton's administration from the policy of "pressure" and the search for "partnership."

Subsequently, as a result of global decisions and actions by Ukraine on nuclear disarmament, during the second official visit to the United States by Ukraine's First President Leonid Kravchuk, on March 4, 1994, the sides signed a Joint Statement on Development of U.S.-Ukrainian Friendship and Partnership, which, in addition to security assurances, stated the formation of political, contractual and legal framework for strategic partnership. This agreement became a new and an important stage in the development of Ukrainian-U.S. partnership and evidence of positive developments to strengthen Ukraine as a sovereign state.

The sides also signed a number of intergovernmental and interagency contracts, agreements and statements that had a positive impact on cooperation between the two countries.