U.S. Ambassador Says Bright Prospect for U.S.-Ukrainian Relations

KIEV, Ukraine -- Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko's planned visit to the United States would help usher in a new era in bilateral relations, the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine said, according to an interview published Saturday.

Yushchenko is set to meet with President Bush at the White House on April 4.

``We expect not only the revival of friendly ties that existed between our states seven-nine years ago, but the establishment of a qualitatively new level of relations,'' U.S. Ambassador John Herbst told the Kievskiy Telegraf weekly.

Ukraine has been cited frequently by Bush administration officials as an example of the movement toward greater democracy worldwide.

In Ukraine's so-called ``Orange Revolution,'' popular protests triggered by a fraudulent vote paved the way to Yushchenko's victory over a Russia-backed rival in December's court-ordered election rerun.

``Ukraine presses toward truly democratic changes in politics and economy,'' Herbst said. ``If it manages to fulfill its aspirations, our relations, I'm sure, will be absolutely close.''

U.S.-Ukrainian relations cooled under ex-President Leonid Kuchma, who was accused by Washington of selling a sophisticated radar system to Iraq despite U.N. sanctions against Saddam Hussein's regime. Kuchma denied the allegations.

In what was widely seen as an effort to improve relations with Washington, Kuchma sent Ukrainian troops to serve in the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq after the war. The deployment has been unpopular at home, however, and Ukrainian officials have vowed to bring the troops home this year.

``I see no problems in the withdrawal of the Ukrainian troops,'' Herbst said, emphasizing that Yushchenko had promised to consult coalition partners on details of the withdrawal.