On November 7th, the USA Embassy in Kyiv hosted a breakfast reception in honor of the wrap-up of the USA presidential elections, where the Chairman of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (EAJC) General Council, Chairman of the Association of Jewish Communities and Organizations (VAAD) Ukraine Josef Zisels exchanged opinions on the Ukrainian parliamentary elections with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary John F. Tefft.

 

Having reached an agreement on the general evaluation of the problems of these elections and the vote count in particular, Ambassador Tefft expressed an interest as to the successful passing of the electoral barrier by the “Svoboda” radical right party. Josef Zisels provided both his own personal opinion and the position of VAAD Ukraine on the subject, and provided the American diplomat with a copy of the official VAAD statement. Ambassador Tefft agreed that Svoboda's success was only partially connected to the changes in the ideological preferences of Ukrainians and to the growth of xenophobia in society, but was determined first and foremost by the high protest potential of the electorate towards the government and the palpable rise of radical attitudes in Ukrainian society, which had been largely disappointed by the amorphousness of the main parties of the opposition.

Josef Zisels congratulated Ambassador Tefft with the re-election of Barack Obama to the post of USA President, and expressed his hope for the continuation and strengthening of the current tendencies in American foreign policy, especially those connected with the support of democratic processes in Ukraine, also noting that the development of diplomatic relations between the USA and the Russian Federation should not take place at the expense of the democratic and national interests of Ukraine. The EAJC General Council Chairman also expressed his hope that USA foreign policy will continue strengthen its support of the efforts of Israel to achieve a lasting peace in the Near East and secure its own safety.