Ukrainian Election Results

[eekee 182]

What do RUBers think about the election results in Ukraine? Do you think travel between US and Ukraine (i.e., visa-free travel for US citizens) will become more restricted again and relations will worsen?

[peejay 327]

What do RUBers think about the election results in Ukraine? Do you think travel between US and Ukraine (i.e., visa-free travel for US citizens) will become more restricted again and relations will worsen?

What is a RUBer?

[eekee 182]

What is a RUBer?

check out the new(ish) forum title.

[Martyshk 137]

What do RUBers think about the election results in Ukraine? Do you think travel between US and Ukraine (i.e., visa-free travel for US citizens) will become more restricted again and relations will worsen?

No. Nothing will change for us. Nothing will change for Ukraine either, unfortunately.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

What do RUBers think about the election results in Ukraine? Do you think travel between US and Ukraine (i.e., visa-free travel for US citizens) will become more restricted again and relations will worsen?

I was living in Ukraine for the Orange Revolution. Whiler I am not thrilled to see Yanukovich back, I do not think they can return to the way they were. I think the country will become more "russia friendly" which they probably should but I do not see it hurting things such as travel, etc. I do not think we will go back to visas like we had before 2005. However I think this will end the talk of Ukraine joining NATO or even the EU for some years to come, which is not necessarily a bad thing either. Maybe, I hope, the pendulum swings to the middle and not way over to one side or the other as it had been in the past.

In my experience, Ukrainian people just want to get along. It seems the government is always telling them that this country or that country is the "enemy" and another is their "friend" I know most Ukrainians would just like to work and offer some good products, improve their economy, improve their wage scales, improve the general quality of life which they are certainly capable of. It is a beautiful country with rich history and really friendly and hospitable people, but one government or another has always been so corrupt as to steal what should be the people's destiny. I was pleased to see Yanukovich go away in 2005 but Yushenko was a big dissapointment for me. Yuila is just scarey. She is much better looking than our version (Hillary Clinton) and I like her hair, but she does frightening things! She implemented tax breaks for starting a business, then after some months and people invested money, she repealed them retroactively and made people pay taxes they didn't have because they invested the money in their business. Many businesses closed because of this! She was vehemently anti-Russian, not even diplomatic about it, and then does an about face a few months ago and starts kissing the Russian @ss before this election. Americans have never seen a "flip-flopper" like Yulia. She is dangerous. I will no longer wear my T-shirt with Yulias picture on it.

We will see soon what happens. The value of the Hryvnia will be the first indicator. I really hope there will be open relations with everyone that can benefit the Ukrainian people, that means the Russians AND the west. There is no reason in this day and age that Ukrainians have to choose. A lot of what happened was our fault also as the US was forever trying to twist the Russian nose in some way and used people (other countries) to do this. Ukraine found itself in the middle of a pissing contest between the US and Russia and that is never a good place to be in a pissing contest.

[Waitinggent 2]

Well said.

I was living in Ukraine for the Orange Revolution. Whiler I am not thrilled to see Yanukovich back, I do not think they can return to the way they were. I think the country will become more "russia friendly" which they probably should but I do not see it hurting things such as travel, etc. I do not think we will go back to visas like we had before 2005. However I think this will end the talk of Ukraine joining NATO or even the EU for some years to come, which is not necessarily a bad thing either. Maybe, I hope, the pendulum swings to the middle and not way over to one side or the other as it had been in the past.

In my experience, Ukrainian people just want to get along. It seems the government is always telling them that this country or that country is the "enemy" and another is their "friend" I know most Ukrainians would just like to work and offer some good products, improve their economy, improve their wage scales, improve the general quality of life which they are certainly capable of. It is a beautiful country with rich history and really friendly and hospitable people, but one government or another has always been so corrupt as to steal what should be the people's destiny. I was pleased to see Yanukovich go away in 2005 but Yushenko was a big dissapointment for me. Yuila is just scarey. She is much better looking than our version (Hillary Clinton) and I like her hair, but she does frightening things! She implemented tax breaks for starting a business, then after some months and people invested money, she repealed them retroactively and made people pay taxes they didn't have because they invested the money in their business. Many businesses closed because of this! She was vehemently anti-Russian, not even diplomatic about it, and then does an about face a few months ago and starts kissing the Russian @ss before this election. Americans have never seen a "flip-flopper" like Yulia. She is dangerous. I will no longer wear my T-shirt with Yulias picture on it.

We will see soon what happens. The value of the Hryvnia will be the first indicator. I really hope there will be open relations with everyone that can benefit the Ukrainian people, that means the Russians AND the west. There is no reason in this day and age that Ukrainians have to choose. A lot of what happened was our fault also as the US was forever trying to twist the Russian nose in some way and used people (other countries) to do this. Ukraine found itself in the middle of a pissing contest between the US and Russia and that is never a good place to be in a pissing contest.

[slim 1,525]

Yuila is just scarey. She is much better looking than our version (Hillary Clinton) and I like her hair,

I'm still keeping fingers crossed for the Yulia vs. Sarah, no-holds-barred, winner-take-all, pudding match for possession of the world scheduled for late 2012. Maybe uncoincidentally, that's also the scheduled date of the end of the world as we know it. If all goes well, we'll be sitting in our TV rooms on Dec. 21, 2012, drinking the High Life, eating chicken wings and trying not to knock over our bottle of lotion when it'll all go dark.

The end. - And a happy one at that!

[Brad and Vika 129]

My in-laws seem to think that the currency has been propped up until the elections anyway, so it will take a nosedive soon after. We'll see. My wife says that after a period of time, the pro-Moscow bent of the new government is bound to make it more difficult for non-CIS citizens, especially Americans, to move around in Ukraine. I hope not.

As far as how we feel about the results, I don't think most of us are surprised at all.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

I'm still keeping fingers crossed for the Yulia vs. Sarah, no-holds-barred, winner-take-all, pudding match for possession of the world scheduled for late 2012. Maybe uncoincidentally, that's also the scheduled date of the end of the world as we know it. If all goes well, we'll be sitting in our TV rooms on Dec. 21, 2012, drinking the High Life, eating chicken wings and trying not to knock over our bottle of lotion when it'll all go dark.

The end. - And a happy one at that!

I don't even have a TV anymore, but if thay had stuff like Palin v. Tymoshenko in jello wrestling I would be siging for cable again!

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

My in-laws seem to think that the currency has been propped up until the elections anyway, so it will take a nosedive soon after. We'll see. My wife says that after a period of time, the pro-Moscow bent of the new government is bound to make it more difficult for non-CIS citizens, especially Americans, to move around in Ukraine. I hope not.

As far as how we feel about the results, I don't think most of us are surprised at all.

I will be watching the currency for sure, I suspect the same thing but hope not because they haven't done a very good job if that is what they call "propping-up".

On travel I disagree, BUT Ukrainian politicains have repeatedly shot themsleves in the d*ck before. When they lifted the restrictions on US citizens they did so for EU citizens also and it made a tremendous difference in tourism in Ukraine, particulalry in Kiev and Odessa. I saw LOTS more pure tourists, as opposed to business people, in Odessa from the west after they lifted the restrictions. They also spiffed up the downtown area a LOT after that. Lots of new shops and Restraunts. I assure you, there were NO Swarovski shops in downtown Odessa before 2005. (compare it to some of the less well traveled non-tourist areas of Odessa, big difference) I just think they would lose a lot of foreign "hard currency" that they like very much. It wouldn't surprise me to see some sort of COD visa like they have in Turkey, just as a form of a tax, but to go back to truly restricted visas and restricted tours and such, I just don't see that happening. There is enough disgruntled old geezer Commie-Cops around that would like to see it just so they could walk up to you and say "Your payyyyperzzzz Pleaszzzzzz" without being laughed at.

Like I said, I hope the pro-Moscow bent swings the pendulum back to the middle. It wouldn't hurt my feelings to see them end the "Ukrainian only" language thing which was getting downright ridiculous in recent years.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

My in-laws seem to think that the currency has been propped up until the elections anyway, so it will take a nosedive soon after. We'll see. My wife says that after a period of time, the pro-Moscow bent of the new government is bound to make it more difficult for non-CIS citizens, especially Americans, to move around in Ukraine. I hope not.

As far as how we feel about the results, I don't think most of us are surprised at all.

I am not surprised, given recent events and things that happened. However, if you told me 5 years ago that in 5 years all the guys and gals that just got elected would be out and all the guys and gals that just got tossed would be back, I would have said you were out of your mind!!!! If you had told me Yulia would be pro-Russian, or even neutral, I would have said you were crazy!

[1HappyGuy 45]

The general consensus in our home is that Ukraine is in for some unusual years. It seems clear that Ula will not make Viktor a happy camper and rollover for him.

As for the restrictions on westerners traveling to Ukraine, I certainly hope there will not be a return to the old ways. It is so much better for Ukraine to have easy access by westerners and their tourist dollars or euros.

My wife is concerned about Yanukovich giving up Crimea and the naval base on the Black Sea to the Russians. But, I think the people of Ukraine are pretty stubborn about giving up anything to Russia or anyone for that matter.

Let's just hope that cool head prevail and that their economy improves, along with the rest of the world.

[Martyshk 137]

My wife is concerned about Yanukovich giving up Crimea and the naval base on the Black Sea to the Russians.

This sh!t's just too funny to read

I'm not even going to delve into how that statement is wrong on so many levels and how's it's exactly the same sh!t that's been going around for 19 years now.

[Brad and Vika 129]

This sh!t's just too funny to read

I'm not even going to delve into how that statement is wrong on so many levels and how's it's exactly the same sh!t that's been going around for 19 years now.

What about another looooong term lease though?

[Martyshk 137]

What about another looooong term lease though?

If they had leased it out back in the 90s, I wouldn't even be here, heh