The Foreign Service Journal, January-February 2020

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2020 19 Ambassador William Taylor I want to emphasize at the outset that, while I am aware that the committee has requested my testimony as part of impeachment proceedings, I am not here to take one side or the other, or to advocate for any particular outcome of these proceedings. My sole purpose is to provide facts as I know them about the incidents in question as well as my views about the strategic importance of Ukraine to the United States. … I amnon-partisan and have been appointed tomy positions by every president fromPresident Reagan to President Trump. … Ukraine is important to the security of the United States. The largest country in Europe by landmass, Ukraine is a young democracy, struggling to join Europe and ally itself with the United States. … Mr. Chairman, there are two Ukraine stories today. The first is the one we are discussing this morning and that you have been hearing for the past two weeks. It is a rancorous story about whistleblowers, Mr. Giuliani, side channels, quid pro quos, cor- ruption, and interference in elections. In this story Ukraine is merely an object. But there is another Ukraine story—a positive, bipartisan one. In this second story, Ukraine is the subject. This one is about young people in a young nation, struggling to break free of its past, hopeful that their new government will finally usher in a new Ukraine, proud of its independence from Russia, eager to join Western institutions and enjoy a more secure and prosperous life. This story describes a nation developing an inclusive, democratic nationalism, not unlike what we in America, in our best moments, feel about our diverse country—less concerned about what language we speak, what religion if any we practice, where our parents and grandparents came from; more concerned about building a new country. –Acting U.S. Ambassador toUkraineWilliamB. Taylor, before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Nov. 13, 2019. FSO George Kent I have served proudly as a non-partisan career Foreign Service officer for more than 27 years, under five Presidents, three Republicans and two Democrats. … I represent the third genera- tion of my family to have chosen a career in public service and sworn the oath all U.S. public servants do, in defense of our Constitution. … I begin with some opening comments on the key prin- ciples at the heart of what brings me before you today. To wit: principled public service in pursuit of our enduring national interests, and the place of Ukraine in our national and security interests. … … You don’t step into the public arena of international diplomacy in active pursuit of principled U.S. interests without expecting vigorous pushback, including personal attacks. Such attacks came from Russians, their proxies, and corrupt Ukraini- ans. This tells me that our efforts were hitting their mark. It was unexpected, andmost unfortunate, to watch some Americans—including those who allied themselves with corrupt Ukrainians in pursuit of private agendas—launch attacks on dedi- cated public servants advancing U.S. interests in Ukraine. Inmy opinion, those attacks undermined U.S. and Ukrainian national interests and damaged our critical bilateral relationship. The United States has clear national interests at stake in Ukraine. Ukraine’s success is very much in our national interest, in the way we have defined our national interests broadly in Europe for the past 75 years. U.S. leadership furthered far- sighted policies like the Marshall Plan and the creation of a rules-based international order. Protected by the collective secu- rity provided by NATO, Western Europe recovered and thrived after the carnage of World War II, notwithstanding the shadow of the Iron Curtain. Europe’s security and prosperity contributed to our security and prosperity. –Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eur- asian Affairs George P. Kent, before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Nov. 13, 2019. Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch A s I close, let me be clear on who we are and how we serve this country. We are professionals, public servants who by vocation and training pursue the policies of the President, regardless of who holds that office or what party they affiliate with. We handle American Citizen Services, facilitate trade and commerce, work security issues, represent the U.S., and report to and advise Washington, to mention just a few of our functions. And we make a difference every day. We are people who repeatedly uproot our lives, who risk— and sometimes give—our lives for this country. We are the 52 Americans who 40 years ago this month began 444 days of deprivation, torture and captivity in Tehran. We are the dozens of Americans stationed at our embassy in Cuba and consulates in China, who mysteriously and Diplomats Testify as Witnesses in the Impeachment Hearings Excerpts from Opening Statements