Weekly Geopolitical Report – Ukraine Under Zelensky (December 9, 2019)
by Patrick Fearon-Hernandez, CFA
Because of the congressional impeachment inquiry into President Trump, people are hearing a lot about Ukraine and its new president, Volodymyr Zelensky. However, it’s important to remember that Ukraine and its new leader are significant in their own right. Russia has been keeping Ukraine under intense geopolitical pressure for the last five years, seizing part of its territory and supporting ethnic Russian separatists in the country’s east. These developments have created an important test of the world’s resolve in maintaining geopolitical order. They have also created a test for Ukraine’s ability to reform and strengthen itself.
In this week’s report, we’ll review the history of Ukraine since its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, and we’ll discuss the challenges President Zelensky faces in terms of national security and sovereignty, domestic corruption and the rule of law, and economic reform. As always, we’ll end with a discussion of the implications for investors.