William Taylor, who served as the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine from 2006 to 2009 and as the chargé d’affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Kiev from June 2019 to January 2020, was awarded the Elliott School Leadership and Ethics Award for his commitment to ethical leadership in the field of international affairs at an event held at the Elliott School in February.
During his remarks, Taylor reminisced about his decision to accept the position of chargé d’affaires after the abrupt departure of Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch. He recalled discussing the position with his mentor, who advised him that, “if your country calls upon you, and you think you can be effective, then you have a duty to go.” Taylor emphasized that the key words to him were if you think you can be effective. Following a phone call to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who assured him that he had the full backing of the U.S. government behind him, he agreed to accept the position.
Taylor’s message to the audience in regards to Ukraine policy was that the United States has an obligation to “support Ukraine because it is on the front line of our freedom.” In other words, he went on to explain, support for the independence of Ukraine provides a bulwark against the manipulation of Russia into areas of mutual interest including election interference and energy policy. In these areas, he explained, Ukraine and the US are natural allies and can provide mutual benefit to each other.
Taylor also recorded an interview for the Elliott School’s student run podcast, Foreign Affairs Inbox, which dropped on March 30. Visit the podcast website to listen to the interview as well as other episodes.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/foreign-affairs-inbox/id1450190773
The Elliott School launched the first edition of Experts Weigh In early last year in the research section of the school’s website. The first installment drew on faculty expertise to discuss the various socio-political and economic aspects of the U.S. withdrawal of troops from Northern Syria. 