Ukraine wavers between West and East

Is Mr Putin the man most Ukranians want to share bread with?

By Central Europe correspondent Ray Furlong

There are two sides to Ukraine's 10th birthday celebrations - both highlight the dilemma that has faced the country ever since its inception.

At the official celebrations, President Leonid Kuchma watched a Soviet-style military parade rumble through the freshly spruced-up centre of town.

Kiev's central square has a new Independence Monument

Ten years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, it looked as if little had changed.

But later in the day, elsewhere in town, a two-day festival of hip-hop and techno music will be held.

This is the new, emerging Kiev - a city of garish bars and thumping nightclubs.

The country is caught between these two competing visions.

East or West?

On the one hand, there is pressure for closer ties with Russia, and on the other, for integration with the West.

Mr Putin has been ratcheting up the pressure.

He has appointed former Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin as ambassador to Kiev, to keep a firm hand on relations with his southern neighbour.

Poland was the first country to recognise Ukraine's independence 10 years ago

And it is alleged that the Kremlin recently offered to forgive Ukrainian debt in exchange for making Russian the official second language.

But the West has more economic clout than Russia.

It has been nurturing ties with the opposition, which staged a series of mass protests in Kiev this year after a scandal that suggested state involvement in the murder of a journalist.

A murky privatisation process has also fanned public discontent. Critics say Kuchma has doled out largesse to cronies.

Economic recovery

Nevertheless, after a decade of economic collapse, Ukraine is starting to recover.

This year it is expecting a second year of growth - forecasts range from 6% to 8%.

In the middle, President Kuchma is a bit of an enigma.

Many observers believe his agenda is neither East nor West - he just wants to rule Ukraine as a personal fiefdom.

Unveiling a new statue to Ukraine's independence, he declared his two new goals were deeper democracy and closer ties with the European Union.

But there are no senior Western officials coming to the celebrations.