White House: Yanukovych no longer leading Ukraine

While Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych was democratically elected, his actions have undermined his legitimacy, and he is not actively leading the country at present, White House press secretary Jay Carney said on Monday. Yanukovych "has left Kiev in an orderly fashion, packed up his things and left, and his whereabouts are not known to us in a confirmable way," Carney said during a briefing. "We do believe that parliament has lawfully elected its new speaker, and we support getting the situation under control in terms of law and order and in ensuring that the institutions of government are working," Carney said. Recent parliamentary votes in Ukraine have been passed by overwhelming majorities that include members of Yanukovych's own party, he noted. "We believe that working pursuant to Ukraine's constitution and through its institutions of government is the most promising path toward the de-escalation of violence, a multiparty coalition government and early elections, all things that we have long supported," he said. It will be critical in the coming days for the leadership of Ukraine to focus on its pressing financial challenges "as we stand ready to support them as they make needed reforms," he added. US officials encourage the Ukrainian parliament and others to take actions that help continue a path toward de-escalation of violence, embrace constitutional change and move toward a coalition government, a multiparty coalition government, as well as early elections, Carney said. The people of Ukraine "have a real opportunity here to move beyond the current crisis in order to pursue the more democratic future the people of their country deserve," he said. The future of Ukraine "should be and must be decided by the Ukrainian people, not by outside entities: not the United States, not Europe, not Russia, " he added. "We are for the territorial integrity, independence and unity of Ukraine, and we with other partners are standing ready to assist Ukraine moving forward as it deals with the challenges that the country faces," Carney said. The United States, working with partners around the world, stands ready to provide support for Ukraine as it takes the reforms it needs to get back to economic stability, he said. This support can complement an International Monetary Fund program by helping to make reforms easier and by putting Ukraine in a position to invest more in health and education to help develop Ukraine's human capital and strengthen its social safety net, he added.