Philip H. Gordon: “If we're not satisfied after this back-and-forth... sanctions go back in place. That's new and different.”

But when such a majority of the cases investigated and prosecuted are against political figures from the previous regime, it is impossible for friends not to ask the question about perceived selective prosecutions.

The Ukraine is a big and important country in Europe and when we talk about our desire to see democracy and prosperity spread throughout Europe, Ukraine is a critical piece of that.

We have been disappointed. We waited for some time for last October's elections... but the political leaders have failed to reach an agreement.

We have concerns about the direction Ukraine has been heading on the democracy front.