Washington, Nov 2, 2001 - Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) recently met with Ukrainian Prime Minister Anatoliy Kinakh in Washington to discuss US/Ukrainian trade relations and the future of the steel industry in both nations.

"I took this opportunity to share with the Prime Minister my concerns about steel dumping from foreign companies on the US market," Congressman Kucinich said. "The future of the steel industry is vital to the American economy as well as our national defense. I told him we feel the affects of unfair foreign competition and have seen how that impacts American steel companies such as LTV Steel in Cleveland, and I asked him what affect the Ukrainian steel industry has on his country's economy. I also stressed how serious we are about protecting our national interests."

PM Kinakh told Kucinich that metallurgical industries, including steel, account for 21% of the Ukraine's GNP and 47% of its "hot" currency. He stressed the need to protect the Ukraine's national interest and spoke of his country's goal of establishing a strong market economy with a solid market structure, including support for entrepreneurship, property rights, and human rights.

Kucinich and Kinakh also discussed the recent ruling by the International Trade Commission on violations by several countries of Section 201 of the 1974 Trade Act, which ruled that American steel companies had been injured by unfair foreign competition. Kucinich testified three times before the ITC on the adverse effects of steel dumping on LTV. Last week, prior to a White House meeting on terrorism, Kucinich approached President Bush and asked him to take strong action to protect the American Steel industry. President Bush will decide later this month whether or not import quotas or tariffs should be applied as a penalty in the steel dumping case.

The meeting was sponsored by the bipartisan House Ukrainian Caucus whose members include Reps. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Bob Schaffer (R-CO), Sandy Levin (D-MI), and Elliott Engel (D-NY). Kucinich, ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Subcommittee on National Security and International Relations met with Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma earlier this year in Kiev.