Ukraine Update 6/29: End of the Euro-Maidan Honeymoon

For Poroshenko, the risks are high. He has blatantly demonstrated that he values personal loyalty over professionalism. A future failure by the SBU to prevent a terrorist act of sabotage or subversion, opens him up to criticism for the firing of Nalyvaychenko. The firing has also cost him credibility with the West, where Nalyvaychenko remains widely respected. Now Poroshenko can expect his decisions to be scrutinized more closely by Western decision makers, and the blank check of goodwill to be increasingly restricted. The mere 248 MP’s in favor of dismissal demonstrates the growing cracks in the Parliamentary coalition, at a time when key votes on decentralization and constitutional reform are needed that will require 301 MP’s. For now though, Poroshenko has prevailed. The question remains though, is it a Pyrrhic victory?