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United States involvement

In December 2013, Republican Senator John McCain in company with Democratic senator Chris Murphy visited Yatsenyuk and Tyahnybok and later addressed the crowds:

Ukraine will make Europe better and Europe will make Ukraine better, we are here to support your just cause, the sovereign right of Ukraine to determine its own destiny freely and independently. And the destiny you seek lies in Europe, What we're trying to do is try to bring about a peaceful transition here, that would stop the violence and give the Ukrainian people what they unfortunately have not had, with different revolutions that have taken place – a real society. This is a grassroots revolution here – it's been peaceful except when the government tried to crack down on them, and the government hasn't tried that since. I'm praising their ability and their desire to demonstrate peacefully for change that I think they deserve. These people love the United States of America, they love freedom – and I don't think you could view this as anything other than our traditional support for people who want free and democratic society.[96]

In a recorded phone conversation leaked on 4 February, Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland and US Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt are heard discussing their wishes for a Ukraine transition to an interim government, and specifically, the roles in which they hoped to see the prominent opposition leaders:

Nuland: "I don't think Klitsch (Klitschko) should go into the government. I don't think it's necessary, I don't think it's a good idea."

Pyatt: "Just let him stay out and do his political homework and stuff."

Nuland: "I think Yats (Yatsenyuk) is the guy who's got the economic experience the governing experience. I just think Klitsch going in… he's going to be at that level working for Yatseniuk, it's just not going to work. We want to try to get somebody with an international personality to come out here and help to midwife this thing."[97]

Nuland was also recorded in the same conversation saying, "F… the EU". Dismissively referring to slow-moving European efforts to address political paralysis and a looming fiscal crisis in Ukraine.[98]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Ukrainian_revolution

NASA's head of human spaceflight resigns days before historic launch of astronauts

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – The chief of NASA's human spaceflight directorate resigned Monday, a surprising development from an agency scheduled to launch astronauts from American soil next week for the first time since 2011.

In a statement issued Tuesday, NASA confirmed Associate Administrator for Human Exploration and Operations Doug Loverro resigned from his position on Monday. He had just been selected for the role in October.

The agency did not disclose why Loverro, previously of the secretive National Reconnaissance Office, decided to leave the team that is on the cusp of meeting human spaceflight goals.

The shakeup comes just a week before Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley launch from Kennedy Space Center on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, a milestone set to fill the gap a lack of American-led human spaceflight has left behind. The veteran astronauts are set to launch from pad 39A at 4:33 p.m. May 27.

It remains unclear whether or not his departure will have any impacts on the mission timeline.

According to a Politico-obtained message Loverro sent to his team, "personal actions" were the force that drove the departure. He told the publication it was not due to a disagreement between him and NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, but rather a "mistake."

"My leaving is because of my personal actions, not anything we accomplished together," he told Politico.

His acting replacement: Ken Bowersox, currently the deputy HEO administrator, who is a former astronaut and retired Navy aviator. He also spent several years at SpaceX.

"Bowersox has previously led HEO in a time of transition, and NASA has the right leadership in place to continue making progress on the Artemis and Commercial Crew programs," NASA said in a statement.

Former space shuttle astronaut and current SpaceX consultant Garrett Reisman said via Twitter the timing is not ideal, but added that Bowersox is capable of rising to the task.

"Timing on this is not good, but I'd be a lot more concerned if it weren't for the fact that Bowersox is more than capable of overseeing this important week in human spaceflight," he said. "His deep experience at NASA and SpaceX makes him the ideal replacement for Loverro, actually."

Before Loverro, longtime NASA veteran William Gerstenmaier was in charge of human spaceflight operations until his ouster. He now consults with SpaceX.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/nasas-head-human-spaceflight-resigns-121815655.html