rom the ashes of the Soviet Empire, a new Ukraine has emerged and is taking shape as a dynamic player on the eastern frontier of the European Union. Steeped in traditions that have their roots in the centuries' old Orthodox Christian faith, Ukraine is a nation that is rapidly moving to embrace western ways, in everything from personal lifestyles to business practices. Driving this modernizing movement are legions of young people who are highly motivated to build better lives for themselves and their families in a free and independent Ukraine.

As the whole world witnessed in recent weeks, the youthful energy of a new Ukraine is strongly imbued with a love of freedom and democracy. When presidential elections in November last year were blatantly fraudulent, people poured into the streets of Kyiv and other cities demanding justice and a new vote. To their credit, key Ukrainian institutions confirmed their democratic credentials and passed their most severe test to date. The Supreme Court nullified the election and ordered a re-run, while the parliament approved legislation that would prevent repetition of the fraud. Ukraine had passed through a peaceful revolution.

And while the shape of a new and vibrant Ukraine can be glimpsed throughout the country, by far the strongest evidence of what the future holds for this eastern nation of 48 million people can be found in the capital, Kyiv (Ukrainians prefer this transliteration to the Russian Kiev). Once the capital of a medieval empire that stretched from the Baltic to the Black Sea,

today's Kyiv is a city racing to catch up with the modern world. As Kyiv pushes forward with all the energy its dynamic people can muster, it pulls the whole of Ukraine with it.

Looking out across its skyline you see old and new in a modern juxtaposition that offers the best of both worlds. You see bright golden domes atop elegant churches next to smart new office buildings. You see construction cranes renovating fine classic structures and erecting modern new ones. The skyline alone makes it hard to believe that Ukraine has enjoyed independence for just 13 years.

"Kyiv as the capital has managed to become the unifying center for all the regions of Ukraine, the true focus of the political, economic and cultural life of the country," says Foreign Minister Kostyantyn Gryshchenko. A former ambassador to the United States, Gryshchenko says that while posted to Washington he would return to Ukraine on visits to find great changes. "I could hardly keep up with the extremely rapid development of the city: new motorways, malls, boutiques, banks and office buildings," he said.

Indeed, today's Kyiv is alive with a youth-driven energy. Once dowdy buildings are now renovated, and stand proudly next to modern offices and first-class residential buildings. And once dark and dusty shops offering poor quality Soviet products sold by unsmiling assistants, now glisten with the latest fashions from Milan and Paris, electronic gadgets from Scandinavia and Japan,