Contents tagged with Donbas

  • Lavrov accuses Head of Ukrainian National Security Council of refusing to comply with Minsk agreements

    Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that statements by the Secretary of the National Security Council of Ukraine, Oleksandr Turchynov, regarding the advance of Ukrainian troops to the east of the country indicate Kyiv's reluctance to fulfill the key points of the Minsk agreements.

    Earlier Turchynov told the BBC that the main task of the Ukrainian military is now "meter by meter, kilometer by kilometer, while minimizing losses, to move east."

    "Mr. Turchynov's statement means that Kyiv …

  • Media: Russian state agency mediates delivery of iron ore to the separatist-held territories of eastern Ukraine

    According to RBC news agency, the Federal Agency for State Reserves (Rosrezerv) of the Russian Federation has become an intermediary in the supply of iron ore to the metallurgical companies "Metinvest" and "ISD” that were seized by the separatist authorities, in order for Russian mining companies to avoid any possible claims.

    Rosrezerv is a state agency that is responsible for ensuring the mobilization needs of the Russian Federation, and also provides humanitarian assistance. Practically all …

  • Ukraine’s Foreign Minister: Tillerson’s visit confirms that Russia cannot be worked with on the basis of trust

    On Thursday, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin commented on the outcome of the meeting of US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, which took place on April 12 in Moscow.

    “I believe that his [Tillerson’s] visit demonstrated very clearly, not only in the statements, but also in the logic of what he outlined during the press conference… our mutual thesis is that one can neither collaborate nor talk to Russia on the basis of trust. During the visit, …

  • Polish Foreign Minister: Russia may respond to US attack on Syria by escalating situation in the Donbas

    The Kremlin may react to the American bombardment of Syrian troops with an escalation of tensions in eastern Ukraine, as stated by Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs Witold Waszczykowski on channel TVP1.

    “Now everyone is waiting for the reaction from Russia. Either it will react in Syria or, as some say, unfortunately, in Ukraine. There is a certain danger here, because Russia's policy is unpredictable and in some cases even unreasonable. No doubt, there will be some answer. The only question …

  • Tillerson: Ukraine is an obstacle for relations with Russia

    Ukraine will remain an obstacle to improving relations between the U.S. and Russia until the full implementation of the Minsk agreements.

    This was stated by the head of the State Department, Rex Tillerson, at a press conference in Moscow after a meeting with the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Sergei Lavrov.

    "Until full progress is made under the Minsk Accords, the situation in Ukraine will remain an obstacle to improvement in relations between the U.S. and Russia," he said.

    The …

  • Germany's representative to the OSCE: The conflict in the Donbas will allow Russia to prevent Ukraine from joining the EU

    The "frozen" conflict in the Donbas will enable Russia to influence political processes in Ukraine, which will prevent Ukraine from joining the EU or NATO, as stated by the Special Representative of the Federal Government of Germany for the OSCE Chairmanship, Gernot Erler in an interview with Evropeyskaya Pravda.

    According to him, that's why Russia seeks to create a "frozen conflict" in the East of Ukraine. "The frozen conflict in the Donbas would give Russia levers of influence over the …

  • Poroshenko wants to confiscate coal imported to Ukraine from the separatist Republics

    President Petro Poroshenko will submit a request the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine to confiscate coal mined in the territories of LPR (Luhansk People’s Republic) and DPR (Donetsk People’s  Republic), which would be sold in Ukraine under the guise of Russian origin.

    This was stated by Irina Lutsenko, the President’s spokeswoman in the Verkhovna Rada, reports UNIAN.

    "The president has said that the next issue he will be weighing at the National Security and Defense Council is …

  • Prime Minister of Latvia: Russia's actions in the Donbas contradict the Minsk agreements

    Russian actions in eastern Ukraine contradict the Minsk Agreements and in no way contribute to the resolution of the conflict, as stated by the Prime Minister of Latvia, Māris Kučinskis, during a speech at the Kyiv Security Forum.

    "We see very little progress towards the Minsk Agreements and the resolution of the conflict. Taking into consideration the actions of Russia in recent months, especially in eastern Ukraine, I believe that we must change our approach in cooperating with Russia," Kuč …

  • Germany to give Ukraine €52 million to construct housing for migrants

    German state bank KfW will provide a loan amounting to 52 million euros for the plan to construct social housing for migrants in Ukraine.

    The Ministry of Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons and KfW agreed on the terms of the program’s implementation.

    The construction of social housing for internally displaced persons according to the “Restoration and Renewal of Municipal Infrastructure in Eastern Ukraine” program is meant to start in 2018, the ministry’s website …

  • Moldova demands that Russia not recognize documents issued by Transnistria

    Moldova demands that Russia not recognize documents issued by the authorities in the separatist region of Transnistria. A recent separatists’ appeal to Moscow for recognition of their "passports" and other documents was condemned by the Moldovan authorities.

    The Speaker of the Moldovan Parliament, Andrian Candu, said that such a move by Russia would be a gross violation of international law.

    Moldovan Prime Minister Pavel Filip reminded Russia that it recently proclaimed support for the …