Contents tagged with Europe
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Austrian Chancellor: Lifting of sanctions against Russia must be linked with the resolution of the situation in Donbas
In an interview with the Rheinische Post, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said that the gradual lifting of sanctions against Russia should be linked with the process of resolving the situation in the Donbas.
“When I was a foreign minister, I believed that it was necessary to link the gradual lifting of sanctions against Russia with positive steps towards Ukraine – something that former German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier proposed. The first step would imply establishing a real …
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Belgium reviews use of smartphones by military because of Russian espionage
Belgium has restricted the use of smartphones in the army because of treat of espionage from the Russian Federation, reported by the Belgian news agency Belga.
“We know that Russia is interested in obtaining mobile geolocation data. We are making efforts to prevent such activity and have been actively conducting explanatory work among the personnel for several years. But this does not seem enough yet,” said Colonel Carl Gillis, head of operations for the Belgian armed forces Chief of Staff. …
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Poroshenko signs law expanding Ukraine’s zone of control in Black Sea
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has signed the law “On Ukraine’s surrounding zone,” which doubles the country’s zone of control in the Black Sea, the presidential press service reported.
The law harmonizes Ukraine’s maritime legislation with that of other states on the Black Sea and other signatories of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea of 1982. It is intended to prevent smuggling operations and illegal visitation of the closed ports in the temporarily occupied territories of …
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Latvia detects Russian reconnaissance ship in its territorial waters
The Latvian National Armed Forces reported on Twitter that a Russian reconnaissance ship was spotted in the exclusive economic zone of Latvia. “On December 25, we found the Russian reconnaissance ship named Yuri Ivanov in the exclusive economic zone of Latvia at six nautical miles from the border.”
Russian warships and aircraft have been increasingly seen and recorded close to the air and sea borders of the Baltic States since the start of the conflict in Ukraine and the aggravation of …
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Nord Stream 2 construction begins in Sweden’s exclusive economic zone
The Solitaire, a ship working on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, has begun laying pipes in Sweden’s exclusive economic zone, Aftonbladet reports. The pipes needed for construction will be stored at the Swedish Karshamn Port.
Sveriges Radio reported that the pipe-laying operation in this region will last until summer 2019, and that the Karshamn Port administration has hired 110 extra staff for this period.
Nord Stream AG, the pipeline’s operator company, announced on December 23 that the …
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Expert: Ukraine’s sovereign loan one of world’s most expensive
On October 26, 2018, the Ukrainian Finance Ministry placed a $2 billion sovereign eurobond, of which a $750 million 5-year tranche was issued at a rate of 9% and a $1.25 billion tranche at 9.75%. According to a Zerkalo Nedeli article by Tetiana Bohdan, chief of the Optima Expert-Analytical Center public finance department, this was one of the most expensive eurobond issuances in the world between October and November 2018.
“As for world record-holders that have theoretically overtaken Ukraine, …
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Polish deputy foreign minister to become new ambassador to Ukraine
Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Bartosz Cichocki is to become his country’s new ambassador to Ukraine, Polish President Andrej Duda announced, as cited by Wpolityce.
“The proposal is for Cichocki, who is deputy minister of foreign affairs, to take this post, so that this is effectively a reinforcement of this political representation, and also, of course, a reinforcement of relations with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” Duda explained.
He noted that presidential elections are approaching …
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Russian money-laundering scandal puts Latvia on verge of financial catastrophe
After becoming one of the primary “laundromats” for laundering shady capital from Russia, the Latvian banking system is now facing the threat of international isolation.
Due the scandal surrounding the country’s second largest bank, ABLV, which was caught transferring billions of dollars from Russia and former Soviet states into offshore accounts, Latvia risks being blacklisted by the FATF, observed the US ambassador to the country, Andris Teikmanis.
This blacklist includes governments that …
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Lithuania considers freezing assets of individuals from Magnitsky list
Russian officials will soon not be able to conduct their financial and economic activities in Lithuania. According to Delfi, the Lithuanian government is preparing a bill that will not only limit the cash flow of people who are on the Magnitsky list, but also, they will not be able to enter Lithuania.
Opposition conservatives and liberals launched this initiative. They have already submitted their vision of the project, but the government has not yet approved the document. According to the …
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Ukraine calls on Europe to introduce sanctions against Russia because of Kerch Strait attack
Ukraine and the European Union must consolidate the international pressure against the aggressor-country and strengthen the policy of sanctions. The Ukrainian government portal reports that this was discussed during the meeting of the Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman with the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini.
“We appreciate the readiness of our partners in the EU to support Ukraine in the conditions of the new aggression by Russia in the Azov …