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OSCE will increase number of observers in the conflict zone in Eastern Ukraine
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) plans to increase the number of observers for its Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, in order to strengthen its technical capacity and increase patrol hours along the contact line in the conflict zone. Sebastian Kurz, the Austrian Foreign Minister who currently holds the OSCE Chairmanship, made the announcement at a UN Security Council meeting.
Kurz, who visited Ukraine in January, called the level of violence in the east of …
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Lower House of Dutch Parliament approves EU-Ukraine Association Agreement
The EU-Ukraine Association Agreement has overcome its first hurdle in Dutch Parliament. On Thursday, February 23rd, the lower house of Dutch Parliament (officially the “Second Chamber”) approved a bill for ratification of the agreement by The Netherlands. The roll-call vote resulted in 89 voting in favor of the agreement and 55 against it.
Now the bill will go to the Senate. According to the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, the vote in the Senate will take place after March 15th, when elections …
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Swedish Foreign Ministry: Sanctions on Russia will not be lifted until the Crimea is returned to Ukraine
The Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden, Margot Wallström, stated in an interview with Dozhd that European sanctions imposed against Russia will be maintained as long as the Crimea remains under Russian control.
“Our sanctions, the decision on which was made by the European Union, were imposed due to the events that took place in the Crimea… The territory was illegally taken from another European country. This is prohibited by the European security policy,” Wallström said.
“Our sanctions …
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Poroshenko: The threat posed by Russia persists
In a speech to the key military personnel, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko claimed that at present the threat of a full-scale military invasion by Russia in Ukraine remains unchanged, and that the buildup of Russian military presence near the Ukrainian border has continued.
Poroshenko made the comments during a speech to senior personnel at the information-collection headquarters of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Kyiv, as reported by Interfax-Ukraine.
"The threat of a full-scale Russian …
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Poroshenko: We are building bridges with Trump's team
The President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, expressed his satisfaction that a dialog with the new U.S. Presidential administration is being built, Korrespondent.net reported.
"At the moment I am happy with how we are building bridges and building up a dialog with the new U.S. administration," said the head of the state, delivering a speech during the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ operational meeting in Kyiv on Wednesday.
He reminded that he had held an important meeting with the U.S. Vice President, …