Contents tagged with EU
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Ukrainian Ambassador angered by Ban Ki-moon's praise of Russia's role in Ukraine's peace process
Ukraine’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN), Volodymyr Yelchenko, has voiced his anger at statements made by the UN’s Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon.
Ki-moon has said that Russia should play a crucial role in ending the conflict in Donbas.
According to Yelchenko, he does not understand how the head of the UN can “make statements, which are actually praising Russia’s role in resolving the conflict, when Russia is actually a major player in aggression towards Ukraine and in …
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Dutch PM suggested that the agreement with Ukraine may not be signed
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has said that there is still a chance that the country will not sign the Association Agreement with Ukraine. This was reported by Dutch broadcaster, NOS.
Rutte did however express hope that the agreement will still be signed.
According to him, the results of April’s referendum in the Netherlands, with regard to the Association Agreement, were terrible.
“I am categorically against the referenda. I am also categorically, absolutely and completely against the …
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EU to decide on extension of sanctions against Russia on June 21st
On the 21st of June, the European Union shall make a decision on extending sanctions against Russia, according to Agence France-Presse’s diplomatic sources. The decision will be approved on the 24th of June during the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the EU countries. Another discussion of the sanctions will take place during the second half of 2016.
“I have a feeling that something should be done in the second half of this year,” the source said. As previously reported, the EU intends to …
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President of Moldova called on the EU and US to continue sanctions against Russia
The President of Moldova, Nicolae Timofti, called on the European Union and the United States of America to extend sanctions against Russia.
During a meeting on Saturday with the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, Bohuslav Sobotka, who arrived to Chisinau on a visit, the President of Moldova recalled that the separatist region of his country, Transnistria, was the Kremlin’s "first experiment" in instigating a Pro-Russian separatist conflict.
Moscow supported the separatists in Transnistria …
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The EU will continue to provide assistance to farmers affected by Russian food embargo
Farmers, who have been affected by the Russian trade embargo on goods from the European Union, will receive financial assistance from the EU, Deutsche Welle reported. The assistance to agricultural producers previously approved has been extended until June 2017. It should be noted that Brussels spent 280 million Euros on assistance to farmers who have been affected by the Russian sanctions.
In general, approximately 1.13 million tons of European fruits and vegetables were given free of charge …
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Finland is ready to support visa-free travel for Ukrainians and Georgians to the EU
Finland is ready to support visa-free travel for Ukrainian and Georgian citizens to the EU, but is not prepared to do the same for citizens of Turkey and Kosovo, according to the Finnish Secretary of State, Olli-Pekka Heinonen, Yle reported.
As stated by Heinonen, Turkey and Kosovo have not fulfilled the conditions necessary to receive a visa-free regime with the EU.
"The issue of visa-free regime for Turkey remains open," the Finnish Secretary of State said following a meeting of EU …
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EU Council has not come to an agreement on visa-free regimes for Georgia, Ukraine, Kosovo and Turkey
During a meeting of the EU Justice and Home Affairs Council on Friday in Luxembourg, Ministers of the EU countries were not able to reach an agreement on the liberalization of the visa regime for Georgia, Ukraine, Kosovo and Turkey, Interfax-Ukraine reported.
"We’ve talked about the liberalization of visa policies, noting the progress made by all countries, including Turkey. But we have not made a decision yet, because some EU countries still see a number of problems and are not able to agree. …
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Czech Foreign Minister: Putin uses a divide-and-conquer strategy in Europe
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, Lubomír Zaorálek, stated in an interview with the Financial Times that the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, uses a divide-and-conquer strategy, supporting right-wing populists in Europe. According to him, nationalist and Euro-skeptical movements serve a vital role in Putin’s strategy to weaken Europe.
“This issue is regularly discussed. We have no doubt that Russia is exploring ways for funding this work,” Zaorálek noted. “Russia uses …
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Financial Times: EU sanctions against the Kremlin will be extended for another six months
European Union (EU) countries, who support sanctions against Russia, have postponed discussions about their demands until the EU leaders summit in December. This was reported by the Financial Times, citing sources in Brussels.
In addition, and despite signs of some bloc countries softening their attitudes, the EU intends to extend sanctions against Russia for another six months.
The newspaper reports that diplomats fear that this extension may, over the next two weeks, trigger disputes …
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European Commission President to meet with Putin in Russia
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin next week during an economic forum in St. Petersburg, as reported by Reuters with reference to an EU spokeswoman.
Juncker will attend the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on Thursday and Friday of next week and will hold his first meeting with Putin since November of 2014.
The EC President has called for further cooperation with Russia and said in October that the EU’s stance towards …