Contents tagged with Ukraine
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Moscow: Kiev is aggravating the situation in Transnistria
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Grigory Karasin, expressed Moscow’s concern over the lack of progress in the negotiations on the Transnistrian issue, stating that the Ukrainian position has a negative impact on the situation in the region.
"The change of Kiev's position on the Transnistrian issue supports the delay of an appointment of a new Ukrainian representative in the "5 + 2" negotiation that was supposed to happen in May of 2015. We are concerned about the …
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40 tons of Belgian pears destroyed at Russian border
Russian Federal Security Bureau (FSB) agents and Roskomnadzor’s employees found two batches of pears at the Troitsk checkpoint in the Chelyabinsk region. The shipment of pears falls under the Presidential Decree issuing retaliatory sanctions, the Rosselkhoznadzor press service reported.
Fresh pears from Belgium were imported to Russia by two cars from Kazakhstan. Kazakh certificates, indicating Serbia as the country of origin, were attached to them. The total weight of the two batches was 40 …
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Waszczykowski: War in Donbas one of the main threats to Poland
The Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Witold Waszczykowski, stated in a radio interview that the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine, initiated by the Russian Federation, is one of the main threats for Poland in 2016. “It wasn’t Poland that created the ice age, nor was it responsible for attacking other countries and it was not us who sent little green men to other countries in order to take away part of their territory,” Waszczykowski said.
“Therefore, if we are talking about problems, they …
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Medvedev approves gas discount for Ukraine
Russian Prime Minister Dimitry Medvedev signed a decree detailing the discounted price of natural gas shipments from Russia to Ukraine. The tariff rates will remain the same until March 31, 2016. The documentation was posted on the official legal information web portal on Friday, January 1st.
The decree provides a formula that makes it possible to calculate the rate of fees on imports of low-carbon, “blue fuel” gas to Ukraine.
Most economists agree that, based on the contract price of gas at …
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EU-Ukraine free trade agreement comes into force
The Free Trade Area between Ukraine and the European Union came into effect on Friday, January 1st. The accord is part of a broader EU Association Agreement that was signed in 2014, but the parties took a one-year pause on Russia's request for consultations with the country, which failed.
The agreement eliminates 97% of tariffs on Ukrainian goods and reduces the average tariff on Ukrainian exports from 7.6% to 0.5%, according to Ukraine's Ministry of Economic Development and Trade.
The free …
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Ukrainian ceasefire violated on first day of 2016
The Ukrainian Army and the pro-Russian separatists in Eastern Ukraine have accused each other of violating the "Christmas Truce" on January 1st.
The truce came into force on December 22nd and was mutually agreed upon by the opposing forces. In the last few days, according to the Ukrainian command, the Ukrainian Army’s position was shelled 22 times with mortars and grenade launchers. Government troops have suffered no casualties yet.
Separatists reported that one person was killed in their …
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Russia to end Ukraine’s supply of electricity to Crimea
It appears as though Moscow will end a contract with Kiev that ensures the delivery of electricity to the Crimea. Having illegally annexed the peninsula in early 2014, Russia insists that Ukraine remove any language from the contact that stipulates that the Crimea is part of Ukrainian territory. Kiev is determined not to give in.
Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov asserted that if Ukraine does not agree to change the wording, Russia is most likely to abandon the contract. "It can be assumed …
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Moscow to sue Kiev over $3 billion debt
The Russian Ministry of Finance has declared that Kiev is in a “state of default”, and that Moscow is taking legal action against Ukraine. The $3 billion Eurobond debt owed to Russia was loaned during the reign of former president Viktor Yanukovich in 2013 under the stipulation that Ukraine forgo any steps towards European integration, namely the ratification of the Ukraine–European Union Association Agreement.
Russian authorities have contacted the Law Debenture Corporation and initiated the …
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Poroshenko cautiously optimistic for 2016
During his annual New Year’s address, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko acknowledged the country’s accomplishments in 2015, saying that Ukrainians have become "not only older, but also wiser and stronger."
While Poroshenko recognized the sacrifices of Ukrainian soldiers who are “not at the festive table, but in the cold winter trench… those who are now standing with guns, not wine glasses”, his address highlighted the path that Ukraine is taking towards integration with Europe.
“It is …
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Herashchenko calls for presence of EU peacekeepers in Donbas
The Ukrainian President’s envoy to restore peace in the Donbas region, Iryna Herashchenko, wrote on her Facebook page that the entry of a European Union peacekeeping mission to the conflict area in eastern Ukraine has become even more necessary.
“During a telephone conversation with the members of Normandy Quartet, the Ukrainian President asked the European Union to send a peacekeeping mission to Donbas. In the context of European security, monitoring the fragile situation in the Donbas region …