Contents tagged with EU

  • Ukrainian Parliament to start new session with changes to the Constitution of Ukraine

    According to the Verkhovna Rada’s meeting schedule for February 5 to 8, Parliament will review Draft Bill No. 9037 in the second reading on February 7, which establishes in the Ukrainian Constitution the authority of Parliament, the head of state and the government to implement the country's strategic course for acquiring full membership in the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). 

    At least 300 votes are required to adopt the Draft Bill.

    The draft bill supplements …

  • Volker: US and EU considering new sanctions on Russia for capturing Ukrainian sailors

    US Special Representative for Ukraine Kurt Volker believes that Russia is holding the Ukrainian sailors in order to put political pressure on the Ukrainian government ahead of its presidential elections. Volker considers it possible that additional sanctions will be imposed on Russia for this.

    “Russia continues illegally to hold these Ukrainian sailors and illegally is charging them with crimes under a civilian code, seeking to illegally enter Russian territory, which is not the case. So …

  • Ukraine backs Juan Guaido’s presidency in Venezuela

    Ukraine supports Juan Guaidó, the head of the National Assembly of Venezuela who recently declared himself president of the country, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin wrote on Twitter.

    “Responding with force to the demands of peaceful protesters is a shortcut for the government to lose its legitimacy. We are betting on the National Assembly and the wisdom of its president Juan Guaidó to emerge from this political crisis,” Klimkin said in the tweet.

    The opposition’s demands for new …

  • Ukraine prepared to extend gas transit agreement with Russia under European rules

    Andriy Kobolyev, CEO of Ukraine’s national oil and gas company Naftogaz, said in a press conference after trilateral negotiations in Brussels that the company is willing to extend the current agreements to transit Russian gas through Ukraine after 2019 if they comply with European regulations.

    “Naftogaz is willing to consider future agreements only if they completely abide by the European legislation that has been implemented in Ukraine,” Kobolyev said.

    He added that Naftogaz is open to all …

  • Gazprom offers Ukraine to extend gas contracts after 2019 without further consultations

    The Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Pavlo Klimkin, after the completion of negotiations between Ukraine, the EU, and Russia in Brussels, stated that the Russian company Gazprom is ready to extend gas contracts after 2019 without even conducting expert consultations.

    “Mr. Miller [ the Head of Gazprom] emphasized three times that they are ready to continue existing contracts. These contracts are probably a source of joy for them. At the same time, he said that these contracts could be …

  • EU imposes sanctions against the head of Russian military intelligence due to use of chemical weapons

    On January 21st, the EU Council’s press service reported that the EU imposed sanctions against four Russians, five Syrians and one Syrian company as part of the new sanctions package for the use of chemical weapons.

    The restrictive measures concern two officials of the GRU (The Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces), as well as the head and deputy head of the GRU responsible for the storage, transportation, and use in Salisbury (United Kingdom) of a poisonous nerve …

  • Polish Interior Minister urges NATO and EU to reach a unified decision on Huawei

    The Polish Interior Minister, Joachim Brudziński called on the European Union and NATO to work towards a common position on whether the Chinese corporation Huawei should be excluded from their markets, RMF FM reports. 

    Brudziński made the statement after a Chinese citizen, a worker of the local Huawei department was arrested on charges of espionage. However, the representative of Polish Special Services announced that the charges were not directly related to Huawei. 

    "NATO has also concerns …

  • EU prepares sanctions against four Russian military intelligence officers

    The ambassadors of 28 EU countries agreed impose of sanctions against four Russian military intelligence officers, TASS reports with reference to its sources in EU council. Among them are Russians suspected of attempting to kill Sergei and Yulia Skripal, known as Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov. The names of the other two people, the diplomat did not name. They will be known after the EU Council approves the decision of the ambassadors. "As expected, the foreign ministers will approve this …

  • President Poroshenko: Ukrainian Army will reach NATO standards by 2020

    Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko stated during a trip to Rivne Oblast on Thursday, January 10th that beginning next year, the Armed Forces of Ukraine will measure up to NATO standards, Ukrinform reported. “In 2020, the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be organized and able to act completely according to NATO standards in accordance with the law on national security,” said the President.

    Poroshenko is convinced that Ukraine's path to the EU and NATO will help to ensure the safety of its borders …

  • European Union calls on Russia to release illegally held Ukrainians

    The European Union called on Russia to release the Ukrainian sailors captured in the Kerch Strait and other Ukrainian citizens, that Brussels says, are also held illegally, DW reports.

    “The European Union reiterates that all illegally detained Ukrainian citizens in the Crimean peninsula and in Russia and the crew of the vessels captured by Russia on 25 November must be immediately released. International human rights observers must be granted full, free and unhindered access to the Crimean …