• Kyiv lifts sanctions against Russian coal supplier

    Ukraine's Ministry of Economic Development and Trade has lifted sanctions against the Russian coal supplier Yuzhtrans. The decision is stipulated in the Ministry's order number 1905 dated December 29, 2017.

    The sanctions against Yuzhtrans in the form of prohibition of foreign economic relations with this company were introduced by the Ministry's order number 1583 of October 30, 2017. They came into force on December 9, 2017.

    In 2015, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) suspected Yuzhtrans …

  • Ukrainian official: Lavrov is lying blatantly about Budapest memorandum

    According to the text of the Budapest memorandum, its signatories undertake not to use nuclear weaponry or any other kind of weaponry against Ukraine, said Yevhen Marchuk, Ukraine’s representative in the Trilateral Contact Group, who has previously held the positions of prime minister, defense minister and NSDC secretary, in a comment on statements made by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

    “Take a look at the text of the Budapest memorandum and just read article No. 2 of this document, …

  • Head of DPR Zakharchenko bans state officials from travelling to Ukraine

    Alexander Zakharchenko, the head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) has banned the DPR’s state officials from travelling to territory controlled by Kyiv. According to the website of the Ministry of State Security, this decree was signed on December 15 in 2017.

    According to the decree, the restriction was implemented due to “massive recruitment by Ukrainian special services of the DPR’s residents who cross the demarcation line with Ukraine” including government and local …

  • IMF rejects Poroshenko’s draft bill on Anti-Corruption Court

    The International Monetary Fund believes that the bill to establish the Anti-Corruption Court (ACC), as submitted by President Petro Poroshenko, does not meet Ukraine’s obligation to the IMF, as stated in a letter from the head of the mission of the IMF in Ukraine, Ron van Roden, to the Presidential administration of Ukraine. The document, copies of which were sent to the Prime Minister, the Speaker of the parliament, and several ministers, was published by Yevropeyska Pravda.

    In the letter, …

  • Hungary accuses Ukraine of making new restrictions on the rights of national minorities

    Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó has claimed that Ukraine is making new restrictions on the rights of national minorities.

    A corresponding statement by Szijjártó was posted on the Hungarian Foreign Ministry’s website.

    "Instead of mitigating the conflicts, Ukraine has made further proposals for the restriction of language use and citizenship. For instance, it will be compulsory to display a Ukrainian transcript of the dialogue during theatre productions, and Hungarian newspapers will …