Category: Ukraine

| License Photo BRUSSELS, Sept. 22 (UPI) — The European Commission confirmed a trilateral meeting with Russian and Ukrainian energy ministers was scheduled for Friday in Berlin. The commission said European Energy Commissioner Gunther Oettinger would sit down with Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak and Ukrainian Energy Minister Yuri Prodan. No agenda was given in Monday’s announcement . Russian media reported European leaders were ready to discuss reliable gas transits and would consider the status of the planned South Stream gas pipeline if the issue was raised. Members of the European Parliament passed a resolution Thursday calling on "EU countries to cancel planned energy sector agreements with Russia, including the South Stream gas pipeline." South Stream is a Russian option to avoid geopolitically sensitive territory in Ukraine, plagued by conflict since a November pivot toward the European Union . Russia meets about a quarter of Europe’s gas needs, though […]

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EU enlargement chief Stefan Füle, pictured in Brussels last year, has told The Wall Street Journal that the Russian government is living in a "virtual reality" over its interpretation of a recent compromise trade deal involving Ukraine. Agence France-Presse/Getty Images NEW YORK—The European Union seemed set for a fresh clash with Russia after the bloc’s enlargement chief, Stefan Füle, accused Moscow of living in a "virtual reality" over its interpretation of a recent deal aimed at defusing trade tensions over Ukraine. The dispute threatens to dampen hopes that a Sept. 12 accord between the EU, Russia, and Ukraine could start to ease tensions between Brussels and Moscow. Last week, Russian Economy Minister Alexei Ulyukaev sent a letter to the European Commission’s trade chief and Ukraine’s foreign minister setting out Moscow’s interpretation of the agreement and warning that Russia could still retaliate against Ukraine for ratifying a broad trade and […]

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MOSCOW, Sept. 17 (UPI) — The future relationship between Ukraine and natural gas company Gazprom depends on resolving lingering debt issues, the Russian company said. Gazprom says it’s owed $5.3 billion from Ukrainian energy company Naftogaz. Similar debt issues in 2006 and 2009 resulted in suspension of gas deliveries, and Gazprom said it’s time to pay up . "The future relationships between the companies are fully dependent on settling the debt payout issue," the company’s board said in a statement Tuesday. Political upheaval in November saddled an already struggling Ukrainian economy with significant debt. In August, the International Monetary Fund distributed $1.4 billion in assistance to Kiev, but said Naftogaz debt was one of the factors contributing to deeper recession in Ukraine. Members of the Ukrainian parliament met Wednesday in Moscow with their Russian counterparts to discuss ongoing tensions between both sides. A former Soviet republic, Ukraine this week […]

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The cease-fire in Ukraine showed more signs of strain as rebels questioned further peace talks with the government, even after lawmakers in Kiev approved a special status for the country’s two easternmost regions. Some separatist groups called for a renewed offensive and a rebel leader accused the government of violating the terms of a truce signed Sept. 5. Clashes continued near Donetsk, the largest city in the conflict zone, including near the airport, site of some of the heaviest fighting. The uncertainty about the peace process overshadowed the ratification of Ukraine’s association agreement with the European Union on the same day that lawmakers approved a bill expanding the powers of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The law falls short of Russia’s demands, according to Otilia Dhand, an analyst at Teneo Intelligence in London . “The key point, the right of regions to influence foreign policy decisions, is not included,” […]

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FIERY POLITICS: Ukraine’s legislature ratified a pact with the EU and approved an autonomy plan for separatist regions, as supporters of an anticorruption law clashed with police outside parliament. Agence France-Presse/Getty Images Ukraine sought to draw a line under its confrontation with Moscow by ratifying a landmark trade-and-political deal with the European Union and approving limited autonomy for territories now controlled by Russia-backed separatists . But with full implementation of the EU deal postponed under Russian pressure, and the rebels insisting on independence, the developments illustrated Kiev’s weakened position—almost a year after Moscow began flexing its muscle to keep the ex-Soviet republic in its orbit. Many lawmakers in Kiev broke into the national anthem and cried "Glory to Ukraine" after the EU deal passed with 355 votes in the 450-seat legislature. President Petro Poroshenko hailed it as a first step toward eventual membership in the bloc. "No country has […]

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MOSCOW, Sept. 15 (UPI) — Talks were scheduled for Saturday. A ministry spokesperson told state news agency RIA Novosti an alternate date depended on Energy Minister Alexander Novak’s schedule. "We told the European Commission that the proposed date is not suitable for us," the spokesperson said. "Another date is being discussed." The European Union last week enforced new sanctions on the Russian energy sector in response to ongoing crises in eastern Ukraine. A government decision in Kiev in November to suspend efforts to join the EU sparked political upheaval in Ukraine, a former Soviet republic. That, in turn, led to intervention by Russia, which annexed the Crimean Peninsula and has supported separatists in eastern Ukraine. On Saturday, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk submitted to Parliament the text of an association agreement with the EU. Europe is trying to avert a repeat of an energy crisis that erupted in 2006 […]

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The U.S. is concerned about renewed fighting and has no details about the content of a Russian convoy that entered and left Ukraine over the weekend, a State Department official said. Russia still has about 25,000 troops along the border and more than 3,000 soldiers inside the country, according to the Ukrainian government. The U.S. and other NATO countries began military exercises in the country today. Kerry will meet with Lavrov at a conference on Iraq that will take place in Paris. While Russian President Vladimir Putin has denied supporting pro-Russian rebels, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said that Putin seeks to restore the Soviet Union and take the entire country. The conflict has claimed more than 3,000 lives and clashes have occurred daily since a truce took effect Sept. 5. Artillery fire caused casualties among civilians in the city of Donetsk yesterday, according to the city council. Attacks […]

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Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko speaks to the press in front of Ukraine’s state coat of arms on Sept. 12. Agence France-Presse/Getty Images KIEV, Ukraine—Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko faces rising criticism for his decision to delay implementation of part of a European Union deal to avoid threatened Russian retaliation. A senior diplomat resigned in protest over the weekend, and pro-European politicians who are competing with Mr. Poroshenko’s party in parliamentary elections next month blasted the decision as caving to Russia, which wants Ukraine to give up the deal and remain in its orbit. The tensions highlight how difficult it will be for Mr. Poroshenko to manage the competing pressures of a Kremlin that isn’t backing down and a domestic electorate that wants closer ties to Europe and no concessions to Moscow. On Friday, Ukraine and the EU agreed to put off implementing a landmark trade deal , which is part […]

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The recent NATO summit in Wales, held against the background of the armed conflict in Ukraine, has brought back the Cold War atmosphere to Europe. NATO’s partnership with Russia remains formally suspended. In fact, NATO is treating Russia more as an adversary than a partner. The alliance is setting up a "Rapid Reaction Force" to deal with emergencies on Europe’s eastern flank. The alliance’s military infrastructure is moving toward that exposed flank, and closer to Russia’s borders. NATO forces will now spend more time exercising in the east, and their presence there will visibly grow. NATO-leaning Ukraine, which the alliance alleges is an object of "Russian aggression", has been promised financial and military support. The Ukraine crisis is not just about Eastern Europe, it is also about the world order. The Kremlin is seeking Washington’s recognition of what it regards as its core national security interest: keeping Ukraine as […]

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A Ukrainian soldier jumped onto an armored vehicle near Pervomaysk, Ukraine. A week-old cease-fire with rebels appeared to be holding. Reuters KIEV, Ukraine—Ukraine agreed Friday to delay a key part of a trade deal with Europe that the Kremlin had staunchly opposed, even as the U.S. and European Union ramped up sanctions intended to back Russia down. The compromise, reached in Brussels, means that Ukraine gets to ratify the overall EU pact next week—an agreement that sparked Ukraine’s confrontation with Russia last year. Moscow agreed to drop its threat to impose sweeping restrictions on Ukrainian goods as early as November. But it is unclear how the next steps will play out as Kiev tries to end the Russian-backed rebellion that erupted in eastern Ukraine after the country’s turn toward Europe. While a week-old cease-fire between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed rebels appeared to be holding, the U.S. and EU widened […]

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