Eastern Ukraine has recently seen its worst period of attacks by Russian-backed separatists since they captured the town of Debaltseve in February. It had fallen in the days after the two sides reached the Minsk-2 ceasefire agreement. Ukraine, Russia and the West have repeatedly underlined the importance of Minsk 2, but whether it has been … Continue reading
Ukraine’s president has warned his country there is a “colossal threat” that large-scale fighting could resume in the east, and said the military should be prepared to defend Ukraine against a possible invasion along its border with Russia. Petro Poroshenko spoke in an annual address to parliament on June 4, a day after the heaviest … Continue reading
“The United States and its European allies are in talks about harsher sanctions against Moscow, while U.S. President Barack Obama will evaluate next steps in dealing with the conflict in eastern Ukraine in coming days” Reuters reported today. “In the next few days I anticipate that President Obama will evaluate the choices that are in front of … Continue reading
People are gathering in central Moscow to mark the first anniversary of what they view as a “coup” in neighboring Ukraine. Thousands of people are expected to participate in the pro-Kremlin march, which will be held under the slogan “A Year Since Maidan. We won’t forget! We won’t forgive!” The “Anti-Maidan” demonstration was promoted in … Continue reading
President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said he was ready to take the role of a guarantor of the Ukrainian troops’ withdrawal from the Debaltseve ‘boiler’. By joinfo.com At a meeting with Sumomo Chakrabarti, President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said he was ready to solve the issue … Continue reading
As the war (there’s no point any longer in using hedging words like “crisis” or “conflict”) in eastern Ukraine has intensified over the past several months, an idea that would have once been considered radical has rapidly gained traction among mainstream pundits. I’m talking, of course, about the prospect of sending weapons, “lethal defensive aid” … Continue reading
President Petro Poroshenko has held a phone conversation with President of the United States Barack Obama. The Head of State has expressed gratitude to the U.S. President for his personal support of Ukraine and a strong position demonstrated in the G7 statement. The interlocutors have discussed the situation in Donbas and expressed concerns over the … Continue reading
Vladimir Putin met in Sochi with President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko. By The Kremlin PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA VLADIMIR PUTIN: Mr Lukashenko, I am very pleased to have this opportunity to meet and discuss our bilateral affairs and development of the integration process between Russia and Belarus within the Union State and also within the new … Continue reading
By Oliver Tickell “Russian aggression” is the BBC’s meme of the day. I lost count of how many times the phrase popped up in the first 15 minutes of Radio 4’s World at One programme, devoted entirely to the ‘Russian problem – but the theme was drummed in relentlessly. The idea is that Russia presents a … Continue reading
The European Union has decided to extend until September an initial group of sanctions against Russian and pro-Russia separatist officials due to the continued fighting in eastern Ukraine and has plans for further action. EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini said on January 29 after an EU foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels that sanctions due … Continue reading