Trump sends congrats to Ukraine
KYIV – Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has received congratulations from U.S. President Donald Trump on the occasion of the 26th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence, the press service of the head of the Ukrainian state has reported. “From the day Ukraine declared independence on August 24, 1991, and particularly since the Revolution of Dignity, the United States has supported Ukraine’s aspirations of becoming a truly European nation,” reads his letter of congratulations. Mr. Trump said that “the United States will continue to support these goals and work with you, our European partners, and other like-minded countries to restore Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” The U.S. president offered best wishes, emphasizing that Independence Day is a special day to celebrate Ukraine’s independence and all that has been accomplished, while many challenges lie ahead. (Ukrinform)
Mattis: defensive arms not provocative
KYIV – U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, on a visit to Ukraine, said he will provide policy options for Washington with a better understanding about what is happening on the frontlines of Kyiv’s battle against Russia-backed separatists. Speaking alongside Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on August 24, Mr. Mattis said that providing defensive weapons to Ukraine should not be seen as provocative “unless you are an aggressor.” Ukraine has been fighting against Russia-backed separatists in eastern regions of the country since 2014, and the United States has already provided $750 million in nonlethal weapons and support to Kyiv, according to the secretary of defense. (Reuters)
Volker on Ukraine and NATO
KYIV – Kurt Volker, the U.S. special envoy for efforts to end the conflict in Ukraine, says that the country is not ready yet to join NATO. Speaking in an interview that aired late on August 26 on Ukrainian Pryamyi TV, Ambassador Volker said preparations for accession to the Western security alliance take a long time, though he believes Ukraine will be able to carry out all of the reforms, including in the area of security, needed to join NATO. “The United States, the EU and Russia should all understand that Ukraine is an independent country and it is up to Ukraine to determine when it will be ready to join NATO,” he was quoted as saying. “But this does not mean that Ukraine is close to receiving an invitation to NATO,” he added. Ambassador Volker applauded Kyiv’s decision in 1994 to abandon nuclear weapons, saying he did not “think that nuclear weapons were something positive for Ukraine.” In response to a question on the joint Belarusian-Russian military exercises due next month (September 14-20), Mr. Volker said the exercises, dubbed Zapad 2017 (West 2017), show that Western nations must develop their own security system together and be prepared for all possible scenarios. A 2011 agreement between the member states of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) known as the Vienna Document, sets thresholds for the number of troops allowed to take part in exercises before the opposing side is allowed to demand a mandatory inspection. Exercises involving 13,000 or more troops are subject to mandatory inspections. In the case of exercises involving 9,000 or more soldiers, the other side must be notified. Russia and Belarus say the Zapad 2017 strategic exercises, which are conducted every four years, are due to be attended by some 12,700 troops. However Lithuania, which has a common border with Belarus, and other critics say the actual number of troops taking part in Zapad 2017 could be as high as 100,000. (RFE/RL, based on reporting by Interfax, Deutsche Welle and AFP)
Juncker comments on ties with Russia
BRUSSELS – European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has said that the European Union should seek better relations with Moscow, but without giving up its values. “There is no European security for the future centuries without Russia,” Mr. Juncker told the bloc’s ambassadors in Brussels on August 29. “The European Union is 5.5 million square kilometers, Russia alone has 17.5. Any more questions?” he added. He also said that the EU should “find with Russia a discourse that is more suitable for the future ahead of us.” But he insisted that this should be done “without renouncing our values and principles [such as] the annexation of Crimea and the rest.” Mr. Juncker has repeatedly called for improved relations with Moscow, which have been strained by animus over Russia’s illegal annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea region in March 2014 and its continued support for separatists in the country’s east. In response to Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, the EU adopted economic sanctions against Moscow that were prolonged by six months in June. The bloc also has imposed asset freezes and visa bans on 153 people and 40 entities that it claims are responsible for the destabilization of Ukrainian sovereignty. This list is, according to EU diplomats, expected to be rolled-over by six months in September. (RFE/RL)
Merkel says sanctions must remain
BERLIN – Holding a traditional summer news conference in Berlin on August 29, German Chancellor Angela Merkel acknowledged that lifting the European Union’s sanctions would benefit both Russia and Germany. But she stressed that the restrictions must remain in place until Moscow fulfills the conditions for their removal. Ms. Merkel called for continued dialogue between all sides in the conflict in eastern Ukraine so that eventually there could be a solution that would lead to the lifting of the sanctions. “If the [February 2015 Minsk peace] agreement is kept, then the requirement will be met for lifting the sanctions on Russia,” she said. “That would be good for the Russian economy as well as good for the German economy,” the chancellor added. (RFE/RL)
German minister warns of ‘new ice age’
WASHINGTON – Germany’s foreign affairs minister says that Washington and its European partners should ensure that new U.S. sanctions targeting Russia do not lead to a “new ice age” between Moscow and the West. German Foreign Affairs Minister Sigmar Gabriel’s comments followed his August 29 meeting in Washington with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. He noted European concerns about the potential side effects of a tough new law passed recently by the U.S. Congress and signed by President Donald Trump. The law cements sanctions against Moscow over its aggression in Ukraine and for allegedly meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. “There should be no new ice age between Russia and the West,” Mr. Gabriel said, according to a statement released by the German Foreign Affairs Ministry. Under Mr. Trump’s predecessor, Barack Obama, the United States and the European Union largely coordinated their sanctions targeting Moscow over its 2014 seizure of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula and backing of armed separatists in eastern Ukraine. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker had warned after Mr. Trump signed the bill that European energy companies could be harmed, particularly those working on Russian natural gas pipeline systems that transit Ukraine to reach EU member states. Mr. Gabriel echoed those concerns following his meeting with Tillerson, saying: “We do not want to completely destroy our business relations with Russia.” (RFE/RL, with reporting by Reuters, DPA and Deutsche Welle)
Merkel, Macron: Step up peace efforts
PRAGUE – German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron have called for Russia and Ukraine to step up their efforts to implement a fragile ceasefire agreement in eastern Ukraine. The conflict between Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed separatists has claimed more than 10,000 lives since it erupted in 2014. A ceasefire agreement signed in February 2015 in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, has failed to end the violence, which has recently flared up. Germany and France have tried to convince both sides to implement the Minsk deal, but with little success so far. Ms. Merkel and Mr. Macron said on August 28 that they were concerned the security situation in eastern Ukraine had not significantly improved since they held a four-way telephone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart, Petro Poroshenko, on August 22. “We urge President Putin and President Poroshenko to fully respect their commitments, to support the ceasefire in a public and clear manner, and to ensure that appropriate instructions have been sent to the military and local forces,” they said in a joint statement issued by the chancellery in Berlin. They said the ceasefire agreement was still violated too often, including with the use of heavy weapons. (RFE/RL, based on reporting by Reuters and AP)
Ukraine envoy to NATO on peacekeepers
BRUSSELS – First Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister of Ukraine Vadym Prystaiko, who heads Ukraine’s mission to NATO, has said Russia is blocking the deployment of United Nations peacekeepers in the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) zone in Donbas. “The Minsk agreements haven’t resulted in peace over these three years. There may be some additional mechanisms that we could adopt to ensure peace for our people. That is why we are talking about peacekeeping forces in any format… There are various formats. We discussed the option of arming the OSCE mission, the current mission or a new one with light weapons, so that they should feel more confident and be able to visit those places that they should visit. The deployment of U.N. peacekeepers is blocked by Russia, which is behind the militants,” Mr. Prystaiko said in an interview with Radio Liberty. Kyiv is also entitled to use foreign lethal weapon to defend the Ukrainian sovereignty and integrity, he said. “We lack weapons to make up for the amount of tanks and armored vehicles which Russia pumped, and continues stuffing, into our territories. This is exactly why we ask to be given a possibility to stop the aggression. I know Russia’s nervous reaction to this. But every state, including Ukraine, has the right to defend itself and has the right to use the weapon it needs,” Ukraine’s envoy to NATO said in an interview with Radio Liberty. (Interfax-Ukraine)
French bank scammer arrested in Ukraine
PRAGUE – A Frenchman sentenced in absentia for a scam that tricked dozens of French banks and businesses out of millions of euros has been arrested in Ukraine, according to French media, judicial sources and the man’s lawyer. The lawyer for Gilbert Chikli on August 19 said the 51-year-old had been arrested on August 18 and that an extradition hearing had been scheduled for August 20. It was not immediately clear what Mr. Chikli was doing in Ukraine when he was arrested. Mr. Chikli was allegedly behind a scheme that led to some major French companies being conned out of millions of euros. According to authorities, Mr. Chikli would contact companies posing as either their CEO or a secret service agent and tell them to hand over large sums of money, often on the pretense of it being part of an operation to fight money laundering. Between 2005 and 2006, at least 33 banks and businesses were targeted, with an initial loss of 60.5 million euros ($71.15 million U.S.). At least 52.6 million euros of the amount was later recovered. Mr. Chikli spent several months in custody before being released pending trial in France. He then fled to Israel in 2009, living openly and talking of his schemes. In 2015, he was sentenced in absentia to a seven-year prison term and fined 1 million euros, and he was ordered to pay 5.5 million euros in damages to victims. (RFE/RL, based on reporting by AFP, Le Point and The Times of Israel)
Belarus invites observers to Zapad 2017
PRAGUE – The Belarusian Defense Ministry has invited observers from several countries to the Zapad 2017 joint Belarusian-Russian military exercise that takes place September 14-20 in Belarus, but NATO has said such efforts “fall short.” The Belarusian Defense Ministry said in an August 22 statement: “Observers from seven countries – Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Sweden, and Norway – have been invited to this event.” Russia and Belarus say that Zapad 2017 is expected to involve some 12,700 soldiers. The Belarusian statement said that the invitation came as part of the 2011 Vienna Document, which sets thresholds for the number of troops allowed to take part in exercises before the opposing side is allowed to demand a mandatory inspection. Exercises involving 13,000 or more troops are subject to mandatory inspections. In the case of exercises involving 9,000 or more soldiers, the other side must be notified. Meanwhile, a NATO official told RFE/RL on August 22 that Belarus has invited military liaison missions to attend “distinguished visitors’ days” – when foreign officials such as attaches can come and visit – during the Zapad 2017 exercise, and that NATO will send two experts to attend. However, the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because NATO officials are not allowed to speak on the record unless instructed to do so, said that the participation of NATO experts “is not the same as observation as set out in the Vienna Document.” The official added, “We regret that neither Russia nor Belarus have applied the Vienna Document transparency measures to Zapad, in line with the rules agreed by all OSCE states,” and explained: “The Vienna Document transparency measures are important because they prevent misperceptions and miscalculations. A Vienna Document observation has required elements to it – briefings on the scenario and progress, opportunities to talk to individual soldiers about the exercise, and overflights of the exercise. Russia and Belarus are instead choosing a selective approach that falls short. Such avoidance of mandatory transparency raises questions.” Lithuania’s Defense Minister Raimundas Karoblis warned in June that Moscow might use the maneuvers as cover for an aggressive troop build-up on NATO’s eastern flank. Karoblis said his government estimated that 100,000 Russian troops would be involved in the exercises, rather than the official 12,700. Formerly Soviet-ruled Baltic states worry that, after Ukraine, they may be next to face pressure from the Kremlin, which is why they are casting a wary eye on Zapad 2017 drills in Belarus, which borders Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. (RFE/RL, with reporting by Rikard Jozwiak in Brussels, AFP, BELTA, Interfax and TASS)
Saakashvili says he will be accused
PRAGUE – Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, who is also a former governor of Ukraine’s Odesa region, has accused the authorities of Georgia and Ukraine of planning to accuse him of planning a coup in Georgia. Mr. Saakashvili wrote on Facebook on August 26 that the Georgian authorities “in complete coordination with officials in Ukraine” were planning to make the accusation soon. “They promised [Ukrainian President Petro] Poroshenko that they would file the charges before September 10,” he wrote. He said the charges would give Ukrainian authorities “a legal basis” for detaining him if he entered Ukraine. He added that the charges were risible and politically motivated. Earlier the same day, Nika Gvaramia, the head of Georgia’s Rustavi-2 television, said he believed charges of plotting a coup might be filed against Mr. Saakashvili. (RFE/RL’s Russian Service)
U.S. sends coal shipment to Ukraine
PRAGUE – The United States has sent its first shipment of anthracite coal to Ukraine from the U.S. port of Baltimore under a deal designed to increase Ukraine’s energy security. Pennsylvania-based XCoal Energy and Resources signed a contract with Ukrainian state energy company Centerenergo on July 31 to provide 700,000 tons of anthracite coal in the next few months. The deal followed talks between Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration in June. The first shipment of 62,000 tons is expected to arrive in Odesa’s Yuzhnyy port in three weeks, Voice of America reported. At a launching ceremony in Baltimore on August 22, Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States Valeriy Chaly emphasized the importance of the deal for Ukraine’s energy security. Most of Ukraine’s anthracite coal, which is the only fuel that can be used by several of its power plants, in the past came from parts of the Donbas that are now controlled by Russia-backed separatists. Since the conflict in eastern Ukraine broke out in 2014, Kyiv has sought alternative suppliers of coal for electricity generation. Ukraine’s government cut off deliveries of coal from separatist-controlled areas in March, and has been struggling to meet its energy needs since then. “We appreciate our American friends’ support. I’m proud that in the time of war our nations create jobs, create opportunities,” Ambassador Chaly said. Exports to Ukraine are part of President Trump’s plan to turn the United States into an energy-exporting superpower, putting it in direct conflict with Russia in Eastern Europe, where Moscow is currently the dominant energy supplier. Mr. Trump’s stated goal is to help European countries increase their energy security while reviving jobs lost by U.S. coal miners under Obama administration policies that heavily favored cleaner fuels such as natural gas, wind and solar power. For Eastern European states such as Lithuania and Poland, which are heavily dependent on Russian natural gas, Mr. Trump has offered to ship liquefied natural gas (LNG) by tanker. (RFE/RL, with reporting by VOA, Kyiv Post and Interfax)