Law ends Friendship Treaty with Russia
President Petro Poroshenko has signed into law a bill to terminate Ukraine’s friendship treaty with Russia. In a video comment posted on the presidential website, Poroshenko called the law “part of our strategy towards fully breaking with the colonial past and reorientation towards Europe.” The treaty is due to expire on March 31. On December 6, Ukrainian lawmakers voted not to prolong it beyond that date. Signed in 1997, the treaty obliges Russia and Ukraine to “respect the territorial integrity of each other and confirm the inviolability of current mutual borders.” It also says that Ukraine and Russia should build bilateral relations “based on principles of mutual respect of sovereign equality, inviolability of borders, peaceful resolution of differences, without the use of force or the threat to use force.” Ukrainian government forces have been fighting against Russia-backed militants in eastern Ukraine since April 2014, shortly after Russia seized Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula and forcibly annexed it. Although Moscow denies interfering in Ukraine’s domestic affairs, the International Criminal Court (ICC) in November 2016 ruled that the fighting in eastern Ukraine is “an international armed conflict between Ukraine and the Russian Federation.” (RFE/RL)
House passes Holodomor resolution
On December 11, the U.S. House of Representatives passed House Resolution 931, which states that the House of Representatives “condemns the systematic violations of human rights, including the freedom of self-determination and freedom of speech, of the Ukrainian people by the Soviet Government; recognizes the findings of the Commission on the Ukraine Famine as submitted to Congress on April 22, 1988, including that ‘Joseph Stalin and those around him committed genocide against the Ukrainians in 1932-1933.’” The U.S. Senate in October adopted a resolution recognizing the Holodomor as an act of genocide against Ukrainians. (Ukrainian Canadian Congress Daily Briefing)
House OKs resolutions on Kerch attack…
On December 11, the U.S. House of Representatives passed House Resolution 1162, which: “(1) condemns the Russian Federation’s firing upon, ramming, and seizing Ukrainian vessels and crews attempting to pass through the Kerch Strait on November 25, 2018, as violations of binding international norms and agreements; (2) calls on the Russian Federation to immediately return the Ukrainian vessels and their crews to Ukraine; (3) calls on the Russian Federation to cease its violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and its efforts to prevent Ukrainian vessels from transiting the Kerch Strait, as is Ukraine’s right under international norms and agreements; (4) reaffirms the United States commitment to provide the people of Ukraine with political, economic, and security assistance to enable them to secure their independence, democracy, and (5) encourages the President and allies and partners of the United States to hold the Russian Federation accountable for its ongoing aggression against Ukraine.” (Ukrainian Canadian Congress Daily Briefing)
…and Nord Stream 2 pipeline
On December 11, the House of Representations passed House Resolution 1035, which: “(1) finds that Nord Stream 2 is a drastic step backwards for European energy security and United States interests; (2) calls upon European governments to reject the Nord Stream 2 project; (3) urges the President to use all available means to support European energy security through a policy of diversification to lessen reliance on the Russia Federation; and (4) supports the imposition of sanctions with respect to Nord Stream II under section 232 of the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act.” The House of Represent-atives said the Russian-backed natural-gas pipeline will boost Russian control over Europe’s energy supplies. (Ukrainian Canadian Congress Daily Briefing, RFE/RL)
Energy diplomat cites Russian threat
A top U.S. energy diplomat has warned that Russia wants to increase leverage over Europe and its grip over Ukraine, using the proposed Nord Stream 2 natural-gas pipeline under the Baltic Sea. The comments on December 10 by Francis Fannon, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for energy resources, were the latest push by U.S. officials to try and persuade European leaders to block or modify the pipeline deal. Nord Stream 2 would bring Russian gas directly to Western Europe and bypass the existing networks running through Ukraine. Leaders of some of the largest industries in Germany and elsewhere have backed the pipeline as a way to diversify gas supplies. Germany’s foreign affairs minister has said Berlin will not withdraw its political support for it and Chancellor Angela Merkel has said she secured a pledge from Russian President Vladimir Putin allowing gas shipments across Ukraine’s territory. The project, however, has been opposed both by President Donald Trump, and his predecessor, Barack Obama, as a tool for Russia to consolidate sway over Europe. “Russia seeks to increase its leverage of the West while severing Ukraine from Europe,” Fannon said according to a transcript of the conference call. Mr. Putin has said that Nord Stream is purely economic and not directed against other countries. Russian gas could continue to go through Ukraine if the pipeline is completed, he has said. Ukraine, which has been in conflict with Russia since Moscow annexed the Crimea peninsula in 2014, has warned that Moscow would use the pipeline as a political weapon. Ukraine also stands to lose out on billions of dollars in transit fees if Russian gas bypasses it. (RFE/RL, with reporting by Reuters)
EU blacklists nine over Donbas vote
The European Union has blacklisted nine individuals involved in the organization of last month’s elections in the areas controlled by Russia-backed militants in eastern Ukraine. Meeting in Brussels on December 10, the EU’s foreign ministers said the individuals were added to the bloc’s sanctions list because of their “actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence of Ukraine.” A total of 164 people from Russia and Ukraine are now subject to EU asset freezes and travel bans. The bloc has also frozen the assets of 44 entities from both countries since Moscow’s seizure of Ukraine’s Crimea region in March 2014 and its support for militants in a conflict that has killed more than 10,300 people in eastern Ukraine since April 2014. Kyiv and its international backers, including the European Union and the United States, have denounced the November 11 polls in the areas held by the “separatists” in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions as a sham. The nine individuals added to the EU sanctions list include Olga Pozdnyakova and Olena Kravchenko, who head the separatists’ electoral commissions in Donetsk and Luhansk, the two bodies’ deputy heads and their secretaries. The heads of the separatist legislatures in Donetsk and Luhansk, Vladimir Bidyovka and Denis Miroshnichenko, as well as Leonid Pasechnik, who became leader of the “separatists” in Luhansk, were also added. (Rikard Jozwiak of RFE/RL)
Ukraine seeks ramped-up Russia sanctions
Ukraine has used a gathering of foreign ministers of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to call for increased sanctions against Russia, accusing Moscow of stepping up “aggression” against Kyiv and sowing “instability and insecurity” in the OSCE region. “It is a matter of urgency to provide a prompt and consolidated international response,” Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Pavlo Klimkin told the OSCE meeting in Milan, Italy, on December 6, amid heightened tensions between Kyiv and Moscow following a naval confrontation in the Black Sea last month. “Declarations are not enough. There must be action,” Mr. Klimkin also said. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs A. Wess Mitchell said Russia’s actions in eastern Ukraine and the Crimean Peninsula have caused “Europe’s largest humanitarian crisis in a generation.” However, Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergei Lavrov pinned the blame for years of tensions on Ukraine’s “outrageous actions” and its “Western sponsors.” The European Union, the United States, and other countries have imposed sanctions on Russia over Moscow’s seizure of Ukraine’s Crimea region in March 2014 and its support for separatists in a conflict that has killed more than 10,300 people in eastern Ukraine since April 2014. The situation escalated on November 25 when Russia fired on three Ukrainian naval vessels that were attempting to pass through the Kerch Strait between Russia and Crimea, and ultimately seized the ships and 24 crewmen, who remain in Russian captivity. In his speech at the OSCE ministerial meeting, Klimkin said, “This year, Russia did not pull back but extended its aggressive course of action.” He added, “The scope of Russia is clear: gross and uncorrected violations of the OSCE principles and commitments. It is massive and continues to grow. What does it mean for all of us in the OSCE? It means instability and insecurity.” The minister reiterated his country’s call for the “immediate release and safe return to Ukraine” of the sailors, a demand voiced by EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, who also urged the “greatest moderation to proceed toward a de-escalation” of the conflict. Meanwhile, U.S., Canadian, and a number of European ministers denounced Moscow’s actions and voiced support for Kyiv. Mr. Mitchell, who headed the U.S. delegation at the meeting, emphasized again that OSCE member states “cannot turn a blind eye when Russia attacks the national sovereignty and borders of its neighbors… undermines basic human freedoms, and weakens our common security.” Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said that Russia’s “illegal annexation of Crimea, its direct involvement in the conflict in [eastern Ukraine], and now its illegal actions targeting Ukrainian sailors and vessels… cannot and must not be accepted by the international community.” Moscow has accused Kyiv of orchestrating the clash at sea, saying the Ukrainian boats had entered Russian waters – something Kyiv denies. Addressing the OSCE gathering, Mr. Lavrov asserted that Kyiv is “free from any punishment, shielded by its Western sponsors, who justify all its outrageous actions.” He added, “Striving for dominance, a small group of countries uses blackmail, pressure, and threats.” (RFE/RL, with reporting by Reuters, AFP, AP and DPA)
Canadian support for elections, democracy
Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland and Minister of International Development Marie-Claude Bibeau, on December 6 announced up to $24 million in support for Ukraine’s democracy ahead of the 2019 election cycle in Ukraine. In March 2019, Ukraine will hold presidential elections. Parliamentary elections are scheduled for October 2019. The Ukrainian Canadian Congress welcomed the announcement. “The initiatives announced by the government of Canada will be impactful in ensuring free and fair elections in Ukraine, and in supporting Ukraine’s continued democratic development,” stated Alexandra Chyczij, first vice-president of the UCC. “As Ukraine faces escalating Russian aggression and interference, Canada’s leading role in supporting Ukraine is critical. The UCC commends the government of Canada on today’s commitment.” The announced funding will support several initiatives, including: election observation missions for Ukraine’s presidential and parliamentary election, including a bilateral Canadian election observation mission; long-term, sustainable electoral reforms; promotion of women’s participation in elections; fairness and integrity in the electoral processes; and countering disinformation. Minister Freeland stated, “Canada’s commitment to democracy and the sovereignty of Ukraine is unwavering. Today, at the OSCE meetings held in Milan, where support for Ukraine is a key concern, I am very pleased to announce this significant contribution in support of Ukraine’s democracy.” Minister Bibeau stated, “Canada is a strong supporter of Ukraine’s current democratic reform, which will contribute to the country’s long-term stability, security and prosperity. Through this support, we are reinforcing the voices of women and youth, so they can become agents of change and help build a better Ukraine for everyone.” The funding announced December 6 “is part of Canada’s commitment of up to $50 million annually, in support of socio-economic programs to build a strong and accountable democracy, and contribute to peace and security in Ukraine and the region as a whole,” Global Affairs Canada stated. (Ukrainian Canadian Congress)
Commander visits Operation UNIFIER
Canada’s Department of National Defense reported on December 6 that the commander of the Canadian Army, Lt. Gen. Jean-Marc Lanthier, wrapped up a visit to Ukraine this week, during which he met with Canadian Armed Forces personnel deployed on Operation UNIFIER, Canada’s military training mission in Ukraine, as well as with Ukrainian and multinational partners. An official press release noted: “In his first trip to Ukraine since taking command of the Canadian Army, Lt. Gen. Lanthier visited deployed Canadian soldiers at the International Peacekeeping and Security Center in Starychi. He also met with the chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Gen. Viktor Muzhenko; the commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, Col. Gen. Serhii Popko; and the commander of United States Army Europe, Lt. Gen. Christopher Cavoli. Lt. Gen. Lanthier also visited the National Guard of Ukraine, where he met with the commander, Col. Gen. Yurii Allerov, and attended a live-fire exercise conducted by the 30th Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.: Canadian Armed Forces are providing military instruction to enhance the capabilities of the Security Forces of Ukraine. The aim is to help Ukraine maintain its sovereignty, security and stability. (Ukrainian Canadian Congress Ukraine Daily Briefing)