G-7 on Savchenko’s detention
KYIV – Ambassadors of the Group of Seven on March 15 issued a statement on the case of Nadiya Savchenko and called for her immediate release. The text, shared by the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine, reads: “G-7 ambassadors in Ukraine express their serious concerns about the health of Nadiya Savchenko, a member of the Ukrainian Parliament and the Ukrainian armed forces, who has been imprisoned in Russia since 2014 and is currently on hunger strike in protest against her detention. G-7 Ambassadors call on the Russian authorities to immediately release Nadiya Savchenko and to comply with the commitments made in the ‘Package of measures for the implementation of the Minsk Agreements,’ including the release of all hostages and illegally detained persons.” (U.S. Embassy Kyiv)
Poroshenko offers prisoner swap
KYIV – Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said he is ready to secure the release of celebrated Ukrainian pilot Nadiya Savchenko through a prisoner exchange with Russia. The Russian trial of Ms. Savchenko on allegations that she aided the 2014 killing of two Russian journalists in eastern Ukraine wrapped up on March 9. She rejects the charges and has been on a hunger strike since March 3 to protest her detention. “If you ask me if an exchange is possible I would tell you ‘yes’ for the first time, using my constitutional right,” Mr. Poroshenko said in Ankara on March 9 after meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. But he added that Russia has not come up with “any satisfactory initiative” for such a swap. Earlier in the day, Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said talks on a prisoner exchange could not take place “in theory or in practice” until the verdict, which is expected on March 21. (RFE/RL, based on reporting by AFP and TASS)
Shokin returns to work at PGO
KYIV – Ukraine’s top prosecutor, who had reportedly resigned last month amid domestic and international pressure and accusations of stonewalling reforms, has resumed his duties. The press service of the Procurator General’s Office (PGO) confirmed on March 16 that Viktor Shokin was back at work. The news came as a parliamentary committee recommended that the question of Mr. Shokin’s resignation, announced last month, be brought to a full vote by lawmakers. Mr. Shokin’s deputy, Vladyslav Kutsenko, however, said there weren’t enough votes to accept the resignation. Mr. Shokin’s return to work came just a day after a leading U.S. administration official made pointed reference to reforming the Procurator-General’s Office. U.S. and European officials have repeatedly called for President Petro Poroshenko to push Mr. Shokin out, as part of wider government reforms aimed at cleaning up the country’s notorious graft. (RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service)
Rada passes anti-corruption legislation
KYIV – Ukrainian lawmakers have approved an anti-corruption bill establishing public oversight over the assets of both senior and lower-level officials and their relatives. Under the legislation adopted on March 15, they now have to file electronic declarations of their income and holdings, and face criminal liability for any inaccurate or falsified information. The data will be open online to anyone’s scrutiny. The European Union has been pressing Ukraine to complete anti-corruption reforms, and Kyiv hopes the move will pave the way for visa-free travel to European Union countries this year. Ukraine’s visa-free bid has been a top goal of the Ukrainian government, which has had to tackle an economic and financial crisis and a conflict with Russian-backed separatists in the country’s east. (RFE/RL, based on reporting by AFP and UNIAN)
Juncker on Ukraine’s EU, NATO prospects
THE HAGUE – It will take Ukraine at least 20 to 25 years to join the European Union and NATO, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said March 3. “Ukraine will definitely not be able to become a member of the EU in the next 20 to 25 years, and not of NATO either,” he said in a speech at The Hague. While Mr. Juncker did not explain why Ukraine would have to wait so long, his speech was aimed at reassuring Dutch voters that this year’s free-trade agreement between Ukraine and the EU was not a first step toward quickly joining the European Union. Despite his prediction, the EU has been paving the way for visa-free travel to the bloc for Ukrainian citizens while providing Kyiv with a generous $40 billion bailout along with the United States and the International Monetary Fund to help it maintain economic stability amid a war with Russia-backed separatists. NATO also sent a reassuring message to Ukraine last year by holding military exercises there in a show of force against Russia, which has repeatedly denounced the alliance’s eastern expansion as a threat to its national security. But Mr. Juncker’s comments suggest that Ukraine’s ambition to join Europe, frequently expressed by leaders in Kyiv, will not be fulfilled anytime soon. (RFE/RL, based on reporting by DPA and 112 International TV)
EU stands firm against Russia
BRUSSELS – Foreign affairs ministers of the European Union have unanimously agreed on “five guiding principles” of the bloc’s policy toward Russia. EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini spoke on March 14 after a meeting with the 28 ministers. First, Russia must fully respect and implement the Minsk ceasefire agreement signed in February 2015, while Brussels will not recognize Moscow’s ”illegal” annexation of Crimea in March 2014, she said. Other principles include strengthening EU relations “with our Eastern partners and other neighbors, in particular in Central Asia,” and EU resilience in areas such as energy. Ms. Mogherini said ministers also recognized the need for “selective engagement with Russia on foreign policy issues,” such as the Syria conflict and counterterrorism. The fifth principle is the “willingness to support more and more the Russian civil society,” she added. (RFE/RL)
Kyiv: separatists use Grad launchers
KYIV – Kyiv has accused separatists of using large-caliber weapons despite a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine that required both sides to pull back those arms. Ukraine’s military released footage on March 3 purportedly showing Russia-backed fighters firing Grad multiple-rocket launchers against government army positions outside the separatist stronghold of Donetsk. It said the Grad attack came along with more than 60 ceasefire violations along the front line. Meanwhile, the separatists accused government forces of shelling Donetsk suburbs, killing one fighter, burning down a house, and damaging others. (RFE/RL, based on reporting by AFP and AP)
SBU on Russian forces in Donbas
KYIV – More than 1,600 Russian soldiers from 26 Russian military units were killed during the armed conflict in Donbas, and the number of Russian “volunteers” is at least twice as large, it was reported on March 15. Oleksandr Tkachuk, chief of staff to the head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said at a briefing at the Ukraine Crisis Media Center that this is only the confirmed data; the true figure is much higher. He added that currently 6,000 Russian military personnel and about 40,000 militants are fighting in the Donbas. “We appeal to all the mothers, wives and children of those [Russian military personnel] who fight in the Donbas: do all in your power so that your people come back home alive as soon as possible. The conscious civil society in Russia should cooperate with Ukrainian activists to end this conflict in the shortest possible time,” said Mr. Tkachuk. (Ukraine Crisis Media Center)
U.N.: Civilians still suffer in Ukraine
UNITED NATIONS – The United Nations said on March 3 that the war between Ukrainian government forces and Russia- backed separatists in eastern Ukraine is continuing to “significantly affect” civilians – despite a reduction of fighting under a ceasefire deal. U.N. human rights chief Zeid Ra’ad Al-Hussein said on March 3 that full implementation of the Minsk accord was crucial “for resolving the human rights crisis in Ukraine.” In an updated toll, the United Nations said at least 9,160 people have been killed and 21,000 injured since the conflict began in 2014. The updated casualty figures include civilians, Ukrainian government troops, and armed fighters. (RFE/RL, with reporting by AFP)
Kyiv retracts ombudsman’s appointment
KYIV – Ukraine’s government has retracted the recent appointment of Adrian Bukovynsky to the post of family ombudsman after activists complained he is biased against homosexuals. Mr. Bukovynsky’s appointment to the post had been announced on February 24. But the Ukrainian government’s website announced on March 8 that Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk was reopening a search to fill the post. The website said Mr. Bukovynsky was never confirmed as the government’s family ombudsman because he failed to pass a background check. Mr. Bukovynsky’s nomination sparked harsh criticism from gay rights activists in Ukraine who compiled material from 2013 showing he had publicly expressed “homophobic” views. Those statements included calls to defend “traditional values,” as well as condemnation of laws protecting the rights of gays in the European Union and the United States. Mr. Bukovynsky also publicly defended legislation in Russia banning what lawmakers there have deemed as “gay propaganda.” He had said he would endorse a similar law in Ukraine. (RFE/RL, with reporting by khpg.org)
U.S. reacts to Russia’s ban of NDI
WASHINGTON – John Kirby, assistant secretary of state, and department spokesperson, on March 10 made a statement to the press about Russia’s ban on the activity of the National Democratic Institute. The statement reads: “We are deeply troubled by the Russian Government’s decision to designate the National Democratic Institute (NDI) as a so-called ‘undesirable’ foreign organization. We reject the notion that NDI and other international civil society organizations are a threat to Russia. NDI promotes openness and accountability in government, principles Russia should seek to embrace, not exclude or muzzle. By restricting the work of civil society in Russia, the so-called ‘undesirables’ law encroaches on the right of all Russians to freedom of association. We again call on the government of Russia to uphold its international obligations and commitments to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms and to cease restrictions on the work of civil society organizations in Russia.” NDI is a non-profit, non-partisan, non-governmental organization that has supported democratic institutions and practices in every region of the world for more than three decades. (U.S. Department of State)
Pinchuk joins Atlantic Council board
KYIV – Ukrainian businessman and philanthropist Victor Pinchuk has joined the International Advisory Board of the Atlantic Council. He is the first Ukrainian invited to the International Advisory Board of this leading U.S. think-tank. “The Atlantic Council advocates among global leaders for a free, democratic and successful Ukraine,” said Mr. Pinchuk. “I am honored to join its International Advisory Board. I have worked for over 10 years to connect Ukraine to the world and empower change makers for Ukraine. Today, this is more important than ever. The Atlantic Council is a great partner for this.”
Fred Kempe, president and CEO of the Atlantic Council, said: “The Atlantic Council is both delighted and honored to welcome Victor Pinchuk to its International Advisory Board. An epitome of a businessman and philanthropist, Victor embodies the Atlantic Council’s mission of ‘Working Together to Secure the Future.’ His effort promoting Ukraine’s partnership with the European Union is matched by his unwavering commitment to promoting human rights in Ukraine.” (Press Office of Victor Pinchuk)