Delays cause disillusionment with EU
KYIV – President Petro Poroshenko has warned that Ukrainians may become disillusioned with their pro-European path if the European Union further delays closer integration with Kyiv. The EU agreed to provide visa waivers for Ukrainians last month after weeks of stalling, but the decision has not gone into effect. “To delay further would be flagrantly unfair as Ukraine has paid a high price,” Mr. Poroshenko told foreign ambassadors to Ukraine on January 16. “It would also be dangerous because more unreasonable delays would undermine Ukrainians’ faith in Europe. This is exactly what Russia wants,” he said, adding that Ukraine’s EU Association Agreement also should be ratified. Delays have raised criticism that the bloc was reneging on pledges to help Ukraine as it seeks to move away from Moscow’s orbit in the wake of a 2013 uprising that ousted a Kremlin-backed president. After the change in power, Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimea region and is accused by Kyiv and NATO of fueling a pro-Russia separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine. “We are all witnesses to efforts to build a new iron curtain and it is today’s Russia that is building it,” Mr. Poroshenko said. (RFE/RL, with reporting by Reuters)
Kyiv sues Moscow at U.N. court
KYIV – Ukraine has sued Russia at the United Nations International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague, accusing Moscow of acts of “terrorism” and “discrimination” related to its backing separatists in eastern Ukraine and its annexation of the Crimean peninsula. The Foreign Affairs Ministry filed the lawsuit late on January 16 at the request of President Petro Poroshenko. It claims that Russia has violated the U.N. Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism by supporting separatists fighting government forces in a war that has killed more than 9,750 people since April 2014. It also claims that Russia has oppressed Crimean Tatars, an ethnic minority whose homeland is Crimea. “For three years, Russia has been committing the illegal annexation of Crimea, illegal occupation of the east of our country in the territory of [the] Donetsk and Luhansk regions, [and] implementing the policy of elimination and discrimination in Crimea,” Mr. Poroshenko said at a meeting with Crimean Tatar leader Mustafa Dzhemilev and three other top officials. Armed Russians “have committed numerous terrorist attacks affecting hundreds of thousands of innocent people forced to leave their home,” he said. “Russia must pay the price for its aggression,” Mr. Poroshenko said. Ukrainian authorities call the nearly three-year-old conflict in eastern Ukraine an “anti-terrorist operation,” and often refer to those fighting against government forces as “terrorists.” Neither Kyiv nor Russia, which denies it has backed the separatists with troops or weapons despite mounting evidence, has formally declared war. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mariana Betsa told RFE/RL that the lawsuit was the result of three years of “titanic work” by Ukrainian authorities. It is the first lawsuit filed with the ICJ by Kyiv, which has sent at least four lawsuits against Russia to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. Ukraine is aware that the ICJ may not consider the lawsuit for years, if ever, Ms. Betsa said. “But we have hope,” she said, adding that it is “inevitable” that Russia will bear responsibility “for crimes it has committed.” (Christopher Miller of RFE/RL)
Obama extends sanctions on Russia
WASHINGTON – U.S. President Barack Obama on January 13 extended all U.S. sanctions on Russia over its annexation of Crimea and aggression in Ukraine by one year through March 2018. The move appears designed to make it harder for U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to roll back the sanctions after Mr. Obama leaves office on January 20. Mr. Trump has said he wants to improve relations with Russia and would take a second look at the sanctions, although several of his chosen Cabinet members said last week that they support the sanctions. In extending the sanctions, which were due to expire in March 2017, Obama said the Russian government and other people and organizations targeted by the sanctions have “undermined democratic processes and institutions in Ukraine” by their “use of force in Ukraine” and thereby “threaten its peace, security, stability, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.” Because of the threat to Ukraine, Mr. Obama said, Russia’s actions “pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.” The European Union has parallel sanctions on Russia that are due to expire in July. Italy and other EU members have said they would push to end the sanctions, especially if Mr. Trump carries out a softening of U.S. policy towards Russia. (RFE/RL)
Polish leaders welcome U.S. troops
WARSAW – Polish leaders welcomed U.S. troops to their country on January 14, with Prime Minister Beata Szydlo saying it was a “great day” that would help ensure the region’s security. About 3,500 American soldiers have been deployed as part of NATO troop rotations in Eastern Europe aimed at reassuring regional allies following Russian moves against Ukraine. “This is an important day for Poland, for Europe, for our common defense,” Ms. Szydlo said on January 14 at a ceremony in the western town of Zagan. Polish Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz said the troops would help ensure “freedom, independence, and peace in Europe and the whole world.” Speaking at the Zagan ceremony, U.S. Ambassador to Poland Paul Jones said, “This is America’s most capable fighting force – a combat-ready, highly trained U.S. armored brigade with our most advanced equipment and weaponry.” He added. “This force embodies America’s ironclad commitment to honor our NATO treaty obligation to defend our NATO allies. And, as threats grow, U.S. military deployments also grow.” Russia has been highly critical of the troop deployment, which comes in reactions to Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in March 2014 and its backing of separatists in the country’s east. “These actions threaten our interests, our security,” President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said on January 12. “Especially as it concerns a third party building up its military presence near our borders.” (RFE/RL, based on reporting by AFP, AP and CNN)
Biden praises Pence’s knowledge of Russia
WASHINGTON – U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden has praised the man who will replace him, saying Vice-President-elect Mike Pence knows more about Russia than his running mate, Donald Trump. In interviews with White House reporters on January 12, Mr. Biden said he had been impressed with Mr. Pence and thinks his views of Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin, are well informed. “I never know what [Trump] means” when he talks about Russia, Mr. Biden said. “But I do think that Mike is significantly more informed about Russian conduct, potential intentions, and Putin’s behavior than… the president-elect is, based on what the president-elect says.” Vice-President Biden has been the Obama administration’s top envoy on many occasions and has played a particularly critical role in developing relations with Ukraine and Iraq. He visited to Ukraine on January 16 in what was his last foreign trip before leaving office. The vice-president said he “likes” Mr. Pence and had been sending him memos with his advice on how to handle relationships with Iraqi and Ukrainian leaders. He said he had also identified for Mr. Pence “the things that could explode most easily” in the world in coming years. He noted that the incoming vice-president had been receptive to his advice. (RFE/RL, based on reporting by AP and Reuters)
UCC congratulates Freeland
OTTAWA – The Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) on January 10 congratulated Chrystia Freeland on her appointment that day as Canada’s minister of foreign affairs. Ms. Freeland previously served as Canada’s minister of international trade. “On behalf of the Ukrainian Canadian community, I congratulate Minister Freeland on her appointment as minister of foreign affairs. We have every confidence that Minister Freeland will continue to serve Canada capably, honorably and skillfully on the world stage,” stated UCC National President Paul Grod. “During this time of global instability, it is crucial that Canada remain a world leader in countering Russian aggression in Ukraine, and Russian threats to Euro-Atlantic stability. Canada has displayed leadership in NATO’s deterrence efforts in Eastern Europe by deploying troops to Latvia; providing training to Ukrainian soldiers through Operation UNIFIER, and leading efforts to impose costs on Russia for its aggression.” The UCC said of Ms. Freeland, who was born in Peace River, Alberta: “A proud Ukrainian Canadian, Minister Freeland has been active in our community since childhood.” Ihor Michalchyshyn, chief executive officer of the UCC, noted: “Throughout her public service, Minister Freeland has consistently demonstrated a commitment to assisting the people and government of Ukraine as they bravely battle against Russia’s invasion and implement a comprehensive reform program. The UCC looks forward to working with Minister Freeland on continuing to strengthen ties and relations between Canada and Ukraine.” The UCC also expressed its gratitude to the outgoing minister of foreign affairs, Stéphane Dion, for his service to Canada, unwavering support of Ukraine and his readiness to work with the Ukrainian Canadian community. (UCC)
Questions re Savchenko’s prisoners lists
KYIV – National Deputy Nadiya Savchenko released the lists of Ukrainian prisoners (129 captives and 494 missing) who are being held in the occupied Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. She also released the lists of those whom representatives of the “Donetsk People’s Republic” (DPR) and “Luhansk People’s Republic” (LPR) want to get swapped instead (525 persons from the “DPR” and 283 persons from the “LPR”). The names were received from unofficial sources, the national deputy emphasized. Experts pointed out mistakes in the list, while the Security Service of Ukraine condemned the publication of prisoners’ personal data, saying that the lists differ from the ones that the official center for liberation of captives is using. Following the claims, Ms. Savchenko corrected the lists. Some of the persons listed in the above documents have no link to the conflict in the Donbas and instead are on trial in the cases of the Euro-Maidan killings, the May 2, 2014, clashes in Odesa that left 48 dead, as well as in terrorist acts in Kharkiv. (Ukraine Crisis Media Center)
More in U.S. see Russia as a threat
WASHINGTON – The number of Americans who see Russia as a threat has increased since before the presidential campaign, a new poll finds. The Reuters/Ipsos opinion survey conducted on January 9-12 found that 82 percent view Russia as a threat to the United States. A March 2015 version of the same poll found that 76 percent of responders saw Russia as a threat at the time. The poll also found that 82 percent of Republicans and 84 percent of Democrats identify Moscow as a threat to the U.S. North Korea was viewed as the most dangerous country to the U.S., with 86 percent of responders labeling it as a threat. The Reuters/Ipsos poll surveyed a pool of 1,169 American adults, including 475 Republicans and 490 Democrats. The margin of error was 3 percent for the entire survey and 5 percent for Republicans and Democrats. (The Hill)
UCC urges joining #UnitedUkraine
OTTAWA – The Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) is joining the Ukrainian World Congress call to unite Ukrainians around the world and join the international #UnitedUkraine campaign. This effort coincides with the lead-up to the anniversary of the historic Unification Act of January 22, 1919, which united Ukrainian territories into a sole, sovereign state. This third “United Ukraine” initiative welcomes the participation of any individual who supports Ukraine, aspires to its unity and the end of the military aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine. In 2016, over 15,000 participants in 68 countries and 117 Ukrainian cities, towns and villages took part. Instructions on how to join the international action may be found on the UCC’s website at http://www.ucc.ca/2017/01/14/ucc-calls-to-join-unitedukraine/. (UCC)
Ukraine urged to reverse ban on Dozhd
NEW YORK – Ukrainian authorities should “immediately” cancel an order banning a prominent independent Russian television station from broadcasting in the country, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) says. The National Radio and TV Council (NRTC) on January 12 ordered Ukrainian broadcasters to stop airing reports by Dozhd (Rain) within about a month, the Moscow-based channel said. “This ham-handed censorship will deprive Russian-speaking Ukrainian viewers of a counterpoint to Russian state-controlled media,” CPJ Europe and Central Asia Program Coordinator Nina Ognianova said in January 13 statement. Dozhd cited an official from the channel’s Ukrainian partner, Volya, as saying the reason for the ban was that Dozhd had violated a prohibition on advertising. The Interfax news agency, however, cited a council member as saying Dozhd had failed to recognize Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity when it aired an image showing the boundary with Crimea as the state border, suggesting that Crimea is part of Russia. Russia seized control of Crimea in 2014, although Kyiv considers the Black Sea peninsula still part of Ukraine. Only a handful of countries in the world recognize Crimea as part of Russia. (RFE/RL)