Contents tagged with Ukraine

  • US Congress to increase aid to Ukraine by $75 million

    The Ukrainian embassy in the USA stated that US Congress considers increasing the budget of aid provided to Ukraine by $75 million in 2019.

    “In the US Congress, a draft bill was approved by the Senate and the House of Representatives “Department of State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs: FY2019 Budget and Appropriations”. The estimated assistance to Ukraine through the United States Department of State, United States Agency for International Development and relevant agencies is …

  • Ukrainian Defense Minister: NATO ships to visit Ukrainian ports on monthly basis

    After a visit to the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak said that he expects NATO ships to visit Ukrainian ports nearly every month in 2019.

    “This year, NATO’s naval presence in the Black Sea will be significantly stepped up. Nearly every month, ships both from NATO’s permanent naval groups and those of key allies will visit Ukrainian ports, also for the purpose of conducting joint exercises with Ukraine’s Navy,” Poltorak explained.

    He noted that ships …

  • Ukrainian Minister of Internal Affairs presented 'Donbas de-occupation plan' in US

    Minister of Internal Affairs, Arsen Avakov, announced that the United States Institute of Peace hosted a round table with the participation of authoritative experts, members of parliament, the U.S. State Department, international organizations and representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. 

    According to him, participants discussed the possibilities and risks of the Donbas de-occupation plan and formulated its key points. 

    "The U.S. Institute of Peace has held a round …

  • Kyiv requests a separate package of NATO assistance for Ukraine's Navy

    Ukraine's Permanent Representative to NATO Vadym Prystaiko said that Kyiv has asked NATO to arrange for a separate assistance package for the Naval Forces of Ukraine, the Evropeiska Pravda reported. 

    “We have the so-called Assistance Package, which includes different mechanisms, in particular, trust funds. One of the ideas is that the assistance to our Navy be allocated from one package, in order to to identify the needs and support opportunities so that each country to find its own niche,” …

  • Ukraine to send two landing ships to the Sea of Azov

    During a press briefing, the deputy chief of the Department of Defense Planning of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Vyacheslav Demyanenko announced that in 2019 an artillery boat and two landing ships would be added to the six small armored artillery boats of the Ukrainian naval forces in the Sea of Azov.

    “The Navy has received six small armored artillery boats. In the current year it is planned to include one more artillery boat and two Kentavr landing ships. The development …

  • Kyiv: Ukraine satisfied with EU policy changes concerning Nord Stream 2

     The EU’s coordinated amendments to its Gas Directive establish a legal framework for the Nord Stream 2 project to function in accordance with EU standards, but do not reduce the security risks, and could make Russia’s behavior even more aggressive, wrote Olena Zerkal, Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister for European Integration, on Facebook. 

    “First and foremost, EU law will extend to gas pipelines from third countries, including Nord Stream 2. This was and remains the key provision of the …

  • Kremlin: Russia to send election observers to Ukraine on voting day

    Russia intends to send observers to monitor Ukraine’s upcoming presidential elections directly on voting day – 31 March – as part of the OSCE’s international observation mission, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported. 

    The department claims to have received a circular request on 12 February from the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) to send short-term observers to the Ukrainian presidential elections. 

    “Russia intends to use its right to participate in the …

  • US senators propose ‘Azov sanctions’ bill against Russia

    On Wednesday, a group of US senators put forward a bill that envisages additional sanctions against Russia in response to “Russian interference in the operation of democratic institutes abroad” and for its aggression in Ukraine. 

    According to a statement published by the Senate’s foreign affairs committee, the document was authored by republicans Lindsey Graham and Cory Gardner and democrats Bob Menendez, Ben Cardin and Jeanne Shaheen. 

    The list of sanctions proposed by the senators has two …

  • Ukraine will not allow Transnistrian diplomatic mission in Kyiv

    The speaker of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kateryna Zelenko, said that Kyiv will not agree to open a "diplomatic representation" of the unrecognized republic of Transnistria in Ukraine. 

    "We already have diplomatic representation, and this is a representation of Moldova," said Zelenko as quoted by LB.ua news outlet. 

    According to her, Ukraine, as a guarantor country, will continue its efforts in the Transnistrian settlement. 

    Earlier the leader of unrecognized Transnistria, Vadim …

  • Russia: joint US-Ukraine military exercises in the Black Sea 'a dangerous idea'

    Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin stated that Russia considers the joint exercises “Sea Breeze” which are held by Ukraine and the United States to be dangerous.

    “A dangerous idea. This is exactly how we will treat it. We perceive this idea as dangerous,” said Karasin as quoted by RIA Novosti.

    The Sea Breeze exercises have been held by Ukraine and the United States on the territory of Ukraine since 1997.

    On February 11th, the press service of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense  …