Contents tagged with Ukraine

  • Ukraine expecting NATO status upgrade in October

    Ukraine is expecting its status with NATO to be upgraded to that of a partner with enhanced opportunities in October this year, said Ukrainian Defense Minister Andriy Zahorodniuk, as cited by UNIAN.

    According to Zahorodniuk, the alliance is “absolutely satisfied” with the reforms that have been carried out in Ukraine, and if the country maintains this rate of positive changes, it can expect an upgrade in October.

    Zahorodniuk said that it was at the Munich Security Conference, which was held …

  • Ukraine’s General Staff confirms reports of abandoned positions due to militants’ attack in Luhansk region

    During a closed session of the Verkhovna Rada committee on national security, defense and intelligence, a representative of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) confirmed the reports that the Ukrainian army had been forced to abandon several previously held positions after the militants’ attack. This was reported by the first deputy chairperson of the committee, Mykhailo Zabrodskyi (European Solidarity party).

    “We can talk about a list of questions that were asked by …

  • NATO urges Russia to withdraw troops from Ukraine

    NATO has expressed its concern regarding the escalation in the Donbas and urged Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukraine, the Ukrainian Mission to NATO wrote on Facebook.

    “We are concerned by the escalation of violence by the Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine this morning. This undermines the Minsk agreements and the efforts towards a peaceful conflict resolution,” said NATO Spokesperson Oana Lungescu.

    NATO also affirmed its full support of the territorial integrity and …

  • Ukraine blames Kremlin for Donbas escalation at UN Security Council session

    During a session of the UN Security Council, Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Serhiy Kyslytsia brought up the topic of the conflict escalation in the Donbas.

    “What is our status today? Apparently, an answer was given at 5 AM local time, when our positions came under attack. The attack, perpetrated today, on the fifth anniversary of the Debaltseve tragedy, was particularly shameless,” he said.

    Kyslytsia remarked that the Armed Forces of Ukraine responded appropriately to this attack by the …

  • Lavrov: Russia ready to pull out of April Normandy summit

    Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Russia is ready to pull out of the Normandy Format summit scheduled for April. He said that the date of the next summit has not been finalized, RBC news agency reports.

    “When we hear our Normandy Format colleagues speaking about April as the date for convening the summit, it’s their wishes, their ideas that they are voicing. But not more than that,” said Lavrov on Monday, February 17.

    He added that there are currently “no reasons to hold a …

  • LPR militants attack Ukrainian positions in Donbas

    Command of the Ukrainian Joined Forces Operation has reported a significant escalation at several sections of the demarcation line in the Donbas.

    According to the report, "armed formations of the Russian Federation" stationed in the territory of the so-called Luhansk People's Republic (LPR), went on an offensive near the settlements of Novotoshkivske, Orikhove, Krymske and Khutir Vilny in the early morning of Tuesday, February 18.

    According to the Ukrainian military command, LPR militants, …

  • US not planning to appoint special representative for Donbas

    Former US ambassador to Ukraine (2003-2006) John Herbst told Radio NV in an interview that he considers it unlikely that the US will appoint a special representative for the Donbas.

    “Volker is a very talented diplomat… and the fact that he has left is a certain loss. As far as I know, they have decided not to replace him, there will not be a new extraordinary ambassador for this matter – not for Ukraine, but for Donbas affairs,” said Herbst.

    With respect to the appointment of a new US …

  • Ukraine's Naftogaz demands $8 billion from Russia for loss of Crimean assets

    The Ukrainian oil and gas company Naftogaz has responded to Russia’s counterclaim regarding the compensation amount for Naftogaz’s loss of assets in Crimea, the company announced on Twitter.

    According to Naftogaz’s statement, Russia filed a claim in December 2019.

    Naftogaz also confirmed the amount of damage compensation it is demanding – around $8 billion, a figure which includes net losses and interest.

    The company said in its tweet that the losses were caused by the illegal expropriation …

  • Ukraine suspends prosecutors investigating MH17 case

    All of the Ukrainian prosecutors who had been investigating the MH17 catastrophe have been suspended from work as part of departmental reforms, the Dutch newspaper NRC Next reports, citing one of the dismissed prosecutors.

    A total of six prosecutors were involved in the investigation on Ukraine’s behalf, two of them as part of the Joint Investigation Team. In recent months, the JIT has not had a single participant from Ukraine.

    Commenting on the dismissal of the prosecutors, Ukrainian Foreign …

  • Zelensky: Ukraine proposed new procedure for withdrawal of troops in Donbas

    The Ukrainian side has proposed a new procure for withdrawal of forces in the Donbas, announced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during his speech at the Munich Security Conference, Ukraynska Pravda reports.

    The Ukrainian President said that Kyiv suggested a so-called sector-based withdrawal. According to him, the line of demarcation will be divided into several sectors and the troops in them will be withdrawn    gradually.

    The transition from one sector to the next will be made only …