(Business New Europe – bne.eu – COMMENT: Marcus Svedberg and Aivaras Abromavicius of East Capital – July 1, 2014) Marcus Svedberg is Chief Economist, and Aivaras Abromavicius is Partner, of East Capital Ukraine signed an Association Agreement (AA) and a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) with the EU in Brussels on June 27. President Petro Poroshenko, in his […]
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MOSCOW, July 2 (RIA Novosti) – One of the main political goals of the Ukrainian “Euro-Maidan” movement is the further expansion of NATO to the east, Russian Deputy Security Council Secretary Evgeny Lukyanov told RIA Novosti in an interview Wednesday. “It’s quite apparent that this is one of the goals,” Lukyanov said in reference to the West criticizing Russia for […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Allison Quinn – July 2, 2014) As a video of the death of Channel One cameraman Anatoly Klyan went viral ahead of his memorial service on Wednesday, the world got its starkest glimpse yet of the reality faced by journalists on the ground in Ukraine: The 68-year-old veteran war reporter is literally shown bleeding out […]
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(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Nikolai Litovkin, RBTH – June 30, 2014) The events surrounding Ukraine have not only dragged the world into a new information war but have also revealed serious differences in how the powers that be perceive reality. Some of Russia’s most respected experts in foreign policy discussed the information war over Ukraine in a […]
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(Eurasia Daily Monitor: Volume 11, Issue 119 – Jamestown Foundation – jamestown.org – Paul Goble – July 1, 2014) Ukraine’s intelligence service has identified five centers within the Russian Federation where Moscow is recruiting and training mercenaries and diversionists to work against Ukraine in the eastern portions of that country and perhaps further west as well (Newsru.ua, June 28). Even more worrisome, […]
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(Business New Europe – bne.eu – Ben Aris in Moscow – July 2, 2014) Russian President Vladimir Putin lambasted the West in a speech to assembled diplomats call on July 1, although he stopped short of making new military threats against Ukraine as Kyiv resumed its antiterrorism operation in the east of the country. The Russian rhetoric is becoming somewhat […]
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KIEV, July 2 (RIA Novosti) – Kiev is ready to continue consultations with independence supporters from eastern Ukraine at any acceptable location, the Ukrainian president’s administration said Wednesday. The Ukrainian authorities “are ready to continue consultations with the participation of the contact group at any acceptable location in order to search for ways of peaceful settlement,” said Valeriy Chaly, the […]
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… 18. Bloomberg: Why Putin Is in Trouble With 86% Approval.
19. Washington Post: Fred Hiatt, A familiar Russian playbook. The modern parallels to Russian attacks on Boris Pasternak.
20. Moscow Times: Washington Asks Moscow to Approve John Tefft as new U.S. Ambassador. …
MOSCOW, July 1 (RIA Novosti) – Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reminded that Russia is not a party to the conflict in the east of Ukraine and its influence on self-defense forces should not be overestimated. “Russia is not a party to the confrontation, it’s an internal Ukrainian conflict. And Moscow can’t tell self-defense forces what to do and how to […]
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MOSCOW, July 1 (RIA Novosti) – External influence pushed Kiev to decide against extending the ceasefire in southeast Ukraine, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement Tuesday. “There’s an impression that Kiev’s change in position, including its announcement late on June 30 on the non-extension of the ceasefire regime, happened regardless of the position of leading EU members,” the […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Ivan Nechepurenko – July 1, 2014) Washington has requested Moscow’s formal approval of its appointment of John Tefft as U.S. ambassador to Russia, a source in the Foreign Ministry told The Moscow Times on Monday. Tefft served as ambassador to both Ukraine and Georgia in the past decade, and as a top diplomat in Moscow […]
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(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Evgenia Pismennaya, Henry Meyer, Brad Cook – June 27, 2014) One month he wins the Olympics and kudos from world leaders. The next he grabs Crimea and gets kicked out of their most exclusive club. Now he’s facing a recession with few tools to fight it save the public’s love. Even Vladimir Putin, in his 15th […]
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… 16. CNN: Ukrainian President: Peace depends on Putin’s mood.
17. Kyiv Post: Poroshenko: ‘Russian society is full of aggression today.’ (speech at the Council of Europe)
18. Reuters: Sharp rise in people fleeing eastern Ukraine – UNHCR. …
(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, June 27, 2014) Russians must recognize that sanctions are “the new economic and political reality” in which they live and overcome three widespread and government-promoted misconceptions about such sanctions if the country is going to be able to cope with them as well as possible, according to a senior Russian scholar. In […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Anna Dolgov – June 27, 2014) The White House has submitted to Congress a 2015 military funding request that includes $1 billion to support NATO allies in Europe in response to Russia’s interference in Ukraine. The money is part of a total $65.8 billion Overseas Contingency Operations request that U.S. President Barack Obama submitted Thursday, […]
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(Interfax – June 26, 2014) The ceasefire agreement established between Kiev and East Ukraine’s self-proclaimed republics’ leaders is not being observed and there is no point in extending it, “Donetsk People’s Republic” government co-chairman Myroslav Rudenko (Miroslav Rudenko), was quoted as saying in a report by privately-owned Russian news agency Interfax on 26 June. “How can something that never happened […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber – June 27, 2014) With Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova set to sign the economic sections of association agreements with the European Union on Friday, analysts say the deals will have minimal impact on the Russian economy but will further broaden the political schism between Russia and its neighbors. Russia should not lose more […]
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(Interfax – June 26, 2014) A record growth of the approval rating of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his political course continues, sociologists said. The approval rating of President Putin stood at 86 percent in June, Levada Center told Interfax. The approval rating of the president grew 3 percent from 83 percet in May and 20 percet from 65 percent […]
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(Business New Europe – bne.eu – COMMENT: Tim Ash of Standard Chartered – June 27, 2014) This is a landmark agreement for Ukraine, and will be transformational. Poroshenko has indicated that Ukraine aims for EU membership, but this is a long run goal – likely 10-15 years away, if then. Ukraine is realistic, and understanding of the changing politics in […]
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[“Ukraine Cease-Fire to End Friday Evening If Talks Fail; Heavy Fighting Rages Around Several Separatist Strongholds in East” – Wall Street Journal – Lukas I. Alpert – June 27, 2014] The Wall Street Journal reports on the planned expiration of a ceasefire between Ukraine and pro-Russia separatists in an eastern region of the country, and Russian calls for an extension. The […]
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BRUSSELS, June 27 (RIA Novosti) – Ukraine’s chances of attaining candidate status for membership in the European Union are hard to predict, Stefan Fuele, EU Commissioner for Enlargement said. “We are not at the stage when we could even speculate about the candidate status. We just signed the association agreement, it needs to be ratified, we need to move on […]
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[“Ukraine Signs Trade Agreement With European Union” – New York Times – ANDREW HIGGINS and DAVID M. HERSZENHORN – June 27, 2014] The New York Times reports on Ukraine and the European Union reaching a sweeping trade deal, one that had been the original impetus for protests effectively upending the earlier Ukrainian regime of Viktor Yanukovych. Meanwhile, Russia has threatened serious consequences in […]
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MOSCOW. June 27 (Interfax) – The anti-constitutional coup staged in Ukraine and attempts to artificially impose a choice between Europe and Russia on that country have pushed Ukrainian society toward a split, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday. “The acute crisis in this neighboring country seriously troubles us. The anti-constitutional coup in Kyiv and attempts to artificially impose a […]
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[“Russia’s Putin calls for long-term Ukraine ceasefire, peace talks” – Reuters – Maria Tsvetkova June 27, 2014] Reuters covers the expiration for Ukraine’s eastern region ceasefire and Russian calls for an extension. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday a long-term ceasefire was needed in Ukraine to allow talks between the Kiev government and representatives of eastern regions where rebels are […]
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[“Domestic focus sinks Russia, rings alarms for 2018 World Cup” – Reuters – 6.27.14] Reuters covers Russia’s soccer (football) woes. Even as Russia is slated to host the World Cup in 2018, Russian soccer reportedly is not poised to excel. Ironically, the situation is attributed, in part, to high salaries. The massive wages paid by Russia’s domestic clubs mean good […]
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… 6. Bloomberg: Ukraine Optimism Wavers on Peace as Cease-Fire Winds Down.
7. New York Times: Russia and Others Seek Extended Ukraine Truce, but Separatists Balk.
8. DPA: Ukrainian separatists to hold fresh talks before ceasefire expires.
9. Business New Europe: Graham Stack, A show of arms by pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine. …
(The Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Allison Quinn – June 26, 2014) As the world marks the United Nations’ International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on Thursday, millions of drug addicts in Russia have nowhere to go for treatment, and specialists are in despair over the lack of progress in the country’s rehabilitation system. The Federal Drug Control […]
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(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Alan Katz, Jesse Drucker, Irina Reznik – June 25, 2014) To see why U.S. economic sanctions against Russia are likely to have limited impact, follow the spending of a small Delaware-incorporated, Nasdaq-traded television company named CTC Media Inc. (CTCM) While CTC Media has a market capitalization of just $1.7 billion, it’s a good example of the […]
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(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Kateryna Choursina, Patrick Donahue – June 26, 2014) Ukraine isn’t “too optimistic” it will soon clinch a peace deal with separatist rebels in the east, a minister said, as the U.S. and the European Union raised pressure on Russia to ease violence that’s left hundreds dead. With Ukraine’s government saying the pro-Russian militants have repeatedly flouted […]
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(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Ilya Arkhipov – June 26, 2014) Russian President Vladimir Putin’s popularity continued to rise near its 2008 peak this month amid the unrest in neighboring Ukraine, Moscow-based polling company Levada Center said in a statement. The Russian leader’s approval rating is 86 percent, up from 65 percent in January and compared with the highest-ever 88 percent […]
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(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Alexei Lossan, RBTH – June 26, 2014) Russian ruble has made rapid gains in value against the dollar and euro following statements made by Vladimir Putin. The Russian president declared his support for a peaceful resolution of the Ukrainian crisis after a meeting in Vienna with Austrian President Heinz Fischer, and has also […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Anna Dolgov – June 26, 2014) Two main business lobbies in the U.S. plan to publicly challenge White House foreign policy regarding Russia by taking out advertisements in the nation’s top three newspapers to warn that imposing additional sanctions against Moscow will only harm U.S interests. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association […]
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(opendemocracy.net – Sergii Leshchenko – June 25, 2014) Sergii Leshchenko is an investigative and political journalist. He is deputy-editor-in-chief of Ukrainska pravda, Ukraine’s leading independent online media. He was a 2012 Fellow of the John Smith Memorial Trust and a Reagan-Fascell Fellow from 2013-2014. All views expressed are made in a personal capacity. President Petro Poroshenko is not an ideal […]
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MOSCOW, June 26 (RIA Novosti) – Ukraine and Moldova’s struggling economies could face multi-billion-dollar losses after signing association agreements with the European Union, Russian experts warn. “Countries that sign this association [deal] agree to fall in line with all EU directives, standards and technical regulations – and this is at their own expense. Even if the EU gives them certain […]
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(Business New Europe – bne.eu – Graham Stack in Kyiv – June 16, 2014) Eastern Ukraine’s pro-Russian separatist rebels are deploying a small number of tanks and armoured personnel carriers (APCs), in a move that could escalate the conflict. But this might just be the start: at the heart of rebel-controlled territory lies one of Europe’s largest “tank graveyards” – […]
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(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Darya Lyubinskaya, special to RBTH – June 25, 2014) RBTH presents a selection of views from leading Russian media, featuring analysis of the failure of the truce agreed in eastern Ukraine, the prospects for Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko’s peace project, and Putin’s surprising request to Russia’s Federation Council to retract the permission it […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – June 26, 2014) Russian military morale is at a post-Soviet high, according to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. “The results of sociological studies show that in 2014, the level of troop morale has reached its highest point in the past 17 years,” Shoigu was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti. The military’s burgeoning popularity is not […]
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(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Andrei Frolov, special to RBTH – June 24, 2014) Andrei Frolov is editor in chief of the magazine Eksport Vooruzheny (Arms Exports). Russian expert discusses the importance of nuclear energy in Russia Russia inherited its nuclear energy sector from the Soviet Union and can take pride in the fact that the world’s first […]
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MOSCOW. June 26 (Interfax) – The Russian president’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov believes that today there is a need to focus on the chance of prolonging the declared ceasefire in Ukraine instead of discussing Russia’s possible steps, should the bloodshed continue in Ukraine’s southeastern regions. “Now it is a bad time to discuss this [what Russia could do next if […]
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MOSCOW. June 26 (Interfax) – While accusing Russia of violating international law, the United States attempts to create some parallel law for itself and its allies accessible only to chosen ones, Russian State Duma international affairs committee head Alexei Pushkov said. “It appears to me that the attempt to accuse us of violating international law pursues two goals – to […]
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… 9. Financial Times: Russian stocks stage remarkable turnround.
10. Business New Europe: Ben Aris, Russian stocks hit 5-month high as Putin rescinds right to use military force in Ukraine.
11. BBC: Steven Rosenberg, The Ukrainian refugees escaping to Russia.
12. Sean’s Russia Blog: Sean Guillory, Ukraine’s Refugees. …
[“No more little green men? Putin takes military option in Ukraine off table” – Christian Science Monitor – Fred Weir- June 24, 2014] The Christian Science Monitor covers Russia’s legislative move to formerly rescind an authorization for additional military intervention in Ukraine. Almost four months after Russia’s upper house of parliament granted Vladimir Putin blanket permission to use military force in Ukraine, […]
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[“Russian lawmakers revoke right to send troops into Ukraine” – Reuters – June 25, 2014] Reuters covers a vote by Russia’s Parliament to formerly rescind a past authorization of military intervention in Ukraine. The legislators acted in response to a directive from Russian President Vladimir Putin. The authorization of force could be reinstated in short order if need be. The Russian parliament […]
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[“Ukraine’s Ancient Hatreds” – The National Interest – Nikolas K. Gvosdev – June 25, 2014] The National Interest examines the Western response to the crisis in Ukraine, as well as various historical contexts for Russia, Ukraine and the region. Russian President Vladimir Putin has voiced a “triune people/one people” concept disputed by outsiders, even as it impacts Kremlin policy. In his public remarks, Putin […]
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[“How Obama Is Driving Russia and China Together” – The National Interest – Dimitri K. Simes – June 24, 2014] The National Interest examines President Barack Obama’s handling of the Ukraine crisis in the light of historical experience: President Barack Obama likes to say that America and the world have progressed beyond the unpleasantness of the nineteenth century and, for that matter, much of […]
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(Business New Europe – bne.eu – RBS, Tim Ash, head of research – June 25, 2014) We assess positively the news that separatist leaders in eastern Ukraine have joined the ceasefire announced by Ukrainian President Poroshenko last week. We also observe growing signs that Russia is not interested in further escalation of fighting in eastern Ukraine, and is taking action […]
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MOSCOW, June 25 (RIA Novosti) – Kiev bears full responsibility for the crisis in southeastern Ukraine, and blaming Moscow for it is “knocking on the wrong door,” the speaker of the upper chamber of Russian parliament said Wednesday. Valentina Matvienko told reporters she was aware of recent media reports about the possibility of economic sanctions against Russia if Moscow fails […]
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KIEV, June 25 (RIA Novosti) – Kiev is prepared to hold consultations with Moscow on Ukraine’s European integration bid, Ukraine’s Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said Wednesday. Russia has expressed concern over Kiev’s intention to sign the economic part of a European Union association agreement, because it would bring about an uncontrollable flow of goods and Russia would need to protect […]
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(Business New Europe – bne.eu – Ben Aris in Moscow – June 25, 2014) Russian stocks hit a five-month high on June 24 after President Vladimir Putin asked Russia’s upper house of parliament to repeal a law that granted him the right to use military force in Ukraine, as investors speculate the standoff with the West over Ukraine’s fate might […]
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… 3. Reuters: In parts of east Ukraine, a daily struggle to survive.
4. Interfax: Miners call for cessation of military conflict in Donbas.
5. Reuters: Fighting strains Ukraine ceasefire, Putin urges dialogue.
6. Wall Street Journal: Putin Calls for Ukraine to Hold Unconditional Talks With Rebels. …