Section: News & Summaries

      War or Peace in Ukraine?
      Feb10

      War or Peace in Ukraine?

      The conflict in Ukraine has reached an uneasy impasse. As Putin, ever the strategic grandmaster, focuses his attention on the Middle East the future of peace in Ukraine remains uncertain. With all remaining quiet in the East of the country, where the conflict had sent ripples of Russian expansionist paranoia throughout Europe, what is the current...

      Dutch Likely to Hand Putin a Major Symbolic Victory in Referendum on EU-Ukraine Association Agreement
      Feb09

      Dutch Likely to Hand Putin a Major Symbolic Victory in Referendum on EU-Ukraine Association Agreement

      There is something odd about the upcoming Dutch plebiscite on the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement. On April 6, the Netherlands will hold a national referendum on a treaty between Brussels and Kyiv that was signed in 2014 and ratified in 2015. Yet, the European Union and the European Community have, during the last sixty years, concluded dozens...

      Actually, No. Russia and Ukraine Are Not Equally Delinquent When It Comes to Fulfilling Minsk
      Feb09

      Actually, No. Russia and Ukraine Are Not Equally Delinquent When It Comes to Fulfilling Minsk

      One of the most startling examples of the adage “there are two sides to every story” is the difference in perceptions over the implementation of the Minsk Agreements between Ukraine and Russia. Minsk, if handled in good faith, could be the roadmap to deescalate the war in Ukraine and bring peace to the region.In October, I wrote a...

      Internet czar takes aim at Apple and Google

      Russia’s first official Internet adviser is pushing to raise taxes on American companies including Apple and Google. ||| Moscow – When he’s not checking Gmail on his MacBook, Vladimir Putin’s new Internet czar can’t stop railing against American technology companies.Google, Apple and Microsoft, collectively worth...

      What’s Behind the Resignation of Minister Abromavicius?
      Feb08

      What’s Behind the Resignation of Minister Abromavicius?

      The resignation of Aivaras Abromavicius from the position of Minister of Economic Development and Trade is another nail in the coffin for the hopes for serious reform in Ukraine. In resigning, he follows in the footsteps of his predecessor Pavlo Sheremeta, who was also unwilling to serve in a government that was more interested in personal gain...

      Human rights activists: Ukrainian citizens Karpiuk and Klykh were electric shock tortured in Russia
      Feb07

      Human rights activists: Ukrainian citizens Karpiuk and Klykh were electric shock tortured in Russia

      Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation refuses to open criminal proceedings and consider Ukrainian prisoners Mykola Karpiuk and Stanislav Klykh’s claim on torture. “The principal investigator’s arguments are that Karpiuk himself admitted involvement in the commission of these crimes and did so in the presence of a lawyer, so that his...

      Putin Corners Himself in Ukraine. We Would Be Crazy to Placate Him Now
      Feb05

      Putin Corners Himself in Ukraine. We Would Be Crazy to Placate Him Now

      The recent backroom bilateral talks between the United States and Russia about Ukraine have caused anxiety in the region, raised hopes that sanctions could be lifted, and elevated Russian President Vladimir Putin’s status to super power level.All are counterproductive.Since the bilateral talks and optimistic statements by US Secretary of...

      Ukraine wants UN to visit war zone

      Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Nations wants to invite the Security Council to visit war-wracked eastern Ukraine in the coming months. …read more Source:...

      Global food prices at 7yr low

      World food prices fell to near a seven-year low in January, weighed down by declines for agricultural commodities, particularly sugar. ||| Rome – World food prices fell to near a seven-year low in January, weighed down by declines for agricultural commodities, particularly sugar, the United Nations food agency said on Thursday. Food prices...

      Why Do Ukraine’s Reform Ministers Keep Quitting?
      Feb03

      Why Do Ukraine’s Reform Ministers Keep Quitting?

      February 3, Ukraine’s Minister of Economic Development and Trade Aivaras Abromavicius announced his resignation at a press briefing with a big bang that may unleash a political crisis and shake the country’s fragile finances.Abromavicius, a 40-year-old investment banker of Lithuanian origin, who has lived in Kyiv for many years as a...