15/10/2014 Ukraine: Daily Highlights - US Secretary of State Kerry mentioned existence of a secret agreement between Putin and Poroshenko

15/10/2014 Daily Highlights from “Digests & Analytics Ukraine” News Agency

US Secretary of State Kerry mentioned existence of a secret agreement between Putin and Poroshenko. Ukrainian officials are getting ready for lustration. Prime Minister Yatsenyuk inspected the construction of the wall on the border with Russia. The foreign trade of Ukraine is now in surplus.

Ukraine

• According to the Prime Minister Yatsenyuk, the primary task of the government is the project on arrangement of the Ukrainian-Russian border, "The Wall", and the visa regime with Russia could be introduced as the additional controlling measure.
• Minister of Justice Petrenko announced the beginning, in accordance with the law of the cleansing power, of "labor lustration" of individuals, who held senior positions in the regime of Yanukovych.
• President Poroshenko instructed the new Minister of Defense to prepare a strategy for national security and defense, and to make changes in military doctrine.
• Dismissed by President Poroshenko former Defense Minister Geletey came back to the position of the Head of State Protection Agency.
• A criminal case was opened against the National Guards commanders, who’s unit picketed at the Presidential Administration.
• Foreign Affairs Ministry informed that Ukraine is ready to broaden the mandate of the OSCE mission for controlling border crossings on the Russian border.
• Ukrainian surplus of external trade reached 1.1 bln. USD as of August since beggining of the year due to decline in imports. The economy is undergoing reorientation from Russian to other markets.
• Official exchange rate of Ukrainian hryvnya vs. major currencies hasn’t dramatically changed: 12.95 UAH/USD, 16.38 UAH/EUR (-3 cop), 3.19 UAH/10 RUR (-2 cop).
• NBU Head Gontareva claimed that an agreement with creditors has been reached on all programs and that all financial support projects are being unified under a common platform.

Kyiv

• Authorities plan to put thermal meters at all apartment buildings and make walls and roofs winter-proof in order to reduce the energy consumption, which currently exceeds european norms five folds.
• Rating agency Standard & Poor’s increased the rating of Ukraine to CCC with stable forecast.

War in Ukraine

• SSU opened criminal proceedings agains DPR and LPR terrorists for crimes against humanity, which is the first step in preparing the case for further submission to the International Criminal Court  in Hague.
• Terrorists continue to breach the cease-fire regimen. Armed clashes took place in Debaltseve, Mariupol, Donetsk, Avdiivka, Granitne, Smile. Around 100 Ukrainian military were encircled in Bakhmutovka according to Donetsk Governor’s information. Residential areas of Donetsk and Schastye were shelled. Donetsk International Airport defenders successfully expel all terrorists attacks.
• 51 civilians and 68 Ukrainian military have been killed since Minsk memorandum was signed according to Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Ministry data.
• Press center of SSU announced that it has received Russian residents’ missing person requests for 131 Russian soldiers.
• Commander in Chief of NATO forces in Europe Breedlove does not see the withdrawal of Russian troops from the Ukrainian border, which still has a huge army of invasion.

International

• Secretary of State Kerry at a press conference after a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister uncovered the existence of secret agreements between Presidents Putin and Poroshenko that complement Minsk memorandum. Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Ministry declined to comment.
• Deputy of the UN Secretary General, during an internet conference “Security Jam”, outlined full coincidence of means used by Russian and islamic terrorists.
• Press service of the European External Policy Agency informed, that Montenegro, Iceland, Albania and Liechtenstein, joined the EU and US sanctions against Russia.
• As mentioned by the President Margelashvili, signature of the Union Treaty between Russia and Abkhazia is the next Russian step in challenging the territorial integrity and security of Georgia.
• Russia canceled customs duties on oil for Belarus. This step will lower the budget revenues for RF by more than 700 mln. USD.
• During a video conference call, leaders of the US, France, UK, Italy and Germany expressed their support of the Minsk memorandum as the condition for peace process and normalization of the situation in eastern Ukraine.
• During an opening ceremony of the new Turkish Airlines route to Kherson, Turkey Ambassador asked Ukrainian authorities to give the «green light» for Turkish business in Ukraine.
• During the air on the «Echo Moskvy» radio station, Russian opposition leader Navalny mentioned that Crimea will never go back to Ukraine as it became a part of Russia.
• Financial Ministers of EU member states  approved a law mandating banks to provide client information upon a request of tax authorities from their country of residence starting from 2017.

Trends

• Existence of secret agreements, additional to the Minsk cease-fire memorandum, between Ukrainian and Russian presidents could be the basis of future investigation of power abuse by Poroshenko.