04/14/2015 Ukraine: Daily Highlights - Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States recalled

Foreign Minister Klimkin

04/14/2015 Daily Highlights by the Digests & Analytics Ukraine News Agency

Topics from the Media and Social Networks

• Bigger salaries for Ukrainian MPs.
• Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States recalled.
• Head of President’s Administration Lozhkin wants to make the oligarchs "share".
• Issue of lifting the moratorium on land sales.
• Impeachment of the Czech Republic President.
• Fires in Russia.
• The head of Ukrspetszem state enterprise arressted.

Key Events of Ukraine

• President Poroshenko signed a law on social guarantees for the workers called up for military service which were injured, captured or went missing. Working position, average salary and vacation will be reserved for them.
• Head of President’s Administration Lozhkin insists on lifting the moratorium on land sales.
• Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Groisman stated that there is no intention to increase the salaries for the deputies.
• Ukrainian Ambassador to the US recalled. Foreign Minister Klimkin said that the new ambassador will be appointed shortly.
• The Commission was unable to select candidates for the position of the head of the State Grain Corporation, selection procedure will be repeated. Competition to fill the position of the head of "Ukrspirt" state enterprise also failed.
• National Bank retained the discount rate at a record level of 30% due to the significant inflation rise (10.8%) at the end of March.
• The official rate of hryvnia against major currencies has slightly changed: 22.93 UAH/USD (+0.05 UAH), 24.22 UAH/EUR (+0,03 UAH), 4.41UAH/10 RUR (-0 07 UAH).

Ukraine at War

• The militants were conducting the active shelling of settlements near Donetsk airport and Shirokine using heavy mortars and tanks. During the fighting six Ukrainian soldiers were killed, 12 were injured.
• The US Ambassador to Ukraine Pyatt informed about the deployment of Russian command posts in the Donbass.
• The Head of the Prisoners Release Center Tandit claimed that part of the soldiers captured during the fighting in the Donbass were moved to Russia. According to him, the militants hold more than 300 Ukrainian soldiers.

Ukraine and the World

• Gazprom CEO Miller threatened to restrict the supply of natural gas to Europe in the case of tightening the EU's position during negotiations on the Third Energy Package and the construction of the "Turkish stream" pipeline. He acknowledged that the model of a monopoly in Europe is falling apart, and that the EU is ready to use alternative energy supplies, including the supplies from Iran, after the sanctions against it are lifted.
• Deputies of the Senate of the Czech Republic supported the petition about the impeachment of the President Zeman for betraying and discreditting the interests of the country and for pro-Russian foreign policy.
• US President Obama has submitted required certifications to the Congress to remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism.

The Trends

• The appearance of the Head of President’s Administration Lozhkin in the information space suggests an attempt of Poroshenko to increase the number of speakers and to shuffle off the responsibility for the announcing of the decisions made to them.
• First Deputy Managing Director of the IMF Lipton stressed once again that the continuation of Ukraine’s crediting depends on its ability to get the debt restructured before June 2015. Russia insists on the immediate repayment of the loan issued to the President Yanukovych and threatens to submit a claim to international arbitration.