04/22/2015 Ukraine: Daily Highlights - The meeting of the Presidents of France and Ukraine

Presidents Poroshenko and Hollande

04/22/2015 Daily Highlights by the Digests & Analytics Ukraine News Agency

Topics from the Media and Social Networks

• The meeting of the Presidents of France and Ukraine.
• The Government will consider the activities of the Head of the Donetsk Regional State Administration Kikhtenko.
• Lenin's birthday, the demolition of the monument to him in Kramatorsk.
• The EU has put forward a claim to "Gazprom" about the monopoly abuse.
• The Arsenal Book Festival opened in Kyiv.
• The draft law on the nationalization of the retail network "ATB".
• Poroshenko announced a referendum on accession to NATO membership.

Key Events of Ukraine

• The negotiations between the Presidents of France and Ukraine took place - the final protocol about the areas of cooperation for the coming months was signed.
• President Poroshenko during his visit to France promised to hold a referendum on the country's accession to NATO membership, but did not give a specific time.
• The government appealed to the Antimonopoly Committee with a request for an investigation of the "Gazprom" activities, which are creating discriminatory conditions for the "Naftogaz" that damage the Ukrainian economy.
• The Cabinet approved a plan of actions for business deregulation that simplify licensing and permitting procedures, as well as put them in correspondence with the EU standards.
• The Government established an interdepartmental commission for the evaluation of the Head of the Donetsk Regional State Administration Kikhtenko activities who declared his support to the companies operating in the territories controlled by the militants and wish to establish economic ties with these areas.
• General Prosecutor's Office said that the tragedy in the House of Trade Unions in Odessa in May 2014 was neither the result of arson nor the use of toxic substances.
• Kharkiv Administrative Court refused to ban the meetings for the period from 20 April to 10 May. Local authorities are ready to make an appeal, claiming that all meetings should be banned due to inability to provide security for public events.
• Finance Minister Yaresko stated that international partners and creditors are supporting Ukraine, that is conducting the reforms that are expected of her. The tranche of the extended IMF loan helped to stabilize the financial and currency markets and increase the reserves.

In case of inability to restructure the debts, Eurobond and municipal bond payments by the end of the year will amount to $ 5.2 billion.

• The Verkhovna Rada ratified the financial agreement between Ukraine and the European Investment Bank on provision of € 200 million for support of internally displaced persons, infrastructure projects and overcoming the crisis in the Eastern Ukraine.
• NBU slightly lowered the hryvnia exchange rate against the major currencies: 22.54 UAH/USD (+0.27 UAH), 24.21 UAH/EUR (+0,38 UAH), 4.20 UAH/10 RUR (+0,07 UAH).

Ukraine at War

• OSCE observers state about the ongoing fighting in the area of the Donetsk airport and Shyrokino. According to official reports, at least four Ukrainian soldiers were injured. MIlitary clashes also took place in the Lugansk region near the "Bahmutka" route, in Stanitsa Luganska and in other areas along the demarcation line.
• The US State Department announced about the increasing number of air defense systems in Eastern Ukraine and in the border areas and intensive military exercises of the militants, carried out by the Russian instructors, for putting together a unified "Army of New Russia".
• Donetsk terrorist "republic" is going to close 19 mines.
• MIlitants intend to declare an "amnesty" and release the prisoners from the colonies, adding them to their combat units.
• Search group from the Netherlands keeps finding the remains of victims and wreckage at the MH-17flight airliner crash site near Torez.
• OSCE states that "military parade" of militants in Donetsk violates the Minsk Agreement.

Ukraine and the World

• The European Commission filed a claim to "Gazprom" about the monopoly abuse on the EU market, which, in particular, prevents the unification of pipeline systems of Europe and Ukraine in accordance with the EU energy regulations. "Gazprom" owns codes that prevent virtual reverse of natural gas supplies. "Naftogaz" considers that the actions of "Gazprom", which performs the key functions of the GTS Slovakia operator, prevent the entry of European operators into the Ukrainian market, the natural gas transit through Ukrainian territory and the formation of a competitive natural gas market in the country. Gazprom called the claims of the European Commission unsubstantiated and is ready to defend its interests in court. Implementation of the energy security concept might completely destroy the business model of "Gazprom" in Europe.
• Gazprom presented to "Naftogaz" a debt of $ 174 million for the natural gas supplied to the territory of Donbass, controlled by the militants.
• US Ambassador to Russia Tefft said that President Obama could take part in the  "Normandy format” negotiations about the settling in the Donbass.
• US Secretary of State Kerry announced that at the next NATO summit in Turkey the aggression of Russia in Ukraine will be one of the major topics.
• The EU and Ukraine are not going to postpone the opening of a free trade zone, which is registered in the economic part of the Association Agreement.
• European Commissioner for Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Hahn said that the European Union will not expand within the next 10 years, however membership negotiations continue.