06/08/2015 Ukraine: Daily Highlights - G7 Summit finished in Germany

G7 Summit finished in Germany

06.08.2015 Daily Highlights by the Digests & Analytics Ukraine News Agency

Topics from Media and Social Networks

• Seven soldiers were killed as a result of landmine explosion in Krasnogorovka.
• G7 Summit finished in Germany.
• Two Ukrainian Orthodox Churches are going to unite.
• Large-scale fire at oil delivery terminal near Kiev.

Key Events of Ukraine

• President Poroshenko signed a number of laws: on legal regime of the martial law, on social protection of the military during the special period, on property tax exemption for the Church real estate, on hardening of punishment for the crimes against journalists, on banning the military cooperation with Russia and on banning the transit of Russian troops to the Transnistria.
• The Cabinet of Ministers extended the period of calling up to the military service in Ukrainian Army till the end of June.
• Energy Minister Demchishin stated that Ukraine continues to buy coal from the occupied territories and at the same time it is looking for other suppliers of anthracite abroad. He informed about achieving of preliminary agreement with Russia on natural gas supplies. A trilateral meeting with Russia and the EU is planned for the end of June.
• Interior Minister Arsen Avakov informed about initiation of criminal case on callusion of "Naftogaz" management and "RosUkrEnergo" company, owned by oligarch Firtash, regarding illegal return  of more than 12 billion m3 of natural gas from underground storage.
• The Cabinet increased the statutory fund of "Naftogaz" by three times up to UAH 160 billion.
• The State Statistics Committee reported on the slowdown of the inflation in May to 1.9% and  the planned inflation could reach 46.5% by the end of the year.
• Kiev Patriarchate and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church announced about possible future merger into a single Local Orthodox Church.
• The official  hryvnia exchange rate did not change: 21.10 UAH/USD (+0.08 UAH), 23.55 UAH/EUR (-0,03 UAH), 3.77 UAH/10 RUR (+0.03 USD).

Ukraine at War

• Terrorists of DPR and LPR demanded the recognition of the territories captured by them as a part of Ukraine with special status.
• Fighting with the use of tanks and artillery continued in Maryinka. As a result of military truck explosion which tripped a land mine, seven Ukrainian soldiers were killed. Due to the shellings, the border crossing points in the Donetsk region were closed in the direction of Kurakhovo and Volnovakha.
• The Ukrainian army positions and settlements were shelled along all the contact line, especially intense attacks were recorded in the area of the Donetsk airport.

Ukraine and the World

• A two-day summit of G7 finished in Germany. In the adopted final declaration it is stated that the "Big Seven" leaders  expect Russia to stop supporting the terrorists; various methods will be used to facilitate the fulfillment of the Minsk Agreements, including the strengthening of the sanctions. The illegality of the annexation of the Crimea was confirmed. The G7 countries leaders declared their support for the Ukrainian government in negotiations with the international financial institutions and called for conducting of further reforms.
  By the annexation of the Crimea and the support of terrorists Russia violated the principles of democracy and the supremacy of law, which led to its exclusion from the G7+1.
  In addition to Ukrainian conflict, summit participants considered also other conflicts. The G7 leaders consider the protection against global warming one of the most important issues facing humanity, and therefore is it necessary to reduce the oil, natural gas and coal use, in particular, to generate electricity.
• Russia refuses to sign the International Atomic Energy Agency draft report where Sevastopol is named a Ukrainian city.
• Russia is trying to become one of the main partners to import the oil from Iran after lifting of sanctions, despite the fact that such supplies will hardly be cost-efficient.