06/22/2015 Ukraine: Daily Highlights - The EU extended sanctions against Russia until the end of the January, 2016

The EU extended sanctions against Russia until the end of the January, 2016

06.22.2015 Daily Highlights by the Digests & Analytics Ukraine News Agency

Topics from Media and Social Networks

• The EU extended sanctions against Russia until the end of the January, 2016.
• An interview with former President Yanukovich to BBC channel .
• Searches in the the mayor of Kharkiv Kernes’ residence.

Key Events in Ukraine

• President Poroshenko held a meeting with representatives of the Contact Group and sub-groups during negotiations on resolving the crisis in the Donbass. They discussed a problem of failure of the Minsk Agreement by militants and Russian forces. He accentuated that the local elections in the occupied territories of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions must take place under the Ukrainian law, the OSCE observers must have access to the state border. The President stressed the urgency of immediate release of the hostages. He informed the participants about coordination in positions of Ukraine, Germany and France in the negotiations of the "Normandy Four" on the implementation of the Minsk Agreement.
• Chairman of the Odessa regional administration Saakashvili said that Russia was actively working on a project of the separatist state "Bessarabia", using the greed and corruption of Odessa officials, Russian TV channels and the discontent of the population of quality of life.
• Prime Minister Yatseniuk initiated the resignation of the Minister of Environment Shevchenko, who had been appointed under the quota of the "Batkivschyna" party, because of corruption.
• Energy Minister Demchishin said about preparation of a contract for the supply of anthracite coal for Ukrainian power plants from RSA. He assured that wages of miners would be necessarily paid.
• Tripartite gas negotiations are scheduled on June, 29. The German government believes that the amount of gas in underground storage facilities in Ukraine is not sufficient to provide for supply the next winter and evaluates the cost of "winter package" for Ukraine at $ 1.5 billion.
• Ukraine will not revise the terms of WTO membership, although it has such opportunity, since it aspires to be a predictable trade partner.
• During a search in the office of the Head of the Kyiv Court of Appeal large sums of money in foreign currency and national currency, weapons, and a large amount of coupons of gasoline were withdrawn. Attorney General Shokin made a request to the Parliament of deprivation of immunity of the Head of the Court of Appeal.
• In Kharkov the police conducted a series of searches and other investigative actions within criminal cases on crimes against activists of Euromaidan. The searches were carried out including of real property owned by the Mayor Kernes.
• The government supported a bill on banning billbords located close to public roads outside the settlements.
• The creditors' committee is considering new proposals of the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine and wants to begin talks on restructuring as soon as possible.
• The official hryvnia exchange rate continues to grow gradually: 21.77 UAH/USD (+0.13 UAH), 24.70 UAH/EUR (+0,25 UAH). 4.06 UAH/ RUR 10 (+0.04 UAH).

Ukraine at War

• The fighting in the conflict zone in the Donbass is taking place along the whole demarcation line. The Donetsk adjacencies were the most hot spots. Positions of Ukrainian troops and settlements in the Luhansk region were shelled. Official data on the losses of the Ukrainian army: two dead and three wounded soldiers.
• Ukrainian authorities reported that militants held 200 military and 70 civilians as hostages.
• Former President Yanukovich in Moscow gave an interview to British BBC channel, in which he accused "radicals" of provoking the police to shoot at them on Maidan. He wants to return to Ukraine, but he is afraid for his life. Yanukovych echoed Moscow's propaganda that the Ukrainian authorities need to negotiate with the representatives of the DPR and the LPR. He believes the cooling of relations with Russia as a Ukraine's big mistake.
• DPR authorities announced the transition to their side of General Kolomoitsev, who had been previously the military commissar of the Donetsk region and advisor to the Minister of Defence Salamatin. Kolomoets was fired in 2012 for incompetence and frequent visits to Russia.

Ukraine and the World

• The EU has decided to extend sanctions against the energy, defense, and financial sectors of the Russian economy until the end of January 2016. In March, at the EU summit, it was decided to link the sanctions to the implementation of the Minsk Agreement by Russia.
• The leaders of France, Germany and Russia had a telephone conversation on the eve of the summit of the Foreign Ministers of the "Normandy Four". Chancellor Merkel and President Hollande stated repeated ceasefire violations by separatists supported by Russian President Putin and called the process of regulation in Ukraine "insufficient."
• OSCE has appointed new representative in the negotiations in Minsk. It has been Austrian diplomat Saydik, who worked at the embassy in Moscow.
• German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen said that Western countries needed to upgrade their military capabilities and should talk to Moscow from a position of strength.
• NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg said that the rapid reaction forces of the Alliance would be increased more than twofold - up to 30-40 thousand of service members.
• Former US Ambassador to Ukraine Herbst believes that the United States can begin deliveries of lethal weapons in Ukraine in a year and a half.
• Canadian Prime Minister Harper and President Poroshenko agreed to accelerate negotiations on establishing of a free trade zone.
• In the center of the capital of Armenia, Yerevan, the police broke up a rally of residents protesting against the sharp rise in electricity prices.

The Trends

• Experts believe that the searches and criminal charges against judges aimed to demonstrate society that the security forces carry out their duties and at the same time to get a fully obedient courts. Despite assurances from the Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration Filatov about approval of the Venice Commission of the draft law on deprivation of immunity of judges and MPs, he did not bother to say that the Commission has also pointed out: the current law does not guarantee the other measures to protect their independence from other branches of government.