01/15/2016 Ukraine: Daily Highlights - US Assistant Secretary of State Nuland and Russian president’s assistant Surkov discussed the situation in Ukraine

Nuland and Surkov discussed the situation in Ukraine

01.15.2016 Daily Highlights by the Digests & Analytics Ukraine

Topics from Media and Social Networks

• US Assistant Secretary of State Nuland and Russian president’s assistant Surkov discussed the situation in Ukraine.
• Dutch citizens selling counterfeit foreign currency were detained in Kyiv.
• Seventh wave of mobilization will be held.

Key Events in Ukraine

• Prime Minister Yatsenyuk said that the next tranche of the EU loan is subject to the adoption of five key bills, including bills on the natural gas market and the protection of economic competition.
• Former chairman of the Donetsk Regional State Administration, MP Taruta said that in order to return Donbas to Ukraine, laws on the special status of the occupied territories, on local elections and on amnesty of the militants should be adopted.
• Investigator Psyuk of the General Prosecutor's Office said that the investigation and legal proceedings against those accused in killing the Heavenly Hundred could drag on for years.
• National Bank announced that the volume of foreign currency deposits of the population decreased by a third in 2015, whereas hryvnia deposits grew by 6%.
• The official hryvnia exchange rate continues to drop rapidly: 24.19 ₴/$ (+0.24 UAH), 26.40 ₴/€ (+0.31 UAH), 3.16 ₴/10 ₽ (+0.03 UAH).

Ukraine at War

• As a result of the militants’ attacks, two soldiers were injured near Donetsk and Mariupol. OSCE mission repored on January 14 about violations of the ceasefire in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, including with the use of anti-aircraft guns and fighters mortars.
• The General Staff announced that the seventh wave of partial mobilization should be carried out, as the armed forces need to be remanned after the demobilization of the fourth wave.
• Prosecutor's Offices of Ukraine and the Netherlands are calling to extend the agreement on the work of the joint investigation team to investigate the downing of flight MH-17 in Donbas.

Ukraine and the World

• A meeting between the Assistant Secretary Nuland and presidential advisor Surkov dedicated to the situation in Donbas, constitutional reform in Ukraine and the elections in the occupied territories was held in Russian Kaliningrad without the participation of the Ukrainian side. According to Nuland, the priority criterion to start the political process should be a complete cease-fire. The State Department said that the meeting was constructive, and its participants prepared proposals to the Minsk contact group.
• European Commission President Juncker said that the Ukrainian issue that raised the concerns of the EU in 2015 remains unresolved in the new year. He reaffirmed that Europe is actively pursuing the Minsk option of the settlement of the military conflict in Donbas and does not recognize the Russian occupation of Crimea.
• Ukraine's Foreign Ministry urged the authorities of the Czech Republic to respond to the arrival to Donbas of Czech Communist MPs "to collect data on war crimes commited by Ukraine."
• MEPs are collecting signatures on a petition to the Government of Ukraine on the appointment of Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration.
• Oil prices continue to fall in the world markets, reaching less than $29 per barrel of Brent crude. According to observers, this has led to the actual freezing of the conflict in Donbas due to the curtailed financing of the Russian aggression as a result of reduced revenues from energy sales.
• Gazprom has officially refused to purchase Turkmen gas.

The Trends

• According to Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration Shimkiv, it would be impossible to dismiss all disreputable judges, because they will restored in office by the decision of the ECHR.