Ukraine's president says truce not working, urges more Russia sanctions: newspaper

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

Ukraine's president says truce not working, urges more Russia sanctions: newspaper

FRANKFURT Sun Mar 15, 2015 11:21am EDT

(Reuters) - Ukraine's president accused Russian-backed separatists in the east of failing to respect a ceasefire with Ukrainian troops and called for further sanctions on Russia in comments to a German newspaper to be published on Monday.

Attacks have become less frequent since the latest ceasefire came into force in mid-February, but both sides accuse each other of violations. Ukraine's military said last week that pro-Russian rebels were using the truce to amass heavy weapons.

An agreement signed in Minsk in September called with the withdrawal of heavy weapons from the front line.

"Ukraine has fulfilled every single point of the Minsk agreement. The ceasefire has been implemented immediately on our part, but the Russian fighters have done the exact opposite," Petro Poroshenko told the Bild newspaper.

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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/15/us-ukraine-crisis-ceasefire-idUSKBN0MB0OY20150315

[jakeXT]

1. Itching for new weapons ?

Poroshenko vows arms buildup, deals with US, 11 EU states

The Ukrainian president has announced an end to European Union’s embargo of arms sales to the country, adding that Kiev has sealed military deals with 11 EU states that include delivery of lethal arms.

“The Head of State has informed that Ukraine had contracts with a series of the EU countries on the supply of armament, inter alia, lethal one. He has reminded that official embargo of the EU on the supply of weapons to Ukraine had been abolished,” said a statement on President Petro Poroshenko’s official website on Saturday, citing his interview with local TV channel "1+1."

The presidential statement, also cited in an RT report, further expresses confidence that EU states as well as the US will supply weaponry to the Ukrainian government forces on demand and impose more sanctions on Russia in coordination with Kiev.

"If there is a new round of aggression against Ukraine, I can surely say that we will immediately receive both lethal weaponry and new wave of sanctions against the aggressor. We will act firmly and in a coordinated manner,” Poroshenko .


http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2015/03/15/401867/Ukraine-vows-arms-buildup-EU-deals

[ColesCountyDem]

2. I certainly would be, were I in his position. n/t

[bemildred]

3. Poland calls for US involvement in Russia-Ukraine talks

Poland’s Foreign Minister Grzegorz Schetyna called on Monday for the US involvement in negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.

“Because involving the United States and the European Union, that’s what my intuition tells me, that would be a good move,” Schetyna said ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.

The negotiations in the Belarussian capital of Minsk, which led to a ceasefire that has been at best patchily implemented, have involved Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France.

This format has exhausted its potential, Schetyna said, and a more effective one should be sought.

http://www.thenews.pl/1/10/Artykul/200427,Poland-calls-for-US-involvement-in-RussiaUkraine-talks

[bemildred]

4. Russia's Lavrov: U.S. plans to arm Ukraine would hit peace deal -RIA

MOSCOW, March 16 (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that U.S. plans to send weapons to Ukraine, fighting pro-Russian rebels in its east, would be a direct hit against a Minsk peace agreement struck last month, RIA news agency reported.

Ukraine has requested lethal aid from the United States, where Congress wants a tougher response from President Barack Obama after claims by U.S. intelligence agencies of Russian tanks and artillery crossing into Ukraine.

Moscow denies the claims.

http://www.trust.org/item/20150316110043-kpxpo/

[bemildred]

5. Putin Resurfaces, Ends 11-Day Absence in St. Petersburg

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2015-03-16/putin-resurfaces-ends-11-days-absence-in-st-petersburg

[bemildred]

6. Putin’s Successful Dismantling of Ukraine’s Economy

In today's "Single Best Chart," Bloomberg's Brendan Greeley displays the drop in public and private investment in Ukraine and discusses the state of the nation’s economy on the one-year anniversary of Crimea’s vote to secede from Ukraine. He speaks on "Bloomberg Surveillance."

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2015-03-16/putin-s-successful-dismantling-of-ukraine-s-economy

[bemildred]

7. No compromise with Russia over Ukraine sanctions: European Union chief

London: The European Union must not compromise with Russia over sanctions in response to the Ukraine crisis, the bloc's chief Donald Tusk said in an interview on Monday.

Tusk said that a failure to uphold the sanctions until Ukraine regains control of its border with Russia could strain relations with the US. He added that it was either "naivety or hypocrisy" to trust that President Vladimir Putin was acting in a spirit of goodwill.

"Partial implementation would be very risky for Ukraine... if Europe doesn't maintain existing sanctions, it would be a critical moment in transatlantic relations," the president of the European Council said.

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/no-compromise-with-russia-over-ukraine-sanctions-european-union-chief/534245-2.html

[bemildred]

11. UPDATE 2-Tusk presses EU leaders to pledge to keep sanctions on Russia

(Reuters) - European Council President Donald Tusk is pressing EU leaders to pledge this week to keep sanctions on Russia until a Ukraine ceasefire deal is fully in place, effectively extending sanctions until at least the end of the year.

Europe must maintain pressure on Russia with sanctions until Ukraine has full control of its borders, Tusk said in an interview with several newspapers published on Monday.

"I'm sceptical about the goodwill of the Russians and I'm convinced that what's needed is to maintain pressure," he was quoted as saying by Italian daily La Stampa, one of six European newspapers which took part in the interview.

"We have to keep up sanctions until there is full respect for the (Minsk) agreements. That is until Kiev is responsible for its national frontiers," he was quoted as saying.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/16/ukraine-crisis-tusk-idUSL6N0WI2G620150316?rpc=401

[bemildred]

8. Germany won't recognize annexation of Crimea, 1 year on

BERLIN (AP) -- Germany says it won't recognize Russia's annexation of Crimean Peninsula, one year after a referendum that Ukraine said was illegitimate.

The issue of Crimea's status has taken a back seat in recent efforts to broker a peace deal for eastern Ukraine, where government forces are battling separatists backed by Russia.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been a key figure in those talks.

Government spokesman Steffen Seibert says Germany supports Ukraine "within its internationally recognized border" and accused Moscow of threatening peace in Europe.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_GERMANY_UKRAINE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2015-03-16-09-05-53

[bemildred]

9. Ukrainian doctors say Savchenko in satisfactory health, upheld Russian doctors' actions

The doctors from the Moscow detention facility where Ukrainian pilot Nadia Savchenko is kept have promised their Ukrainian colleagues to follow all their recommendations on helping Savchenko end her hunger strike, Natalya Kharchenko, a gastroenterologist and an expert with the Ukrainian Health Ministry, has said.

http://www.kyivpost.com/content/ukraine/ukrainian-doctors-say-savchenko-in-satisfactory-health-upheld-russian-doctors-actions-383609.html

[bemildred]

10. Russia launches massive Arctic military drills

The Russian military on Monday launched sweeping military manoeuvers in the Arctic and other areas, a show of force ordered by President Vladimir Putin amid spiralling tensions with the West over Ukraine.

The five-day Arctic drills involving 38,000 servicemen, more than 50 surface ships and submarines and 110 aircraft are intended to check the readiness of Russia's Northern Fleet and the military's ability to deploy additional forces from central Russia.

Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said "the new challenges and military threats require further increase of the armed forces' capabilities."

As part of the exercise the military will check its ability to beef up its forces on the Arctic Novaya Zemlya and Franz Josef Land archipelagos and protect the state borders on land, in the air and at sea, Shoigu said in televised remarks.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/russia-launches-massive-arctic-military-drills-1.2996776

[bemildred]

12. On First Anniversary Of Crimea Referendum, Russians Love Vladimir Putin More Than Ever

MOSCOW -- One year after the March 16 referendum that resulted in the annexation of Crimea from Ukraine, Russian media is awash in images of flag-waving citizens celebrating the first anniversary. Yet the reality is far from rosy.

The 2014 plebiscite saw an overwhelming majority of the peninsula's ethnic Russians vote to be part of Russia, but the events it sparked have started a new Cold War and helped push Russia to the brink of a recession.

The civil war in east Ukraine, next door to Russia, that began shortly after the referendum has killed more than 5,800 people and set in motion military and diplomatic crises that have inflamed East-West tensions. Confrontations between Russia and NATO countries, which accuse Moscow of arming the Ukrainian rebels, are at their worst since the days of the Soviet Union. Sanctions from the U.S. and the European Union, together with the drop in the price of oil, have resulted in a stalled economy. Prices are skyrocketing, with inflation up from 7 to 17 percent since last April.

But Inside Russia, the man who started it all, President Vladimir Putin, is more popular than ever.

http://www.ibtimes.com/first-anniversary-crimea-referendum-russians-love-vladimir-putin-more-ever-1848284

[bemildred]

13. Ukraine mired in intense negotiations with creditors

ANKARA

Ukraine is mired in intense negotiations with its international creditors who are resisting the country's attempts to write down part of the country's public debt.

Shattered by the war with pro-Russian separatists in the eastern region of the country, the Ukrainian economy saw its gross domestic product (GDP) fall 15.2 percent on an annual basis last year, the most in more than five years, according to the government statistics office, while the hryvnia is the world's worst-performing currency.

Lands in the eastern region of the country formerly accounted for nearly a quarter of industrial output.

In the past three years, Ukraine's GDP has halved.

http://www.aa.com.tr/en/rss/479185--ukraine-mired-in-intense-negotiations-with-creditors

[bemildred]

14. Russia not ready to restructure Ukraine's debt - Finance Minister

MOSCOW: Russia is not ready to restructure Ukraine's debt, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov told reporters on Monday.

He added that Moscow expects Kiev to repay its debt in December.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/russia-not-ready-to-restr/1719200.html

[bemildred]

15. One year under Russia rule: What happened in Crimea then and what's happening now

Russia marks the first anniversary on Monday (March 16, 2015) of Crimea voting to leave Ukraine and join the Russian state in a referendum blasted as illegal in the West but seen in Moscow as a triumph for President Vladimir Putin.

Here's a recap of the key events and a look at the current situation in Crimea:

http://www.straitstimes.com/news/world/europe/story/one-year-under-russia-rule-what-happened-crimea-then-and-whats-happening-now

[bemildred]

16. . nt

[bemildred]

17. John Helmer: IMF Makes Ukraine War-Fighting Loan, Allows US to Fund Military Operations Against Russ

This is fascinating.

---

A Russian central banker who has served at the IMF comments: “the Fund should not place military spending below the line. But if you try to nail the Fund down on that, you would be wasting your time. The Fund has internationally-renowned expertise in doublespeak and hypocrisy. What the Fund is doing around Ukraine was at first laughable; now has become outrageous. No matter what, the Fund will keep financing the civil war in Donbass because the Americans want the fighting to continue and spread. Period.”

Anton-SiluanovFor the time being, the Russian Finance Ministry is not demurring. Finance Minister Anton Siluanov (right) followed Lagarde’s announcement of board approval for the EFF with this confirmation that Russia will contribute its share to the loan. “The [EFF] program will be financed via the IMF quota resources, and the funding from shareholder countries in the framework of their participation in the so-called New Borrowing arrangements. As such, the Russian Federation will participate in the funding in accordance with its obligations as a participant, and deliver the first tranche of the IMF program for Ukraine in the amount of $13.75 million dollars. The Bank of Russia will carry out the payment on 13 March 2015.”

Although the Obama Administration claims it will not deliver lethal military equipment, it has been offering loans, repayment guarantees, and cash support for Ukrainian military agencies to buy it through third countries. Russian analysts call this a takeover by the Pentagon of the Ukrainian defence budget. Details of the line items totalling UAH 85 billion (about $4 billion) approved this month by the Verkhovna Rada can be read here.

International bankers say they cannot think of a precedent in which the treasury of a country at war finances a defeated opponent to renew the fight. Siluanov hints his reason is tactical. Moscow will not call a default of covenants in the December 2013 bond for $3 billion, he says, if Kiev agrees to exclude this debt from its restructuring of other bond obligations, and repays the Russian debt at maturity this coming December.

http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2015/03/john-helmer-imf-makes-ukraine-war-fighting-loan-allows-us-fund-military-operations-russia-may-repay-gazprom-bill.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+NakedCapitalism+%28naked+capitalism%29