December 4, 2020

NEWSBRIEFS

More

Ukraine scraps weekend lockdowns

Ukraine has lifted weekend lockdown restrictions in place to fight the spread of the coronavirus pandemic but is still considering whether to introduce a tighter lockdown at a later stage, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on December 2.  The government last month introduced a lockdown on weekends, closing or restricting most businesses except essential services such as grocery stores, pharmacies, hospitals and transport.  Mr. Shmyhal told a televised government meeting that the measure had brought down the spread of cases and stabilized the situation in hospitals. (Reuters)

 

Future COVID lockdown being discussed

Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC) Oleksiy Danylov said that discussions regarding when and for what period of time strict quarantine restrictions will be introduced in Ukraine are ongoing.  The so-called “lockdown,” as he said, is already inevitable.  “The fact that there will be a lockdown is 100 percent, but another matter is when,” Mr. Danylov said during an interview on the television channel Ukraine 24.  “The only question is when it will be introduced – either it will be introduced in December, or it will be introduced from January 2. Now the discussion with experts on this matter is ongoing,” said Mr. Danylov.  As reported on November 30, a government source told Interfax-Ukraine that four options are currently being considered to establish stricter quarantine restrictions. Among them is the introduction of a “lockdown” from December 24 to January 15, 2021, but the final decision has not yet been made.  The specifics of such a “lockdown,” including the issue of public transportation during this period, is also still under discussion. (Interfax-Ukraine)

 

Russian Invasion of Ukraine

Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense reported on December 1 that in the previous 24 hours, no Ukrainian soldiers were killed or wounded in action. During that same 24-hour period, however, Russian-terrorist forces opened fire on Ukrainian positions on the Luhansk and Donetsk sectors of the front four times in total.  (Ukrainian Canadian Congress Daily Briefing)

 

Tatarov: Sytnyk should be replaced

Ukraine Business News reported that the effort of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s administration to get back on track with the IMF hit an unexpected bump when Oleg Tatarov, deputy head of the administration, said on November 28 that the National Anti-Corruption Bureau does not serve Ukraine’s interests and that its head Artem Sytnyk does not have “the moral right” to run the agency and should be replaced. The next day, the Zelenskyy administration issued a statement saying that Mr. Tatarov’s statement was “his personal opinion that does not reflect the administration’s official position.”  The Anti-Corruption Bureau was created with Western advice and financing.  Ukrainian officials have repeatedly assured the IMF that it will be retained.  Two weeks ago, Mr. Zelenskyy met with G7 ambassadors and assured them that Mr. Sytnyk would stay on the job.  Next week, the Ukrainian Parliament is to vote on a bill that would guarantee the Bureau’s survival and Mr. Sytnyk’s role as head. In Washington, analysts predict that the Biden administration will use “tough love” on Ukraine – conditioning support on free market, EU-standard reforms.  The Kyiv Post reported on November 30 that Mr. Tatarov was appointed to the Zelenskyy administration in early August, despite the fact that he used to serve in the country’s Interior Ministry when Viktor Yanukovych was the president of Ukraine. During the EuroMaidan Revolution of 2013-2014, Mr. Tatarov accused the protesters of attacking the riot police. Following the revolution’s victory, he was among those fired from government service as part of a lustration campaign against officials involved in the crackdown on protesters. He can work in the presidential office despite the lustration law because the law does not apply to deputy heads of the administration.  (Ukrainian Canadian Congress Daily Briefing)

 

EU notes continued reform efforts

The European Union said that, ahead of the informal meeting of the members of the EU-Ukraine Association Council on December 8, the European Union published on that same day its annual Association Implementation Report on Ukraine. The report outlines Ukraine’s implementation of reforms under the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement over the past year.  “Despite Russia’s destabilizing actions, conflict in the east and the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, Ukraine has continued to make progress on its reform path. It is crucial that Ukraine’s political leaders continue these efforts and make reforms irreversible, particularly regarding the rule of law. The Ukrainian people expect it,” said High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell.  Commis­sio­ner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi added: “The EU will continue to support Ukraine in taking forward the reform agenda, to fully implement and reap the benefits of the Association Agreement, and to mitigate the negative impact of the coronavirus crisis. We expect Ukraine to uphold the shared common values of democracy, rule of law, respect for international law and human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities. Our joint objective is to support Ukraine’s strategic orientation towards closer integration with the European Union.” (Ukrainian Canadian Congress Daily Briefing)

 

Sandu’s call for troop withdrawal rebuffed

The Kremlin on Monday rebuffed calls by Moldova’s incoming president, Maia Sandu, for Russian troops to withdraw from the breakaway region of Trans­niestria, saying it would be seriously destabilizing.  On November 30 Ms. Sandu called for Russian troops in Transniestria to be removed in favor of civilian monitors under the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).  In response, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia expected the authorities in Moldova to remain constructive.  “Russia performs a very important function. … And, of course, a change in some status quo, which is based on the spirit and letter of international law, could lead to serious destabilization,” Mr. Peskov told reporters in Moscow.  The Russian-speakers of Transniestria nominally seceded from Moldova in 1990, one year before the dissolution of the Soviet Union, fearing the country might shortly merge with Romania, whose language and culture it broadly shares.  The separatist region fought a brief war with Moldova in 1992 and declared itself an independent state, though it remains unrecognised by any country, including Russia.  Some pro-Kremlin hawks still fear that Romania may one day try to absorb Moldova, and that Ms. Sandu’s win will inevitably see Russian influence weaken.  Sandu told a press conference she wanted dialogue, adding: “We are an independent country that does not want foreign troops to stay on its territory.”  The continued Russian troop presence hobbles Moldova’s chances of joining the European Union.  Chisinau signed a political and trade deal with the EU in 2014, angering Moscow, though Brussels has also become increasingly critical of Moldova’s track record on reforms and tackling corruption.  (Reuters)

Comments are closed.