A memorandum has been created by Kiev together with self-defense forces, attempting to finally and effectively put an end to the battle in eastern Ukraine. After peace talks in Minsk, the memorandum not only creates a buffer zone, but also requests a retreat of troops and bans any military aviation flights over the area. According to Leonid Kuchma, former Ukrainian president, the signed … [Read more...]
EU Votes for Toughened Sanctions against Russia
The Eastern Ukraine conflict may soon force the EU to take new punitive measures against Russia. European Council President Herman Van Rompuy said in a statement that “the sanctions aim at promoting a change of course in Russia’s actions destabilizing eastern Ukraine.” However, the sanctions will not go into effect immediately. Last week, there was a cease fire agreement established in Minsk. … [Read more...]
Pro-Russian Rebels and Ukrainian Government Agreed on Temporary Cease-Fire
Only hours after NATO approved plans Friday for a new rapid response force to counter future Russian aggression in eastern Ukraine, pro-Russian rebels and The Ukrainian government agreed on a temporary cease-fire. After several hours of talks, a team of negotiators in Minsk, Belarus, agreed that both sides would stop firing at 6:00 p.m. local time, 11:00 a.m. in Washington or 15:00 GMT. “I … [Read more...]
Poroshenko Agreed on “Permanent Ceasefire”, Putin Seems to Disagree
According to an announcement on his website, Ukraine’s President, Petro O. Poroshenko reached an agreement with Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin on Wednesday for a cease-fire in eastern Ukraine. However, the Kremlin said that while Poroshenko and Putin did discuss how to resolve the conflict, no cease-fire agreement has yet been achieved. There was no immediate word from Russia-backed … [Read more...]
Putin Continues his Defiant Actions towards West
President Vladimir Putin reminded the world on Friday that he presides over a nuclear-armed state while declaring that Russia isn’t planning on involving itself in “large scale conflicts”. Referring to pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine, President Putin said that it would be best “not to mess with us”. Actually, the Russian president referred to the separatist fighters as “New Russia” … [Read more...]
U.S. Accuses Russia of Lying about Ukraine
An emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council took place on Thursday due to the tense situation in eastern Ukraine. During the meeting, the United States expressed their disapproval with the fact that Russia lied about its military activity on the territory of Ukraine. Samantha Power, U.S. ambassador to the U.N. told the U.N. council that Russia had sent tanks and air defense units to fight … [Read more...]
Discussions Are Over between Putin and Poroshenko Yet Much Remains Undecided
Vladimir Putin and Petro Poroshenko had a face-to-face encounter on Tuesday in Minsk, when they discussed the steadily worsening Ukraine situation at the bargaining table. It wasn’t just the handshake that was tense, as discussions produced no result or hope of solution for the Ukrainian conflict. All that came out of the encounter was the suggestion of future discussions. Initially, the Minsk … [Read more...]
Russian Aid Trucks Already on their Way out of Ukraine
Over two hundred humanitarian aid trucks are returning to Russia after entering the rebel-held eastern Ukraine region on Friday. Russia highlighted the dire need of citizens living in this area for humanitarian aid after their homes and livelihoods had been destroyed during the long months of fighting. The only problem with this seemingly altruistic picture is the fact that the Russian convoy … [Read more...]
Ukrainian Government Destroys Russian Aid Convoy That Proved to be a Military Column
Friday marked another sign from Russia that it will not cease in its efforts of destabilizing eastern Ukraine. The government declared that Ukrainian troops had destroyed military vehicles that had crossed the border into eastern Ukraine. According to an announcement on the website for the office of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Friday, a significant part of the military column was … [Read more...]