Ukraine

Amid the tumult surrounding impeachment proceedings against U.S. President Donald J. Trump, which center on his actions with regard to Ukraine, an unnoticed headline is what’s happening to Ukraine’s own President Volodymyr Zelensky. He’s seen an abrupt 20 percent plunge in his approval rating. But Trump is only one of his problems, and far from the most significant. Resentment is growing among many patriotic and civically minded citizens about what they view as peace on Russian terms after almost six years of war over the Ukraine-Russia border region of Donbas. And in this case, perception really is everything. Even elements of America’s foreign policy establishment are worried: “Western partners might hand control of Ukraine to Putin under the guise of a ‘special status’ for Russian-occupied Donbas,” as Michael Carpenter at the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy wrote last week. “Under the pretense of diplomatic progress, such a deal … [Read more...] about Ukraine’s Fate Hangs in the Balance at Paris Peace Talks: What You Have to Know

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has welcomed the withdrawal of Ukrainian and Russia-backed separatist forces from a frontline area in eastern Ukraine, but reiterated calls for Moscow to "withdraw all their troops." "We welcome all efforts to reduce tensions," Stoltenberg said during a visit to the Ukrainian port city of Odesa on Wednesday, adding that "there is a long way to go because there are still cease-fire violations." "NATO states very clearly that Russia has a special responsibility to... withdraw all their troops, all their officers" from eastern Ukraine, he added. Stoltenberg's comments come a day after Ukrainian government troops and the separatists started a disengagement process in the town of Zolote in the eastern Ukrainian region of Luhansk. Ukrainian armed forces have been fighting the separatists in Luhansk and the neighboring Donetsk region in a conflict that has killed more than 13,000 people since April 2014. Under a deal reached earlier this month to end … [Read more...] about NATO Chief Calls For Russian Troop Withdrawal From Ukraine

MARIUPOL, UKRAINE - President Volodymyr Zelenskiy promised to create a level playing field for businesses on Tuesday as he made an investment pitch for Ukraine in the unlikely venue of Mariupol, a port city 20 km (12 miles) from a rumbling separatist conflict. A popular comedian who won a landslide election in April with no prior political experience, Zelenskiy came to office promising to end Ukraine's war with Russian-backed forces that has killed more than 13,000 people since 2014. In a battle for the hearts and minds of those living in the eastern Donbass region, he sited his government's first major investment conference in Mariupol, more than 700 km (435 miles) southeast of the capital Kyiv. A hub for exporting steel and grain and importing coal, the Black Sea port was briefly under rebel control in 2014 and suffered what Ukraine called a de facto economic blockade by Russia last year. The conference took place on the same day as Ukrainian soldiers and rebel forces began a troop … [Read more...] about President Zelenskiy Makes Ukraine Investment Pitch in Shadow of War Zone

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystayko said a planned troop withdrawal has started in the town of Zolote in the eastern Luhansk region, where Ukrainian armed forces have been fighting Russia-backed separatists for more than five years. "The withdrawal is taking place right now, we are beginning [the process] today," Prystayko said at an investment forum in the city of Mariupol, on Tuesday, adding that the process was delayed due to preparations by the OSCE mission. Prystayko also said that after the withdrawal process in Zolote is over, Kyiv will start withdrawing its forces from the nearby town of Petrivske. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who rose to the presidency earlier this year on promises to end the conflict, accepted the withdrawal plan under the so-called Steinmeier Formula, earlier in October. The Steinmeier Formula lays the groundwork for reinvigorating the larger peace deals known loosely as the Minsk Accords, and the first major international summit on the … [Read more...] about Kyiv Starts Troop Withdrawal From Eastern Ukraine Town

Activists sing the national anthem during a rally in central Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2019. A few thousand activists demanded to withdraw the Russian troops from currently occupied Donetsk and Luhansk regions in Ukraine's east on the eve of Monday peace talks in Paris with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. ( AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky) less Activists sing the national anthem during a rally in central Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2019. A few thousand activists demanded to withdraw the Russian troops from currently occupied Donetsk and Luhansk ... more Photo: Efrem Lukatsky, AP Photo: Efrem Lukatsky, AP Image 1 of / 4 Caption Close Image 1 of 4 Activists sing the national anthem during a rally in central Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2019. A few … [Read more...] about Protesters: Ukraine’s leader must defend nation at summit