November 30, 2010

Geopolitical Journey, Part 6: Ukraine | STRATFOR

Geopolitical Journey, Part 6: Ukraine | STRATFOR

Geopolitical Journey, Part 6: Ukraine


Editor’s note: This is the sixth installment in a series of special reports that Dr. Friedman will write over the next few weeks as he travels to Turkey, Moldova, Romania, Ukraine and Poland. In this series, he will share his observations of the geopolitical imperatives in each country and conclude with reflections on his journey as a whole and options for the United States.
By George Friedman
The name “Ukraine” literally translates as “on the edge.” It is a country on the edge of other countries, sometimes part of one, sometimes part of another and more frequently divided. In the 17th and 18th centuries, it was divided between Russia, Poland and the Ottoman Empire. In the 19th century, it was divided between Russia and Austria-Hungary. And in the 20th century, save for a short period of independence after World War I, it became part of the Soviet Union. Ukraine has been on the edge of empires for centuries.

November 20, 2010

Ukraine's topless group widens political role | Reuters

Ukraine's topless group widens political role | Reuters

Ukraine's topless group widens political role



Main Image
KIEV | Mon Nov 15, 2010 1:44pm EST
(Reuters) - Brazenly provocative, the bare-breasted young women of Femen are becoming an eye-catching -- if unsolicited -- fixture on Ukraine's political scene.

AFP: Ukraine president criticises Russian gas pipeline

AFP: Ukraine president criticises Russian gas pipeline

Ukraine president criticises Russian gas pipeline

KIEV — Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych on Friday issued a rare rebuke to the Kremlin by describing as unfriendly a Russian plan to build an ambitious new gas pipeline that would bypass Ukraine's territory.
Yanukovych has worked hard to improve relations between Moscow and Kiev since defeating the leaders of the pro-Western Orange Revolution in presidential elections this year.

November 15, 2010

Порядок денний асоціації (ПДА) між Україною і ЄС: громадський експертний моніторинг: Experts highlight “very slow” progress in Ukraine’s EU reforms

Порядок денний асоціації (ПДА) між Україною і ЄС: громадський експертний моніторинг: Experts highlight “very slow” progress in Ukraine’s EU reforms

Experts highlight “very slow” progress in Ukraine’s EU reforms

Press-release, Kyiv, November 15th, 2010
Ukraine has implemented only 4 out of over 60 analyzed reform priorities, identified in the EU-Ukraine Association Agenda (AA), the key document regulating EU-Ukraine relations. Trends during the reporting period (July-October, 2010) were marked with both positive measures taken by the public administration to implement AA’s priorities, and stagnation of changes in the “political dialogue” segment, primarily linked to worsening symptoms in the field of respect for human rights and democratic procedures.

November 10, 2010

Yanukovych and Oligarchs: a Short or Long-Term Relationship? - The Jamestown Foundation

Yanukovych and Oligarchs: a Short or Long-Term Relationship? - The Jamestown Foundation

Yanukovych and Oligarchs: a Short or Long-Term Relationship?

Ukraine’s October 31 local elections deepened Viktor Yanukovych’s and the Party of Regions grip on power. With parliamentary elections scheduled for September 2012 Yanukovych is on the way to a rapid monopolization of power that has profound consequences for Ukrainian democracy.

November 2, 2010

EUobserver / EU monitors give mixed report on Ukraine vote

EUobserver / EU monitors give mixed report on Ukraine vote

EU monitors give mixed report on Ukraine vote

Today @ 09:30 CET
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Voting in Ukrainian local elections on Sunday (31 October) looked fair to the two MEPs who went out to monitor the event. But EU institutions are unhappy about irregularities in the run-up to the poll.
"I have seen a lot of elections in the past as an observer for the OSCE and I saw no serious flaws. But elections are not just about election day. It's about the whole picture," Polish MEP Pawel Kowal from the right-wing Law and Justice party told EUobserver by phone from Kiev on Monday.

Lviv in western Ukraine - Ms Tymoshenko won 86% of the vote in the region in this year's presidential vote. But her party was struck off the list for the regional poll (Photo: EUobserver.com)

November 1, 2010

Putin to Ukraine: No merger, no gas talks - New Europe

Putin to Ukraine: No merger, no gas talks - New Europe

Putin to Ukraine: No merger, no gas talks

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin did not discuss gas issues with Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and Prime Minister Mykola Azarov during his visit to Kiev on 27 October. “Actually, our prime minister (Azarov) made some attempt to raise this (gas) issue, but it was not a success because the idea of Putin is widely known: He wants the merger of (Russian gas monopoly) Gazprom and (Ukraine's energy company) Naftogaz,” a government source in Kiev told New Europe on 28 October on the condition of anonymity. Azarov was quoted as saying by the press on 25 October that he would, during his meeting with Putin, seek a reduction in the price of Russian natural gas sold to Ukraine. Ukrainian energy officials have also called in recent weeks for increases to the transit fee paid by Russia.
Putin mentioned that Russia already made huge concessions to Ukraine regarding the issue of price, the source told New Europe, adding that Russia has clearly stated its conditions. “We tried to persuade them, let’s make a deal, let’s revise the contract conditions, but unfortunately Putin was very firm,” the source added.