Kyiv Post. Independence. Community. Trust - Opinion - OP-ED - Ukraine presents Europe with two problems

Ukraine presents Europe with two problems

Yesterday at 15:44 | Tamerlan Vahabov

Kremlinization - the slip towards strong authoritarianism - is underway in Ukrainian politics. The EU’s Ukraine dilemma is either to ignore problematic democracy issues and develop straightforward pragmatic attitude towards official Kyiv or set a democracy bar. Based on the outcome of the last EU-Ukraine Summit on November 22, 2010, it seems that the EU is leaning towards the first option.

YouTube - Комітет 22/11

YouTube - Комітет 22/11

Заява Олександра Данилюка, активіста "Комітету 22/11"

, громадянської ініціативи із референдуму щодо недовіри діючому Президенту України Віктору Януковичу

Kyiv Post. Independence. Community. Trust - Ukraine - Ukrainian population shrinks to 45.8 million in October

Kyiv Post. Independence. Community. Trust - Ukraine - Ukrainian population shrinks to 45.8 million in October

The population of Ukraine totaled 45.8 million as of Nov. 1, 2010.

Ukrainian population shrinks to 45.8 million in October

23.12.2010| Interfax-Ukraine

The population of Ukraine totaled 45.8 million as of Nov. 1, 2010, according to a posting on the Web site of the State Statistics Committee.

According to the committee, some 45.82 million people lived in Ukraine in September 2010.

The urban population of Ukraine was 31.45 million people as of November 1.

Ukraine Launches Criminal Investigation Of Former PM Tymoshenko - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty © 2010

Ukraine Launches Criminal Investigation Of Former PM Tymoshenko - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty © 2010

Ukraine Launches Criminal Investigation Of Former PM Tymoshenko

Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko talks to the media as she arrives at the state prosecutor's office in Kyiv on December 15

December 15, 2010

By RFE/RL

Ukraine’s former prime minister and current opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko has been accused by the government of embezzling state funds and ordered not to leave the country while the investigation continues.

The Prosecutor-General’s Office announced December 15 that it is investigating Tymoshenko for misspending funds received by the government for the sale of carbon credits. The government earned some $425 million from the sale.

Kyiv Post. Independence. Community. Trust - Politics - Batkivschyna calls Tymoshenko case political

Accusations brought against ex-premier Yulia Tymoshenko aim to distract public attention from national problems, Tymoshenko's Batkivschyna party said.

Batkivschyna calls Tymoshenko case political

Today at 16:24 | Interfax-Ukraine

All the money received by Ukraine under the Kyoto Protocol is still on governmental accounts, and accusations brought against ex-premier Yulia Tymoshenko aim to distract public attention from national problems, Tymoshenko's Batkivschyna party said.

Kyiv Post. Independence. Community. Trust - Ukraine - Russia tells Ukraine to join post-Soviet trade bloc

Kyiv Post. Independence. Community. Trust - Ukraine - Russia tells Ukraine to join post-Soviet trade bloc

Russia tells Ukraine to join post-Soviet trade bloc

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev (R) and his Kazakh and Belarusian counterparts speak in Astana during a meeting of the Eurasian Economic Community

Today at 14:58 | Reuters

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin encouraged Ukraine on Thursday to join Moscow-driven efforts to integrate the economies of the biggest post-Soviet republics into one trading bloc.

Ukraine has sought closer ties with Russia since the election of Viktor Yanukovich in February 2010, abandoning the goal of joining NATO and extending Russia's lease of a military base on the Black Sea.

Yanukovych: Eu Integration Remains Main Task For Ukrainian Diplomats

Kyiv, December 14 (Interfax-Ukraine) – EU integration remains the main task for Ukrainian diplomats, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has said.
     "European integration remains the first and main task of the Ukrainian diplomacy," he said at a meeting with Ukrainian diplomats in Kyiv on Tuesday.
     Yanukovych said that diplomats should focus their efforts on signing an association agreement in the near future. However, he noted that the signing of this document would be historically important for Ukraine and create "a platform for further European integration." The president recalled that an inseparable part of the agreement was the creation of a free trade area and the introduction of a visa-free regime with EU countries.

Yanukovych also said that Ukraine's membership of the European Union could be a guarantee of Ukraine's security.

Юлія Тимошенко: влада Януковича плутає адміністративну реформу з PR-акцією - Юлія Тимошенко. Офіційний сайт.

Юлія Тимошенко: влада Януковича плутає адміністративну реформу з PR-акцією - Юлія Тимошенко. Офіційний сайт.
08 Гру 2010, 16:29

Юлія Тимошенко: влада Януковича плутає адміністративну реформу з PR-акцією

Лідер партії "Батьківщина" Юлія Тимошенко переконана, що влада своїми заявами про необхідність адміністративної реформи намагається приховати свої корупційні дії.
"Аналізуючи сьогодні видатки, стає страшно за країну. Якщо НСК "Олімпійський", лише один об'єкт, дає можливість відмити 2,5 мільярдів гривень, то навіщо говорити про PR-акції зі скорочення адмінвидатків і адмінресурсів? Усе це є лише гучна PR-акція, а справжні видатки, безумовно, йдуть на офшорні рахунки, на тіньові структури, і вони, на жаль, дорівнюють бюджетним обігам", - сказала Юлія Тимошенко на прес-конференції, коментуючи наміри влади провести адміністративну реформу.

In Russian Hands: US Forced to Change Course in Relations with Ukraine - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International

In Russian Hands: US Forced to Change Course in Relations with Ukraine - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International

In Russian Hands

US Forced to Change Course in Relations with Ukraine

By Uwe Klussmann

AFP

A supporter of Ukraine's Orange Revolution in December 2004. The man who rode the revolution to the presidency, Viktor Yushchenko, has since had to give way to his opponent.

The US wants to lure the Ukrainians toward the West -- but how? The victors of the Orange Revolution have failed, and US diplomatic cables show that dealing with the new president has been far more difficult. The country has become the stage for a proxy conflict with the Kremlin.

When seeking a productive working relationship with an undesired newcomer, it is best to have a pla

Publish Post

EUobserver / EU neighbours are 'mafia states,' US cables indicate

EUobserver / EU neighbours are 'mafia states,' US cables indicate

EU neighbours are 'mafia states,' US cables indicate

ANDREW RETTMAN

Today @ 09:32 CET

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Belarus, Georgia, Russia and Ukraine are already or are swiftly becoming 'mafia states' according to a senior Spanish prosecutor cited in US diplomatic cables.
The appraisal, given by Spanish prosecutor Jose 'Pepe' Grinda Gonzalez to US diplomats in Madrid in February this year, noted: "He considers Belarus, Chechnya and Russia to be virtual 'mafia states' and said that Ukraine is going to be one. For each of those countries, he alleged, one cannot differentiate between the activities of the government and OC [organised crime] groups."

Medvedev (c) arrives in Italy: the cables are an embarrassment to the Kremlin ahead of the EU-Russia summit on 6 December (Photo: kremlin.ru)