Why the U.S. should ignore Belarus’ unlikely appeal
Desperate times call for desperate measures. This is likely what Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko was thinking last week when calling on the United States, which dubbed him “Europe’s last dictator.” In a rare interview with Western media, Minsk’s strongman urged Washington to engage in talks to resolve the Ukraine crisis and...
Kyiv Sets Goal of NATO Membership, Latvia Set to Host Gay Pride Festival
Plus, the UN tells Kazakhstan to clean up its filthy environment; support for Russia’s takeover of Crimea sees Yugoslav star Goran Bregovic dumped by Polish music festival. …read more Source: Transitions Online...
Gazprom made concessions to Naftohaz not to lose the Ukrainian market
Ukraine relies on natural gas supply from the EU states; we need a contract with Gazprom just to be safe. This was stated by Director of Energy Programmes of the Razumkov Centre Volodymyr Omelchenko, informs the website From ua. According to the expert, a decrease in gas supply to Ukraine from Hungary may be caused by several reasons. It may be...
More Pressure on Ukrainian Oligarchs, Russia Tightens Conditions for Migrants
Plus, Moldovan authorities seek more than $1 billion in missing bank loans and a Dutch museum challenges Crimea’s claim on Scythian gold artifacts. …read more Source: Transitions Online...
OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine to hold news briefing in Kyiv today
KYIV, 9 April 2015 – The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM) will hold its regular news briefing today in Kyiv. Michael Bociurkiw, the SMM spokesperson, will talk about the recent Mission’s activities and the general security situation throughout Ukraine. Journalists are invited to attend the news briefing today, 9 April, at...
State Duma Members Call on Russian President to Abolish Federal Districts
On April 4, the Russian newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta reported that a group of State Duma deputies are preparing to call on the country’s president and government to reform or even abolish the federal districts in the Russian Federation. Removing the federal districts from the Russian administrative map would save the government about $50...
His Master’s Voice: Lavrov Tours Latin America
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s recent tour of Latin America aimed to build on Moscow’s previous successes among pro-Russian regimes there—Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela—as well as to establish stronger ties with pro-US countries like Colombia. But beyond bilateral relations, Lavrov also endeavored to enhance Russia’...
Ukraine Rapidly Dismantling Gazprom’s Supply Monopoly
Quantitative indicators show a dramatic reorientation of Ukraine’s natural gas supply strategy. Dependence on Gazprom has become a thing of the past. Kyiv demonstrates political resolve to pursue supply diversification and adapt to changing market conditions with the European Commission’s backing. Along with supply diversification,...
Romania Cuts Taxes, Serbia Blasts Albanian ‘Unification’ Talk
Plus, new fighting breaks out near Mariupol; Georgian Chechens plead for help to stop IS recruiting. …read more Source: Transitions Online...
Zwischen Allianzfreiheit und Einbindung
Alarmiert durch die Ukraine-Krise und Russlands militärische Aktivitäten in der Ostsee-Region, führen Finnland und Schweden derzeit eine intensive Debatte über ihre nationale Sicherheit. In beiden Ländern wird angesichts einer sich wandelnden Bedrohungslage an der eigenen Verteidigungsfähigkeit gezweifelt. Zunehmend steht der...
