Section: The Centre for Eastern Studies (Poland)
Ukraine: relations with Belarus suspended
On August 28, the Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba, announced that “at present, all contacts with Belarus have been suspended [and] will be unblocked only when we find out that they do not bring political, reputational and moral damage to Ukraine.” One day earlier, Mr Kuleba had also stated that Kyiv would join the EU’s...
The act on the land market – a key step towards the development of Ukrainian agriculture
On 28 April, President Volodymyr Zelensky signed the Act on introducing an agricultural land market in Ukraine. The document envisages that the moratorium on the sale of agricultural land will be partially lifted on 1 July 2021 and entirely lifted from 2024. As a consequence, for the first time in the history of independent Ukraine, the free...
A pillar of the system? The political phenomenon of Arsen Avakov
The change of government in Ukraine in 2019 has boosted the political position of Arsen Avakov, the longest-serving interior minister in the history of independent Ukraine (he has been in five consecutive governments since February 2014). He was the only member of Volodymyr Hroysman’s cabinet to remain in office following Volodymyr...
Neither a miracle nor a disaster – President Zelensky’s first year in office
20th May marked the end of Volodymyr Zelensky first year as President of Ukraine. Thanks to the clear victory of his Servant of the People party in the snap parliamentary election held in July 2019 and the establishment of the government of Oleksiy Honcharuk the following month, Zelensky swiftly gained full power. …read more Source:: Centre...
Endangered heritage
As a result of the changes of borders in the 20th century, a large proportion of Poland’s cultural heritage found itself on the territory of present-day Belarus and Ukraine. Over the centuries, many cultural goods were created on the erstwhile eastern territories of Poland which the contemporary Polish state, like the other two countries,...
How the COVID-19 pandemic will develop in Ukraine
According to data compiled by Ukraine’s Ministry of Health, by 27 March more than 200 cases of COVID-19 were confirmed nationwide, with five fatalities. However, there is a risk of the epidemic soon developing on a much larger scale. …read more Source:: Centre for Eastern Studies...
The moratorium on the sale of agricultural land is lifted in Ukraine
The Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) passed the Act on introducing an agricultural land market in Ukraine on 31 March at the second reading. The document envisages that the moratorium on the sale of agricultural land will be lifted on 1 July 2021. A transitional period will apply for two years – during this period only natural persons will...
The ongoing de-Ukrainisation of the Donbas
On 6 March the so-called People’s Council of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) unanimously voted to introduce changes to its constitution which will deprive the Ukrainian language of its status as a state language. As a result, Russian will function as the only official language. …read more Source:: Centre for...
Denys Shmyhal is the new Prime Minister of Ukraine
On 4 March, the Ukrainian parliament accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk, and with him the entire government (353 votes for the motion). Speaking before the vote, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy thanked him for his work, while blaming the government for conducting an inefficient economic policy, overseeing a decline in...
Washington’s symbolic support – US Secretary of State in Minsk
The US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo visited Minsk on 1 February. This was the first visit of a US Secretary of State to Belarus in 26 years. He had visited Ukraine one day earlier, and subsequently travelled to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. During his short visit, Pompeo met with President Alyaksandr Lukashenka and the Minister of Foreign Affairs...
