Section: The Gulf Today (United Arab Emirates)
EU leaders to endorse Dutch demands on Ukraine
BRUSSELS: European Union leaders, anxious to preserve a landmark cooperation agreement with Ukraine, will address Dutch concerns on Thursday by saying the deal does not give Kiev the status of a candidate for membership of the bloc, diplomats said. The Netherlands demanded caveats on the EU-Ukraine agreement, which establishes closer political...
Merkel, Hollande seek extension to Russia sanctions
Berlin: German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande said on Tuesday they favour extending EU sanctions against Russia over the Ukraine conflict, ahead of a Brussels summit that will discuss the issue. Merkel said that — given grave shortcomings in the Ukraine peace process, which has been marred by regular ceasefire...
EU breaks deadlock over visa waivers
BRUSSELS: The European Union (EU) will allow Ukrainians and Georgians to visit the bloc without a visa after diplomats and lawmakers struck a deal on Thursday to end an internal EU dispute that had been holding up the plan. Agreement on a mechanism for suspending such visa waivers in emergencies ends mounting embarrassment for some EU leaders who...
Nato urges continued sanctions on Russia over Ukraine
Brussels: Damaging EU economic sanctions imposed on Russia over the Ukraine crisis must be kept in place to force Moscow to meet its Minsk ceasefire commitments, Nato head Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday. His comments come as the European Union discusses renewal of the sanctions amid doubts about their effectiveness and cost, and concerns that...
Five Ukranian policemen killed in friendly fire
KIEV: Five Ukrainian police were killed by friendly fire in a tragic accident in which officers mistook colleagues for burglars, officials said on Sunday. Three burglars initially escaped the crime scene amid a gunfight between different security forces, although they were later detained. “Last night a devastating tragedy took place that killed...
Ukraine launches missile drills near Crimea
KIEV: Ukraine on Thursday unleashed a barrage of missile tests near Russian-annexed Crimea in a show of strength and defiance bound to irritate Moscow. The two-day military drills near the Black Sea peninsula are a first for the former Soviet republic and a sign that it is regaining assertiveness in the face of its arch-foe Russia. “No one will...
Hungary offers Ukrainians free long-stay visas
BUDAPEST: Hungary will immediately begin granting national long-stay visas to citizens of neighbouring Ukraine despite not yet having final approval of the European Union (EU), the Hungarian prime minister said on Thursday. “After the three hard years that Ukraine has gone through in the name of European values, the EU has a moral obligation to...
Ukrainian teacher held for trying to sell schoolgirl, 13
Kharkiv: A school teacher on Wednesday appeared in court in Ukraine after allegedly trying to sell a 13-year-old schoolgirl under her care for more than $10,000. Language teacher Galyna Kovalenko, 52, who has been charged with human trafficking, faces up to 15 years in jail if found guilty of targeting the girl who was a pupil at the state...
Ukraine hopes to shore up Trump’s support against Russia
KIEV: Ukrainian authorities are laying the groundwork for President Petro Poroshenko to visit Washington early next year, hoping to shore up US support against Russia and allay concerns about what a Donald Trump presidency means for Kiev. Ukraine has relied on Western support and economic aid since street protests in 2014 which toppled a...
EU sanctions six Russian MPs from Crimea
BRUSSELS: The European Union on Wednesday added six MPs from Crimea who were recently elected to Russia’s parliament to its sanctions blacklist for their role in supporting Moscow’s seizure of the region from Ukraine. “In line with its non-recognition policy, the EU considers that the persons who became members of the State Duma as a...
