Section: POLITICO – Europe Edition (EU)
Ukrainians to gain visa-free access to EU
EU ambassadors on Thursday backed a European Commission proposal that allows visa-free travel for Ukrainian citizens in the EU, and vice-versa, for 90 days in any 180-day period. The decision will not come into force until details are agreed with the European Parliament on which circumstances would allow for the temporary suspension of visa-free...
Ukraine president asks for ‘resolute support’ in call with Trump
Just a day after he spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump spoke to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, whose country continues to grapple with Russian occupation and annexation of its territory. According to a Ukrainian government readout of the call, Poroshenko stressed the “need for the...
Saakashvili quits Ukrainian post
KIEV – Mikheil Saakashvili, the former president of Georgia who resurrected his political career as a regional governor in Ukraine, resigned on Monday, accusing Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko of “personally supporting” corruption. Spitting out his words in anger during a press conference, he lashed out at officials he said were impeding...
Finland walks a 1,300 kilometer fine-line with Russia
European leaders spend a lot of time fretting about Russia these days, but no EU nation has more direct experience in managing an uneasy relationship with Moscow than Finland, which shares a 1,300-kilometer border with Russia and spent the Cold War claiming fragile neutrality. Finland abandoned its political neutrality in 1995 when it joined the...
Russia: No breakthrough on Ukraine at Berlin talks
The Kremlin dampened expectations Wednesday that the talks with the leaders of France, Germany and Ukraine could help to resolve the conflict in Ukraine, according to report by the AFP. “We do not expect any breakthroughs,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters hours before President Vladimir Putin was scheduled to meet German Chancellor...
Berlin to host Ukraine crisis summit
Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine will attend a summit in Berlin on Wednesday to discuss the implementation of the Minsk peace accords for Ukraine, the French presidency said Tuesday. German Chancellor Angela Merkel invited the so-called Normandy Four to discuss the next steps “in the process towards ending the crisis in eastern Ukraine,” Paris...
What scared Ukraine’s ‘sex tourists’ away
KIEV, Ukraine — In 2012, Ukraine briefly became gripped by hysteria over “sex tourism.” The country was preparing to host tens of thousands of football fans for the Euro championships, leading many to predict a sharp rise in prostitution. The high-profile sporting event would “promote sex tourism in Ukraine, and demean women here even more,” Anna...
Angela Merkel, Barack Obama: Aleppo bombing ‘barbarous’
Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany and U.S. President Barack Obama urged Russia and Ukraine to “begin the disengagement of forces along the line of contact as quickly as possible.” The two leaders also jointly condemned as “barbarous” the bombing of Aleppo by Russian military forces supporting the regime of Bashar Assad. Merkel and Obama spoke...
Donald Tusk to Ukraine: Europe has got your back
European Council President Donald Tusk reassured senior Ukrainian leaders Thursday of Europe’s support in the country’s continuing conflict with Russia. EU leaders have long sought to play a role as moderator in the conflict in eastern Ukraine, including helping to broker the Minsk 2 peace agreement that so far has not been fulfilled....
Missile that downed MH17 originated in Russia
A Dutch prosecutor on Wednesday said a joint investigation concluded the missile that brought down Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 was brought from Russia to a field near the town of Pervomaisk in eastern Ukraine, a territory occupied by pro-Russian separatists at the time. After the missile was fired, the launcher was taken back to Russia,...
