Section: US & Canada
Brazilian Oscar-nominated film director Hector Babenco dies at 70
RIO DE JANEIRO (JTA) — One of Brazil’s most influential film makers, Hector Babenco, died in Sao Paulo at age 70. An employee of his film company told The Associated Press that he had a heart attack. Babenco, who died Wednesday, was nominated in 1985 for an Oscar for his film “Kiss of the Spider Woman.” Born in Buenos Aires to a Polish...
U.S., Ukraine diverge on Minsk ‘agreement’
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s public message in Kyiv on July 7 (see accompanying article) reaffirms, broadly, the talking points that Assistant Secretary Victoria Nuland had been delivering in Kyiv since May 2015 (see Eurasia Daily Monitor, May 26). It was at that point that Mr. Kerry and Ms. Nuland initiated non-transparent...
Soyuzivka’s 10th Ukrainian Cultural Festival attracts thousands, despite rainy forecast
KERHONKSON, N.Y. – Undaunted by threatening skies, which eventually yielded to rain, over 3,000 visitors flocked to the Soyuzivka Heritage Center for the 10th Ukrainian Cultural Festival on July 8-10. Oksana Mukha of Lviv, and Kyivans Ivo Bobul (originally from Chernivtsi) and Viktor Pavlik (originally from Terebovlia, Ternopil Oblast) were the...
Kerry says U.S. will remain firm on Russia sanctions
KYIV – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has reassured Ukraine that sanctions against Russia will remain in place unless Moscow fulfills its obligations under the Minsk agreement reached last year, He also announced additional humanitarian aid for Kyiv. (See fact sheet on page 3). Mr. Kerry spoke at a joint news conference in Kyiv […]...
Historic trade agreement signed by Canada and Ukraine
KYIV – On July 11, Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko and Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman witnessed the signing of the milestone Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement (CUFTA). Canada’s International Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland and Ukraine’s First Vice Prime Minister and...
Kerry’s unwelcome message in Ukraine
“Quietly but summarily, the administration of President Obama has informed Kyiv that it wants to see elections in Donbas before Obama leaves office.” – James Sherr of Chatham House, an independent policy institute based in London. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Assistant Secretary Victoria Nuland held talks with President Petro Poroshenko...
U.S., Russia reactivate bilateral negotiations on Ukraine
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland completed another round of shuttle diplomacy in Kyiv and Moscow (June 22-24), following up on her visits to the two capitals in April and May, on direct instructions from the White House. This effort will undoubtedly continue after the time out necessitated by the North Atlantic Treaty...
U.S. announces nearly $23 million in additional humanitarian assistance
The fact sheet below was provided by the U.S. Department of State. Today [July 7], Secretary of State John Kerry announced in Kyiv that the United States is providing nearly $23 million in additional U.S. humanitarian assistance to help thousands of vulnerable people affected by the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine. This announcement brings...
Anti-Ukrainian sentiments swell in Poland
KYIV – After attending the NATO summit on July 8, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko took an unprecedented step towards Ukrainian-Polish reconciliation by visiting the Volyn Massacre Victims Memorial in Warsaw. He placed a wreath, lit a candle and knelt on his right knee before its main column. Mr. Poroshenko’s gesture – the first...
NATO ever more relevant
With the European Union now in flux, its attention to Ukraine waning and some members anxious to remove sanctions against Russia, and with the outgoing Obama administration apparently itching to implement the Minsk agreements no matter the cost to Ukraine, including elections in the Donbas (see analyses on pages 2 and 3), it came as […]...
