U.S., EU, NATO call on Ukraine to create Rada committee to oversee intelligence agencies
The parliament may have a committee to oversee Ukraine’s intelligence / Photo from UNIAN
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Limited sanctions are doing more harm than good.
Katia Glod On October 2, the European Union (EU) imposed sanctions on 40 Belarusian officials identified as responsible for “repression and intimidation against peaceful demonstrators, opposition members, and journalists in the wake of the 2020 presidential election in Belarus, as well as for misconduct of the electoral process.” The restrictive measures include a visa ban and an asset freeze. The
Read moreEU Sanctions FSB Chief, Senior Kremlin Officials Over Navalny Poisoning
The European Union has slapped sanctions on senior Kremlin officials and the head of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) over the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, according to a decision published on the EU’s legal portal Thursday. The EU banned travel and froze the assets of FSB chief Alexander Bortnikov, as well as President Vladimir Putin’s first deputy chief
Read moreEU Agrees Russia Sanctions Over Navalny Poisoning
The EU on Wednesday agreed to impose sanctions on six people and one entity over the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny with a Novichok nerve agent, diplomats told AFP. Ambassadors from the 27 EU countries approved sanctions after France and Germany proposed measures last week, saying Russia was responsible for the poisoning. In line with usual EU practice, those targeted
Read moreRussia may stop conducting dialogue with EU leaders
The Russian Foreign Minister pointed out the need for the EU and Germany to fulfill their international legal obligations in the case of Navalny’s poisoning, in particular, the Convention on Assistance in Criminal Matters and its supplementary protocols. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said about the likelihood of the termination of communication between Moscow and EU leaders, complaining about the
Read moreFrance and Germany prepare sanctions against Russia over Navalny’s poisoning
The governments of France and Germany are preparing to expand sanctions against Russia due to the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny with the military nerve agent Novichok, said French Foreign Ministry in a statement. This statement was preceded by the confirmation by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) of the results of tests provided by
Read moreEU says criminal prosecution for fraud with Privatbank matter of credibility for Ukraine
The European Union says that criminal prosecution for fraud with Privatbank is a matter of Ukraine’s credibility among international partners. A European official said this on Monday in Brussels on the eve of the Ukraine-EU summit. “Tomorrow, EU leaders will look for strong commitments regarding the continuation and irreversibility of efforts in fight against corruption and also in the judiciary.
Read moreRussia imposes sanctions against EU in revenge for Belarus
Moscow considers the EU sanctions to be unilateral and illegitimate, and regards it as pressure on the Belarusian authorities ussia decided to impose the same sanctions against the EU countries as Belarus. This is stated in the commentary by Maria Zakharova, published on the website of the Russian Foreign Ministry. “We would also like to draw attention to the fact
Read moreAnger From Moscow, Minsk as EU, US Sanction Belarus
The United States and the EU hit Belarus officials with long-awaited sanctions over the country’s political crisis on Friday, drawing an angry response from Minsk and its ally Moscow. After more than six weeks of diplomatic efforts, EU leaders finally persuaded Cyprus to drop its block on sanctions at a summit in Brussels, opening the way for some 40 members
Read moreBelarus threatens to break off diplomatic relations with EU
The country has also put into effect a relevant sanctions list The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus doubts the expediency of maintaining diplomatic relations with the European Union if sanctions against the Belarusian authorities are maintained. The relevant statement was posted by the ministry’s press service. “Further promotion of the EU’s ‘sanctions flywheel’ could lead to even more serious
Read moreBelarus announces retaliatory sanctions against the EU
The Belarusian authorities decided to impose sanctions against the European Union in response to the imposition of restrictive measures by Brussels. The statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus says that the official Minsk opposes the confrontation, but will decisively respond to “unfriendly actions.” “ In connection with the visa sanctions adopted by the EU against a number of Belarusian officials, the Belarusian side
Read moreMacron explains why Lukashenka is not on the EU sanctions list
French President Emmanuel Macron said that Alexander Lukashenko is not on the EU sanctions list, as this would mean refusing to dialogue with Belarus. He said this at a briefing following the first day of the EU summit. According to Macron, the EU plans to start a dialogue with Belarus through the OSCE. In addition, he called on Lukashenka on behalf of the EU
Read moreEU leaders agree on sanctions against Belarus: They will come into force next week
The decision on sanctions measures against 40 Belarusian officials became possible due to the fact that they managed to convince Cyprus, which demanded first of all to punish Turkey After weeks of discussions, EU leaders agreed to impose sanctions on Belarus over controversial election results and the crackdown on protests in that country. Deutsche welle reports about it following the
Read moreU.S. awaits EU move before slapping sanctions on Belarus
The U.S. set of sanctions has reportedly been prepared, while there is no certainty as to the timing of their announcement. The United States has refrained from joining Britain and Canada in the move to impose sanctions on Belarus, hoping the European Union will be able to tackle an internal dispute, thus greenlighting a coordinated U.S.-EU effort, four sources said
Read moreEU to approve new anti-Russian sanctions for construction of Kerch Bridge
The sanctions might be approved in the next few weeks The European Union will approve the imposing of the sanctions against people involved in the construction of the Kerch Bridge as Radio Liberty journalist Rikard Jozwiak reported on Twitter. According to the journalist, the sanctions for the construction of the Kerch Bridge might be approved in the next few weeks.
Read moreMoscow Expands List of European Officials Banned From Russia
Moscow said Wednesday it was expanding a list of European officials who are banned from entering Russia as a response to what it said were aggressive EU actions. A Foreign Ministry statement did not specify what the sanctions were a response to, but referred to “hostile steps” against Russia and its citizens. Russia’s ties with European countries have worsened since
Read moreRussian Foreign Intelligence Service head expecting EU states to be pragmatic about Nord Stream 2
Russian Foreign Intelligence Service Director Sergei Naryshkin has said that the termination of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project would be disadvantageous for EU member states and has expressed hope that European partners will not act to the detriment of their own interests in dealing with the issue. “Most Europeans realize that they will incur substantial losses from terminating
Read moreCyprus vetoes draft EU sanctions against Belarus
Cyprus explained its veto by the fact that it wants to achieve sanctions against Turkey On Friday, September 18, a meeting of the Committee of Permanent Representatives of the EU countries was held in Brussels, at which they voted for the introduction of sanctions against Belarus. The representative of Cyprus vetoed the draft sanctions, as DW reports, citing a European
Read more6 ways Germany could kill the Nord Stream 2 pipeline
Germany has multiple options if it decides to try and halt the project, but they carry costs Germany has long argued that the 1,230-kilometer pipeline that is supposed to send an extra 55 billion cubic meters of Russian gas a year under the Baltic Sea is a commercial venture, not a political one. That position is increasingly under strain in
Read moreLatvian Prime Minister: Navalny Poisoning Shows EU Must Open Its Eyes About Russia
Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins
Read moreDeep concerns in Brussels about the fight against corruption in #Ukraine
Brussels observers of the fight against corruption in Ukraine have expressed deep concerns about the efficiency of policies put in place in the last five years, during an online dialogue between the Polita think tank in Kyiv and the Brussels Press Club on 2 September, writes Willy Fautré, Human Rights Without Frontiers. On 28 August, the Constitutional Court declared a
Read moreBelarus Leader Lukashenko to Avoid EU Sanctions Over Protest Crackdown – Die Welt
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is poised to escape personal sanctions the European Union is drafting in response to his post-election crackdown, the German daily Die Welt reported Friday. EU foreign ministers agreed in mid-August to draw up a list of targets in Belarus for a fresh round of asset freezes and travel bans expected in the coming weeks. EU members
Read moreThe West Is Outraged By Navalny’s Novichok Poisoning. That’s No Guarantee of Tough Sanctions
Looming U.S. elections and disparate EU interests could translate into a symbolic response. Lawmakers across Europe and the U.S. are scrambling to respond to the revelation that Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was poisoned with Novichok — a lethal Soviet-era military nerve agent — with the possibility of fresh sanctions against Russia on the cards. In Germany — where Navalny remains
Read moreBelarus could close borders outside Brest, Grodno to western countries – Lukashenko
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has said he believes major European countries have not imposed sanctions on Belarus because they know that Belarus could close its borders outside Brest and Grodno, so they ordered the Baltic States to attack. “More experienced countries understand that they shouldn’t bully Belarus, because it could close its borders outside Brest and Grodno, and German cargo
Read moreEU foreign ministers agree to move forward on Belarus sanctions
By Alexandra Brzozowski EU foreign ministers reached a political agreement in Berlin on Friday (28 August) on punitive measures against high-ranking supporters of Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko to pressure him into holding new elections. According to the political agreement, the future measures on Belarus are meant to mainly target those accused of being responsible for the fraudulent elections and the
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