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Ukraine has an opportunity to join the North Atlantic Alliance, and to do so it must carry out the necessary reforms to meet NATO requirements and standards.

Biden administration remains to committed to ensuring that NATOs door remains open to aspirants when theyre ready and able to meet the commitments and obligations, Acting Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Philip Reeker said at a briefing on April 30, commenting on Ukraines Euro-Atlantic integration prospects.

According to him, the United States is certainly committed to ensuring that a country like Ukraine can work to meet those standards.

As Reeker noted, Ukraine performs an annual national program that allows to cooperate with NATO and has an enhanced operational partnership status, which also gives a series of opportunities. A lot of that, the U.S. Department representative emphasized, involves Ukraine continuing to implement deep, comprehensive reforms.

Thats part of the necessary effort in building a more stable, democratic, and prosperous and free Ukraine. And so well continue to work with them [Ukraine] in all of those areas, he said.

As reported, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken plans to make a visit to Kyiv on May 5-6 to meet with the senior leadership of the state. Ukraines NATO membership prospect is expected to be one of the topics of talks.

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U.S. Department of State: NATOs door remains open to Ukraine - Ukrinform. Ukraine and world news

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Once completed, the Internet Encyclopedia of Ukraine (IEU) will be the most comprehensive source ofinformation in English on Ukraine, its history, people, geography, society, economy, and cultural heritage. At present, the IEU team isworking on phase 1 of the project: the creation of an Internet database containing the revised and updated contents of the five-volumeEncyclopedia of Ukraine (University of Toronto Press, 1984-93) edited by Volodymyr Kubijovyc (vols. 1-2) and Danylo Husar Struk(vols. 3-5). Close to fifty percent of this information is currently displayed on our site. At the same time, a considerable number of new articles (not contained in the published five-volume Encyclopedia of Ukraine) have also been made available. New entries are being edited, updated, andadded daily. Our ability to update this information and the speed with which we can make it available to Internet users worldwide willgreatly depend on the availability of financial resources for our project. You can greatly contribute to the success of the Internet Encyclopedia of Ukraine by supporting our work morally and financially. Become an IEU supporter! To learn more about our project, click on About IEU.

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As Russia continues to mass military troops and equipment at Ukraines border while deflecting blame on so-called Ukrainian aggressions, the Wests response has been slow and hesitant. As has been the case for many decades, it will be up to the United States to draw red lines in Eastern Europe.

The Biden administration is undoubtedly managing competing priorities. But avoiding confrontation with Russia must also stay at the top of the agenda. To do this, the U.S. will need to develop a strategy that securely safeguards Eastern Europe from Russia while minimizing Western involvement.

Ukraine has become an intractable problem for the West, made worse by an absence of strategy toward the Kremlin. Russia has so far been allowed to blame Ukrainian or NATO aggressions for its military buildup along NATOs Eastern Flank. The West should be vocal in calling out these Russian lies.

We must also realize that Russia is threatened by Ukraines independence, integrity and Western orientation. Ukraine, which has been fighting occupation for more than seven years, is vital to Western and U.S. interests and to European security and stability.

There are three clear steps the Biden administration must take if it hopes to de-escalate the crisis with Russia in Eastern Europe without being drawn into conflict. First, recognize that the Normandy Format has failed. Second, take the lead on peace negotiations with Russia. And third, shape a strategy for the Black Sea region.

Ukrainian Volodymyr President Zelensky was right to accuse France and Germany of lukewarm commitment to the Minsk agreements. The agreements have not progressed in seven years and are now effectively dead. Worse still, the Normandy Format is at risk of threatening regional security amid rising German-U.S. tensions over Nord Stream 2, the end of German Chancellor Angela Merkels tenure and French President Emmanuel Macron calling for greater lenience for Russia.

A new negotiation platform is desperately needed. While it is impossible to find an effective short-term solution to the conflict in Ukraine without Russia, the U.S. should put its weight behind an alternative format that serves Eastern European security interests. The Crimea Platform is a strong place to start, as is Bidens proposed meeting with Putin in the coming weeks. The Budapest Memorandum, which secured Ukraines integrity and independence in 1994, could also be used as a guide in framing future negotiations. This format would offer the United Kingdom a more substantial role in negotiations.

The international community must also acknowledge that peace in Ukraine cannot be achieved with Russia at the negotiating table but the U.S. absent. For 30 years, Ukraine has borne the brunt of a series of Russian-instigated (and still unresolved) conflicts around the Black Sea. Russia has long been granted the right to sit across from its neighbor a neighbor it has repeatedly stolen from only to argue that the theft was justified without being held to account. Moscow has then been allowed to draw on the support of powerful economic allies in negotiation formats like the Normandy Format.

The same can be said for the intractable conflicts in Georgia, Moldova and Nagorno-Karabakh. Eastern Europes Western integration, as well as reasonable solutions for all Black Sea conflicts, will progress only if Washington is willing to counter Russias illegal and unfair territorial and political claims.

Finally, a comprehensive Black Sea strategy is critical if the Biden administration wants to prevent escalation and deter Russia long-term. Russias troop movements at the Ukrainian border should not be viewed in isolation from Russian maritime movement in the Black Sea. Russian aggression extends far beyond Ukraine to encompass the entire Eastern European region.

The military foundations of a Black Sea strategy have already been laid. With the support of its Allies, the U.S. has built NATO deterrence on the Eastern Flank, although there is much still to be achieved militarily. The Black Sea remains dominated by Russia aggression. NATO maritime deterrence and cooperation with non-NATO Georgia and Ukraine is the next step in reducing Russian dominance.

President BidenJoe BidenTroy Carter wins race to fill Cedric Richmond's Louisiana House seat NC sheriff to ask court to release bodycam footage of Andrew Brown shooting How schools can spend 0 billion responsibly MORE has from the outset signaled a sharper focus on corruption. But Western deterrence against Russia hybrid warfare has so far been limited to cyber, election interference and disinformation. A Black Sea strategy will only succeed in defending against Russia if the Biden administration prioritizes anti-corruption in the region, not least in Ukraine, where corruption has long opened the door to Russian influence.

The Biden administration has a unique opportunity to mitigate the risk of protracted insecurity in the Black Sea and military escalation with Russia, as well as to manage the inevitable long-term costs for the U.S. A free and secure Eastern Europe will be possible only if the U.S. offers its support in finding a peaceful solution for Ukraine, demands accountability and predictability in its relations with Russia and develops a comprehensive Black Sea strategy that addresses the full spectrum of hybrid deterrence.

On the other hand, if no action is taken and the West limits itself to statements of disapproval, there is a very real risk of the destruction of Ukraine. The first Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2014 led to thousands of fallen Ukrainians, millions displaced and NATOs reluctant strategic reorientation toward territorial defense and Russias deterrence. A second Russian invasion of Ukraine could put the countrys existence in question. Ultimately, it would reveal the Wests failure to deter Russia and an end to the dream of an Eastern Europe whole and free.

Iulia Joja is a senior fellow for the Middle East Institutes FrontierEuropeInitiative and an adjunctprofessoratGeorgetown University. Her research and teachings focus onEuropeanandBlack Sea security.

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Ukraine is an intractable problem, made worse by a lack of strategy | TheHill - The Hill

KYIV, UKRAINE - Three Ukrainian television channels linked to an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin were blocked from broadcasting on Google's YouTube on Saturday, the Ukrainian government said, following its request to YouTube to have the channels taken down.

The YouTube channels of ZiK, 112 Ukraine and NewsOne did not play their content and instead showed a blank screen with a message saying the channel was not available.

"We are pleased such an influential American company is willing to cooperate when it concerns issues of Ukrainian national security and Russian disinformation," Ukraine's embassy to Washington said in a tweet.

YouTube did not respond to Reuters' request for comment.

The move comes after weeks of tensions between Kyiv and Moscow over the conflict in eastern Ukraine and a Russian troop buildup on Ukraine's borders that had alarmed Ukraine's Western backers and the NATO military alliance.

Russia said it began withdrawing its troops on Friday.

Backed by the United States, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's government blocked the three channels from airing on Ukrainian television in February, accusing them of being instruments of Russian propaganda and partly financed by Russia.

The government also asked YouTube to shut down the channels on its platform.

The listed owner of the channels is Taras Kozak, a lawmaker from the Opposition Platform For Life party.

Kozak is an associate of Viktor Medvedchuk, a prominent opposition figure who says Putin is godfather to his daughter. The Kremlin has said its contacts with Medvedchuk represent Russia's efforts to maintain ties with "the Russian world."

Medvedchuk and Kozak did not respond to requests for comment, but Kozak and Medvedchuk have both previously described the crackdown on the channels as illegal.

Medvedchuk earlier this year told Reuters the clampdown was designed to silence criticism of Zelenskiy's political blunders, saying Zelenskiy was "infuriated" by what the TV channels reported.

Culture Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko on Saturday thanked YouTube for the ban, calling the channels "part of Russia's propaganda war against Ukraine."

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Ukraine: YouTube Blocks Access to Ukrainian TV Channels Tied to Kremlin Ally - Voice of America

Today, Ukraine received the first doses of COVID-19 vaccine shipped via the COVAX Facility, an unprecedented initiative of global solidarity of different countries for global access to COVID-19 vaccines.

This is the first delivery in the framework of COVAX to Ukraine. Ukraine receives 117,000 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine free of charge.

Supplies of vaccines of different manufacturers within COVAX will continue and are expected to cover up to 20% of the population in Ukraine by the end of 2021.

UNICEF, on behalf of the COVAX Facility, procures and supplies COVID-19 vaccines that meet WHOs established safety and efficacy criteria.

Today, an important step was made to protect those who are at high risk of becoming seriously ill and even dying from COVID-19. More vaccines will be delivered to Ukraine as part of the COVAX Facility and UNICEF continues to support the Government of Ukraine to protect people from detrimental effects of COVID-19 on lives and economy. We hope for a quick and effective vaccination, otherwise people will continue losing loved ones and the medical system will remain overwhelmed. It is very important that vaccination is organized safely: with physical distancing, not in tight spaces, so that people waiting for the procedure do not contract COVID-19, said Lotta Sylwander, UNICEF Representative in Ukraine.

Maksym Stepanov, Minister of Health of Ukraine, highlighted: "Ukraine has set ambitious goals to cover the majority of the adult population with COVID-19 vaccination by the end of the year. This is a huge challenge and to achieve this we are looking forward to the parallel launch of different platforms, the use of different vaccines and all possible supply routes. We are pleased to receive the first batch of vaccines under the global COVAX initiative and support from international partners. It is important for Ukraine that under fierce competition and struggle for access to vaccines in the world, COVAX confirms the fulfilment of the tasks for which this global partnership was created - to provide fair opportunities for all."

117,000 doses of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine will primarily be used for vaccination of staff and residents of nursing homes. Then - employees of the State Emergency Service and border guards.

Ukraine's accession to the COVAX mechanism has become possible thanks to the joint efforts of all supporters of COVAX, such as governments, international organizations and private companies. COVID vaccination is an additional measure we have now to curb the pandemics and is a priority in Ukraine and in the world, and WHO is working on ensuring the availability and accessibility of vaccines, as well as on providing a safe and effective vaccination process in Ukraine.

Furthermore, in Ukraine, partners as of WHO, UNICEF, European Union, USAID, UK and the World Bank have prioritized COVID vaccination and allocated resources to support the efforts now. Ensuring equitable access to the COVID-19 vaccine, especially to protect the most vulnerable, will allow mitigating the effects of the pandemic on the health of the population and the economy", said Dr Jarno Habicht, the WHO Representative and Head of the WHO Country Office in Ukraine.

A few days earlier, UNICEF also delivered to Ukraine some 140,000 syringes for mixing up the vaccine with diluent and injections and over 1,300 safety boxes for their disposal, under COVAX.

UNICEF, WHO and partners have been supporting the Government of Ukraine in COVID-19 response and vaccination roll-out. This includes assisting with the development of the national vaccination plan, support for cold chain infrastructure, as well as training of health workers in how to store and handle the vaccines, provide quality immunization services, effective counselling and communication about vaccines and working with communities in addressing misinformation.

It is important that the country continues to apply tried-and-tested measures to successfully prevent and control transmission, such as physical distancing, masks, ventilation and hand hygiene, alongside robust programmes to test, trace, isolate and treat. It is also important to continue to expand access to the diagnosis and treatment of patients with COVID-19, including access to oxygen support.

COVAX, the vaccines pillar of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, is co-led by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), the Vaccine Alliance Gavi, and the World Health Organization (WHO) working in partnership with UNICEF as key implementing partner, as well as civil society organisations, vaccine manufacturers, governments of US, UK, European Union, Canada, Germany, World Bank, and others.

The airplane with vaccines has landed in Kyiv Sikorsky International Airport. Our airport is a reliable partner, always open for cooperation. The airport team is ready to hold additional logistics activities to facilitate safety delivery of the vaccine to Ukrainian citizens in time, said Denis Kostrzhevsky, Head of the Board of Directors of Kyiv Sikorsky International Airport:

Notes for Editors:

Photo and video materials will be available at http://bit.ly/Ukraine_COVAX

Full COVAX News Note to Editors: https://www.who.int/initiatives/act-accelerator/covax/covax-news-note-to...

List of donor pledges to the Gavi COVAX AMC: https://www.gavi.org/sites/default/files/covid/covax/COVAX-AMC-Donors-Ta...

UNICEF COVAX page https://www.unicef.org/supply/covax-ensuring-global-equitable-access-cov...

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First COVID-19 vaccines shipped by COVAX arrive in Ukraine - Ukraine - ReliefWeb