Archive for the ‘Ukraine’ Category
UkraineUnited States relations – Wikipedia
The United States officially recognized the independence of Ukraine on December 25, 1991. The United States upgraded its consulate in the capital, Kyiv, to embassy status on January 21, 1992.[1] In 2002, relations between the United States and Ukraine deteriorated after one of the recordings made during the Cassette Scandal revealed an alleged transfer of a sophisticated Ukrainian defense system to Saddam Hussein's Iraq. Following the 2014 annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, the USA became one of the largest defense partners of Ukraine.[2]
The current ambassador of the United States to Ukraine is Bridget A. Brink.[3] The current Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States is Oksana Markarova.[4]
As of 2009, the United States supports Ukraine's bid to join NATO.[5]
According to documents uncovered during the United States diplomatic cables leak, American diplomats defend Ukrainian sovereignty in meetings with other diplomats.[6][7][8]
Ukrainians have generally viewed the U.S. positively, with 80% expressing a favorable view in 2002, and 60% in 2011.[9] According to the 2012 U.S. Global Leadership Report, 33% of Ukrainians approve of U.S. leadership, with 26% disapproving and 41% uncertain.[10]
In the wake of Russia's annexation of Crimea, the United States began to supply military aid to Ukraine.[11] This continued after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine with the US massively increasing its supply of military aid,[12] with US President Joe Biden heavily condemning the invasion and pledging support to Ukraine.[13] In December 2022, during a surprise visit to Washington, President Zelenskyy gave a speech to a joint session of Congress. He thanked the Congress and the American people for the support, and stated the resolve for victory in the war.[14]
Informal relations between the United States and Ukrainian nationalists date back to the early days of the Cold War, when the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) cooperated with the Ukrainian independence movement in the Soviet Union, many of whom were former fascist collaborators. In the early 1950s, the CIA dropped nearly 85 Ukrainian agents in a clandestine operation over Soviet territory, where they were supposed to spark a nationalist uprising in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. The operation proved a failure, however, and two-thirds of the agents were immediately captured or killed. The Americans, however, did not realize the failure of the operation until several years later.[15]
The United States enjoys cordially friendly and strategic relations with idependent Ukraine and attaches great importance to the success of Ukraine's transition to a democracy with a flourishing market economy.[citation needed] Following a period of economic decline characterized by high inflation and a continued reliance on state controls, the Ukrainian government began taking steps in the fall of 1999 to reinvigorate economic reform that had been stalled for years due to a lack of a reform majority in the Ukrainian parliament. The Ukrainian government's stated determination to implement comprehensive economic reform is a welcome development in the eyes of the US government, and the U.S. is committed to supporting Ukraine in continuing on this path. Bilateral relations suffered a setback in September 2002 when the federal government of the U.S. announced it had authenticated a recording of President Leonid Kuchma's July 2000 decision to transfer a Kolchuga early warning system to Iraq. The Government of Ukraine denied that the transfer had occurred. Ukraine's democratic Orange Revolution has led to closer cooperation and more open dialogue between Ukraine and the United States. U.S. policy remains centered on realizing and strengthening a democratic, prosperous, a primary recipient of FSA assistance. Total U.S. assistance since independence has been more than $3 billion. U.S. assistance to Ukraine is targeted to promote political and economic reform and to address urgent humanitarian needs. The U.S. has consistently encouraged Ukraine's transition to a democratic society with a prosperous market-based economy.
In November 2006, the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) selected Ukraine to be eligible to apply for compact assistance. Ukraine already participates in the MCC Threshold Program, and in December 2006 signed a $45 million Threshold Program agreement. This program, which began implementation in early 2007, aims to reduce corruption in the public sector through civil society monitoring and advocacy, judicial reform, increased government monitoring and enforcement of ethical and administrative standards, streamlining and enforcing regulations, and combating corruption in higher education. Ukraine is beginning the process of developing a Compact proposal, and successful implementation of the Threshold Program will be necessary before the MCC will enter into a Compact with Ukraine.
The U.S. maintains an embassy in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, and Ukraine maintains an embassy in the American capital Washington, D.C.
In addition to diplomatic support in its conflict with Russia, the U.S. provided Ukraine with US$1.5 billion in military aid from 2014 to 2019.[2] In 2021, The Sunday Times reported that the amount of military aid given was US$2.5 billion.[16]
In January 2022, the U.S. put 5,0008,500 troops on high alert as tensions escalated in the Russo-Ukrainian War,[17] expressing willingness to further help defend Ukraine before and when Russia launched its invasion a month later.[18][19] The United States provided nearly $1 billion in military aid to Ukraine in 2021 and 2022, up to the first week of the invasion.[11] Such aid included offensive weapons and sharing intelligence with the Ukrainian military.[12][20][21] Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly sent thanks to American leaders for the support.[22][23]
In the 2022 State of the Union Address, which was attended by Ukrainian Ambassador Oksana Markarova, U.S. President Joe Biden heavily criticized the invasion and pledged American support for Ukraine. American public opinion also heavily shifted towards supporting Ukraine following the invasion.[24]
In May 2022, the U.S. Senate confirmed Bridget Brink to serve as ambassador to coincide with the reopening of the US embassy in Kyiv after it had closed due to the invasion.[3] On December 21st, 2022 Zelenskyy made his first foreign trip since the invasion to Washington DC. After meeting with President Biden, he gave a speech to a joint session of congress. The speech included references to FDR's declaration of war on Japan and thanked the American congress and people for their support of Ukraine.[25]
During the Ukrainian independence movement, on August 1, 1991, then-U.S.-President George H. W. Bush made a speech critical of the movement which James Carafano subsequently described as "what may have been the worst speech ever by an American chief executive".[26]
On 18 February 2009 the Verkhovna Rada of Crimea sent a letter to the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the President of Ukraine in which it stated that it deemed it inexpedient to open a representative office of the United States in Crimea and it urged the Ukrainian leadership to give up this idea. The letter will also be sent[when?] to the Chairman of the UN General Assembly. The letter was passed in a 77 to 9 roll-call vote with one abstention.[27]
In 2012 the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations passed Resolution 466, calling for the unconditional release of political prisoner Yulia Tymoshenko and implemented a visa ban against those responsible.[28] The resolution condemned the administration of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych (in office: 20102014) and asked NATO to suspend all cooperative agreements with Ukraine.[29] In response, First Deputy General Prosecutor of Ukraine Renat Kuzmin wrote a letter to U.S. President Barack Obama, complaining that his visa was revoked.[30]
The Euromaidan protests resulted in the election of the pro-EU president Petro Poroshenko and then the Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation in 2014. Poroshenko requested military aid from the United States. President Barack Obama was reluctant to arm a relatively corrupt military that was recently used against anti-democracy protestors, and saw the mistaken shoot-down of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 by Russian-armed separatists as an example of the dangers of supplying arms to Ukraine.[11] Though the U.S. had sanctioned Russia and refused to recognize the annexation, after a year Obama declined to provide the requested lethal aid (such as FGM-148 Javelin anti-tank missiles and F-16 fighter jets.[11] The Obama administration did supply $600 million of non-lethal military aid from 2014 to 2016, including vehicles, training, body armor, and night-vision goggles.[11]
In 2017, President Donald Trump approved $47 million of Javelin anti-tank missile and missile launchers; these were not allowed to be deployed but kept in storage as a strategic deterrent against Russian invasion.[11]
In 2018 the U.S. House of Representatives passed a provision blocking any training of Azov Battalion of the Ukrainian National Guard by American forces, citing its neo-Nazi background. In previous years, between 2014 and 2017, the U.S. House of Representatives passed amendments banning support of Azov, but due to pressure from the Pentagon, the amendments were quietly lifted.[31][32][33]
On April 25, 2018, 57 members of the House of Representatives, led by Ro Khanna,[34] released a condemnation of Holocaust distortion in Ukraine.[35] They criticized Ukraine's 2015 memory laws glorifying Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) and its leaders, such as Roman Shukhevych.[36] The condemnation came in an open bipartisan letter to Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan.[37]
In summer 2019, Trump froze $400 million in military aid to Ukraine which had been approved by Congress,[11] an aid package which was the subject of a phone conversation that Trump had with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on July 25. On August 12, 2019, an anonymous whistleblower submitted a complaint to U.S. Inspector General Michael Atkinson that stated that Trump had allegedly attempted to pressure Zelenskyy into launching an investigation on former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, during the phone call.[38] On September 24, 2019, the United States House of Representatives initiated an impeachment inquiry against Trump.[39] Trump held a meeting with Zelenskyy in New York City on September 25 where both presidents stated that Zelenskyy had not been pressured during the July phone call and that nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.[40] Trump was impeached by the House, but later acquitted in the Senate trial and continued as President until the end of his term.
From May 2019 to May 2022 the USA did not have an ambassador to Ukraine.[41][42][3]
See more here:
UkraineUnited States relations - Wikipedia
Russia-Ukraine live news: Both Zelenskyy, Putin promise victory – Al Jazeera English
- Russia-Ukraine live news: Both Zelenskyy, Putin promise victory Al Jazeera English
- Zelensky says Russia waging war so Putin can stay in power 'until the end of his life' CNN
- Terror on New Years Eve: huge Russian missile attack kills one in Ukraine The Guardian
View post:
Russia-Ukraine live news: Both Zelenskyy, Putin promise victory - Al Jazeera English
Ukraine live war updates: Russian drone attack takes out power supplies …
Putin says situation extremely difficult in Russian-annexed Ukrainian regions
Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting of the Council for Strategic Development and National Projects, via video link at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow, Russia December 15, 2022.
Mikhail Metzel | Sputnik | Reuters
President Vladimir Putin said the situation in four areas of Ukraine that Moscow has declared are part of Russia was "extremely difficult" and ordered security services to step up surveillance to secure its borders and combat new threats.
Putin's comments made on Security Services Day, widely celebrated in Russia, came as Kyiv renewed calls for more weapons after Russian drones hit energy targets and as fears grow that Moscow's ally Belarus could open a new invasion front against Ukraine.
Putin ordered the Federal Security Services (FSB) to step up surveillance of Russian society and the country's borders to combat the "emergence of new threats" from abroad and traitors at home.
In a rare admission of the invasion of Ukraine not going smoothly, Putin cautioned about the difficult situation in Ukraine's regions that Moscow moved to annex in September and ordered the FSB to ensure the "safety" of people living there.
"The situation in the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics, in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions is extremely difficult,"Putin said late on Monday in comments translated by Reuters.
Reuters
The International Monetary Fund said on Monday it has approved a four-month program for Ukraine that is aimed at maintaining economic stability following Russia's invasion of the country, and helping promote donor financing.
It said the four-month "Program Monitoring with Board involvement (PMB)" was approved by the IMF's management on Dec. 9 and discussed by its board on Monday, adding that it will help Ukraine implement prudent policies and "catalyze" external financing.
"Large and predictable external financial support will be critical for the success of the authorities' strategy, and frontloaded disbursements would help address strains in early 2023," IMF First Deputy Managing Director Gita Gopinath said in a statement.
Gavin Gray, the IMF's mission chief for Ukraine, told reporters that the IMF estimates the country will need between $40 billion and $57 billion in external financing in 2023.
Reuters
Mon, Dec 19 20225:14 PM EST
Soldiers from the Ukrainian armed forces' 10th brigade move a T-72 tank forward as they attempt to repair a track, in the Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine on December 19, 2022.
Sameer Al-doumy | AFP | Getty Images
U.S.-Poland relations are affecting the Russian government's ability to carry out its unprovoked war in Ukraine, U.S. Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said.
During a meeting with Anna Moskwa, Polish minister of climate and environment, in Brussels on Monday, Adeyemo praised the nations' combined support for Ukraine and condemnation of Russia through sanctions, export controls and the $60 price cap on Russian seaborne oil devised by the G-7 countries, according to a readout.
The measures have effectively shut down Russian tank factories and weakened its finances and economic outlook, the officials said. Adeyemo also lauded Poland's commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and highlighted each nation's pledge to provide further aid to Ukraine.
Chelsey Cox
Mon, Dec 19 20224:21 PM EST
In this image provided by U.S. Cyber Command, Army Maj. Gen. William Hartman, who leads the U.S. Cyber National Mission Force, speaks during a ceremony at U.S. Cyber Command headquarters at Fort George E. Meade, Md., Monday, Dec. 19, 2022.
U.S. Cyber Command | AP
Russia's war in Ukraine and anti-regime protests in Iran limited both Moscow and Tehran's ability to try to influence or interfere in the recent U.S. midterm elections, a senior American military official said.
U.S. agencies were on high alert before November's vote for potential cyberattacks or foreign influence operations, particularly after adversaries were judged by intelligence agencies to have meddled in the last two presidential elections. But there was little sign of disruption in the midterms.
"I was surprised by the lack of activity we saw from the Russians, the Iranians, or the Chinese," said Army Maj. Gen. William Hartman, who leads the U.S. Cyber National Mission Force, which partners with the National Security Agency in detecting and stopping election intrusions.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has been mired in a prolonged war with tens of thousands of casualties since he ordered an invasion of Ukraine in February. And Iran's leaders are waging a bloody crackdown against street protests sparked by the September death of a 22-year-old woman, in one of the largest sustained challenges to their power since the 1979 revolution.
Associated Press
Mon, Dec 19 20223:32 PM EST
Economist Adewale "Wally" Adeyemo reacts as he testifies before the Senate Finance Committee during his confirmation hearing to be Deputy Secretary of the Treasury in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, in Washington, D.C., February 23, 2021.
Jim Lo Scalzo | Reuters
Deputy U.S. Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo and top officials in Germany renewed their nations' commitment to deprive Russian President Vladimir Putin of a funding source for his war in Ukraine through sanctions and the strategic price cap on Russian oil, according to a readout of the meetings.
Adeyemo congratulated Wolfgang Schmidt, German head of the federal chancellery; Susanne Baumann, state secretary of the federal foreign office; and Udo Philipp, state secretary of the federal ministry for economic affairs and climate action, on Sunday for reaching an agreement with the European Union to provide Ukraine an additional 18 billion euros in assistance and for imposing further sanctions on Russia.
The U.S. Treasury's deputy chief also encouraged joint efforts to hold Russia accountable and to help the Ukrainian government in a time of crisis.
Chelsey Cox
Mon, Dec 19 20222:42 PM EST
Flags of Moldova's breakaway region of Transdniestria and Russia flutter in central Tiraspol, in Moldova's breakaway region of Transdniestria May 5, 2022.
Vladislav Bachev | Reuters
Moldova's spy chief warned of a "very high" risk of a new Russian offensive towards his country's east next year and said Moscow still aimed to secure a land corridor through Ukraine to the breakaway Moldovan region of Transdniestria.
The comments by Alexandru Musteata, head of the Information and Security Service, echo recent messages out of Ukraine where top army generals have warned in recent days of the threat of a major new Russian offensive early next year.
"The question is not whether the Russian Federation will undertake a new advance towards Moldova's territory, but when it will do so," Musteata told the TVR-Moldova television channel.
He said his agency believed Russia was looking at several scenarios to reach Moldova and that it was possible an offensive would be launched in January-February or later in March-April.
Reuters
Mon, Dec 19 20221:50 PM EST
A worker walks past gas pipes that connect a Floating Storage and Regasification Unit ship with the main land in Wilhelmshaven, northern Germany on December 17, 2022. EU energy ministers are wrangling over a proposed price cap on gas.
Michael Sohn | Afp | Getty Images
Moscow lashed out in response to the European Union's natural gas price capping measure, an agreement which the bloc reached after months of negotiations.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the measure was an attack on market pricing and "unacceptable," Reuters reported, citing Russia's Interfax news agency.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine anda subsequentrush by the EU to end its heavy relianceon Russian gashas contributed to an energy crunch that has sent prices sharply higher and led to market volatility.
Natasha Turak
Mon, Dec 19 202212:59 PM EST
European Union energy ministers agreed to a "dynamic" cap on natural gas prices Monday after two months of intense negotiations.
Introducing a limit on gas prices has been controversial for European officials. While many EU member states have argued that the measure is essential to bring down sky-high energy costs for consumers, others have worried about the potential market implications of the policy.
"We did our job, we have the deal. Another mission impossible accomplished," Jozef Sikela, industry minister of the Czech Republic, which holds the presidency of the Council of the EU, said in a press conference.
Energy ministers overcame their differences and agreed to what they're calling a market correction mechanism. It will be automatically activated under two conditions: If front-month gas contracts exceed 180 euros ($191) per megawatt hour on the Dutch Title Transfer Facility Europe's main benchmark for natural gas prices for three working days in a row; and the price is 35 euros higher than a reference price for liquid natural gas on global markets for the same period.
The measure will apply from Feb. 15. When applied, it will set a "dynamic bidding limit" on natural gas futures transactions for 20 working days.
Read the full story here.
Jenni Reid
Mon, Dec 19 202212:54 PM EST
Robert Habeck, Germany's economy and climate minister, left, Olaf Scholz, Germany's chancellor and Christian Lindner, Germany's finance minister, on the Jetty during the inauguration of the Hoegh Esperanza LNG floating storage regasification unit (FSRU) at the Wilhelmshaven LNG Terminal, operated by sniper SE, in Wilhelmshaven, Germany, on Saturday, Dec. 17, 2022. Germany opened its first state-chartered liquefied natural gas vessel as Europes largest economy races to replace Russian gas amid an energy crunch and freezing temperatures. Photographer: Liesa Johannssen/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Liesa Johansson | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Shareholders of German energy company Uniper approved a rescue package for the gas supplier, clearing the way for its nationalization.
The government announced its plan to nationalize Uniper in September, expanding state intervention in the power sector to prevent an energy shortage resulting from Russia's war in Ukraine. The deal built on an initial rescue package agreed to in July and features a capital increase of 8 billion euros ($8.5 billion) that Germany will finance.
As part of the agreement, the government will gain a nearly 99% stake in the energy supplier, which before now was controlled by Finland-based Fortum. The Finnish government has the largest stake in Fortum.
Uniper said its shareholders "approved the proposed capital measures by a large majority" at an extraordinary general meeting on Monday.
The European Commission's approval under state aid law "is expected in the near future," it said.
Associated Press
Mon, Dec 19 20228:58 AM EST
MINSK, BELARUS - DECEMBER 19: (RUSSIA OUT) Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko (R) seen during the welcoming ceremony at the Palace of Independence on December 19, 2022, in Minsk, Belarus.
Contributor | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Russian President Vladimir Putin landed in Minsk for talks with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Russian state media reported Monday afternoon.
The meeting, Putin's first to the Belarusian capital since 2019, comes amid increasing fears that Moscow may be pushing its ally to increase its military involvement in the war.
Speaking to Russian news agencies earlier Monday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov called Belarus Russia's "number one ally," but said that suggestions that Moscow wanted to pressure Minsk into joining the conflict were "stupid and unfounded fabrications."
Karen Gilchrist
Mon, Dec 19 20228:49 AM EST
U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is in the Latvian capital of Riga to meet with other members of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), a U.K.-led alliance of European militaries that share tactical knowledge and conduct joint training exercises to increase interoperability.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (L) attends a bilateral meeting with Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins (R) at the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) countries leaders' meeting in Riga, Latvia December 19, 2022.
Henry Nicholls | AFP | Getty Images
He is set to announce a new artillery package for Ukraine and urge other member nations to continue their support for Ukraine. He will meet British troops in neighboring Estonia later in the day.
Ahead of the visit, Sunak said in a statement: "From the Arctic Circle to the Isle of Wight, the U.K. and our European allies have been in lockstep in our response to the invasion ofUkraine, and we remain steadfast in our ambition for peace in Europe once again ... I know this Joint Expeditionary Force summit will only underline our close friendships and unwavering support for Ukraine."
The JEF includesthe U.K., Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden.
Natasha Turak
Mon, Dec 19 20227:11 AM EST
The Kremlin on Monday rejected suggestions that President Vladimir Putin's visit to Belarus signals a ramping up of Minsk's involvement in the war.
Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with members of the government via a video link at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow, Russia, December 14, 2022.
Sputnik | Reuters
Russia's RIA Novosti news agency reported Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying the reports were "groundless" and "stupid," hours before Putin was due to arrive in the Belarusian capital.
Putin's visit Monday afternoon marks his first to the ex-Soviet ally in more than three years, and comes as Belarus' defense ministry said it had finalized a series of inspections of its armed forces' military preparedness.
Karen Gilchrist
Mon, Dec 19 20226:19 AM EST
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday called on Western leaders meeting in Latvia to provide a wide range of weapons systems in Kyiv's ongoing war with Russia, Reuters reported.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is displayed on a screen as he speaks via video link during a Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) plenary session in Riga, Latvia December 19, 2022.
Henry Nicholls | Afp | Getty Images
"I ask you to increase the possibility of supplying air defense systems to our country, and to help speed up the relevant decisions to be taken by our partners," Zelenskyy asked during his speech via video link to the leaders meeting in Riga.
Western allies, including Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden, are meeting in the Baltic nation for the British-led grouping Monday.
Karen Gilchrist
Mon, Dec 19 20226:16 AM EST
Belarus' defense ministry said Monday it had finalized a series of inspections of its armed forces' military preparedness, signaling a potential shift to a more active role in the conflict, Reuters reported.
Russian ally Belarus, which acted as a staging post for Moscow to launch its invasion ofUkrainein February, has been undertaking a string of military maneuvers over recent weeks.
View post:
Ukraine live war updates: Russian drone attack takes out power supplies ...