Latest Articles about Europe's East
Jubilant Medvedev Praises Yanukovych and Threatens Lukashenka
Yesterday, Moscow achieved one of its most important long-term strategic goals –to secure a continued military presence in Ukraine by keeping its base in Sevastopol, Crimea. During a summit in Kharkov in Eastern Ukraine, Presidents Viktor Yanukovych and Dmitry Medvedev signed a barter agreement that... MORE
Belarus: Open for Business?
In early April, the reputable Business Week magazine focused on the Belarusian economy with a laudatory article that suggested the country had become a virtual Mecca for foreign investors. Belarus, it noted, has risen dramatically on the World Bank’s list based on the “ease of... MORE
Opposition Slams Yanukovych for Promising to Renounce Highly Enriched Uranium
Ukrainian President, Viktor Yanukovych, promised his US counterpart, Barack Obama, to renounce the nation’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium (HEU) during their meeting on the fringes of the nuclear security summit in Washington on April 12. In return, Washington offered financial and technical assistance, in... MORE
Ruling Coalition to Expand Following Approval by Constitutional Court
The Ukrainian constitutional court on April 8 approved the formation of the pro-presidential coalition in parliament in early March. The main controversy was over the right of individual people’s deputies to join the coalition against the will of their caucuses. The court decided that deputies... MORE
Kyiv Considers Unpopular Measures to Qualify for Additional Loans
As an International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission completed its work in Ukraine on April 2, Kyiv hopes to secure additional loans. The cabinet of Prime Minister, Mykola Azarov, badly needs such loans not only in order to fill gaps in the state budget, but also... MORE
Oil “Export” Duties: a Peculiarity of the Russian-Led Customs Union
The Russian government is apparently moving to operationalize the nominal “union state” with Belarus through a process of economic absorption. Accession to the Russia-Belarus-Kazakhstan Customs Union is not protecting Belarus against this process.Russia’s introduction of export duties on refined oil products and “petrochemical raw material”... MORE
Belarus Sues Russia in the CIS Economic Court
In a precedent-setting move, Belarus is suing Russia in the CIS Economic Court. The case at hand concerns Russian export duties on refined oil products and “petrochemical raw materials” to Belarus. The procedure could open the way for recourse to the CIS Economic Court on... MORE
Ukrainian Government Examines Belarusian Model of Gas Trade With Russia
Ukraine’s newly elected President, Viktor Yanukovych, and the new government clamored for low-priced Russian gas from their first day in office. As an opening gambit they called for a price similar to that paid by Belarus; or in the worst case somewhat higher at $200... MORE
Ukrainian Government Reconsiders Gas Policy
Based upon the record of the last eight years, Ukrainian governments and industrialists linked to them have sought deep discounts on the price of Russian gas in two ways, both ultimately self-defeating.One way would allow Russia’s Gazprom to control Ukraine’s gas transit system through some... MORE
Ukraine’s Old-New Siloviki
The 2006 constitution, like its 1996 predecessor, gives the president the right to appoint the Foreign and Defense Ministers, Chairman of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), Prosecutor-General, and the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council (NRBO). Candidates for the first four posts... MORE