With the Communist Party still the strongest by far in society and holding almost half the seats in the new parliament, Moldova's post-communist transition becomes peculiarly complicated. The crucial question is whether the transition can be managed together with the Communist Party in a broad-based... MORE

Almost 20 years after Eastern Europe embarked on the post-communist transition, Moldova has a chance to start that process in earnest after the repeat parliamentary elections held on July 29. The repeat elections' outcome is almost as indecisive as that of the April 5 elections.... MORE

Moldova's nominal Communist Party has won the parliamentary elections yet again on July 29, far ahead of the other parties. These elections were a repeat of the elections held on April 5, which the nominally Liberal opposition had refused to recognize as valid, in contrast... MORE

On July 27 the Kommersant daily, citing diplomatic sources, said that Ukraine intended to expel the Russian General Consul in Odessa, Oleksandr Grachov. The Ukrainian authorities have long accused the consulate of involvement in the illegal distribution of Russian passports to Crimean citizens. Kommersant described... MORE

U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden's visit to Ukraine (EDM, July 28) underscored the shift from enthusiastic support of Euro-Atlantic integration goals to conditional support, depending on Ukraine's own performance. Dubbed "tough love," this revision in U.S. policy was long in the making, but had not received... MORE

U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden held out prospects for a revitalized and expanded relationship with Ukraine during his July 20-22 visit to Kyiv (and Georgia on the next leg). A prompt follow-up to President Barack Obama's July 6-7 Moscow visit, the vice-president's trip was designed to... MORE

The visit by U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden to Kyiv on July 21-22 was a strenuous test of his diplomatic skills. He needed to avoid the political land mines separating Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko and his nemesis, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko as well as present a... MORE

President Viktor Yushchenko announced his bid for a second term on July 18 defying pundits who believed his low popularity of 2-3 percent would deter him (www.president.gov.ua, July 18). Yushchenko used the highest peak in Ukraine - Hoverla in the Carpathians - to declare his... MORE

European Commission (EC) and Ukrainian government experts will meet in Kiev on July 24 to discuss Ukraine's request for a loan to pump Russian gas into underground reservoirs for the winter. As the Naftohaz Ukrainy state-controlled oil and gas behemoth is nearly bankrupt, Ukraine has... MORE

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) completed the second review of its stabilization program for Ukraine on July 10. A visiting IMF delegation recommended that the IMF board grant Ukraine the third $3.3 billion tranche of the $16.4 billion stand-by loan. Kyiv received the previous two... MORE