Latest Articles about Europe
Soviet Chekists, Slavic Fist, and the Medvedev-Yanukovych Declaration on Transnistria
Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev, and his Ukrainian counterpart, Viktor Yanukovych, issued a joint declaration on the Transnistria conflict during Medvedev’s May 17 visit in Kyiv (www.kremlin.ru, May 17).The event fortuitously coincided with the Transnistria KGB’s anniversary celebrations in Tiraspol. Proposed by the Russians and accepted... MORE
Moscow Seeks to Remove Restraints on Naval Base Upgrade in Ukraine
Ukrainian President, Viktor Yanukovych, has dismissed reports about the possible basing of Russian naval units in Mykolayiv, Odessa, and the Danube estuary, as “fantasies” (Interfax-Ukraine, www.news.ru, May 13).Such reports have leaked out of the preparatory work for Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev’s, May 17-18 visit to... MORE
Biden Proposes Moving Beyond the CFE Treaty
US Vice-President, Joseph Biden’s, landmark article (Biden Proposes New Tasks for the OSCE, EDM, May 14) also heralds new US proposals on conventional arms control in Europe. These would seek to improve military transparency through exchanges of military data and on-site visits. According to Biden,... MORE
Vice President Biden Envisions New Tasks for the OSCE
The Obama administration is about to launch policy initiatives regarding Europe’s eastern neighborhood and conventional arms control in Europe. US Vice-President Joseph Biden has unveiled a number of ideas through the May 6 New York Times/International Herald Tribune article, “Advancing Europe’s Security,” under his byline.Biden’s... MORE
Ukraine Wary of Putin’s Proposal to Merge National Gas Companies
The Ukrainian government and opposition alike have reacted coolly to Russian Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin’s, April 30 proposal to merge the two countries’ national gas companies, Naftohaz Ukrainy and Gazprom. The government apparently does not see many benefits from such a move and hesitates, afraid... MORE
Shift to Soviet-Russian National Identity in Ukraine
The Viktor Yanukovych administration is undertaking a radical overhaul of Ukraine’s national identity that turns its back not only on the Yushchenko era, but also on two earlier presidents. All three presidents promoted Ukrainophile national identity that was based on the doyen of Ukrainian historiography,... MORE
Ukraine’s Leaders Trying to Resist Gazprom-Naftohaz “Merger”
Russian Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin’s, April 30 proposal to “merge” Ukraine’s national energy company Naftohaz with Gazprom (EDM, May 5) has stunned the new Ukrainian authorities. During an entire week after the proposal’s airing President, Viktor Yanukovych, and Prime Minister, Nikolai Azarov, have arrogated to... MORE
“Tired” Lukashenka Ready to Run for Re-election
While the date of the next presidential election in Belarus has not been determined definitively –February 6, 2011 has been mentioned as a possibility– Belarusian President, Alyaksandr Lukashenka, during a visit to the Homel’ region, declared that “a very hard campaign” awaits him because “some... MORE
Putin Calls For Naftohaz Ukrainy-Gazprom Gas Merger
Russian Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin, has proposed a “merger“of Ukraine’s national energy company Naftohaz Ukrainy with Russia’s Gazprom. The proposal emerged during Putin’s April 30 meeting with Ukrainian Prime Minister, Nikolai Azarov, in Sochi (ITAR-TASS, April 30). It was the seventh meeting, by most counts,... MORE
Hungarian Government and MOL Positioning for a Solution With Surgut
At its annual meeting of shareholders on April 29, Hungarian MOL oil and gas company cemented its defense against a possible takeover move by Russian Surgutneftegaz. With corporate and legal defenses in place, and a new Hungarian government firmly installed after the landslide election victory,... MORE