Latest Articles about Europe
UKRAINIAN AUTHORITIES FILE CRIMINAL CHARGES OF SEPARATISM
On June 22-23 the Ukrainian Prosecutor-General's Office finally introduced the first criminal charges of separatism against two eastern Ukrainian leaders: Viktor Tykhonov, head of the Luhansk oblast council, and Yevhen Kushnariov, the former governor of Kharkiv oblast. Both men opposed Viktor Yushchenko in the 2004... MORE
MOSCOW REFUSES TO RATIFY BORDER TREATY WITH ESTONIA
On June 20, a special session of the Estonian parliament ratified the Russia-Estonia treaty that defines the border between the two countries. Ministers of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov and Urmas Paet had signed the treaty on May 18 in Moscow after nearly a decade of... MORE
PEOPLE’S UNION-OUR UKRAINE MAKES SURPRISING CHOICE TO LEAD KYIV BRANCH
On June 18, President Viktor Yushchenko's new "party of power," People's Union-Our Ukraine (NS-NU), finally held its inaugural congress. Speculation had been rife that Kyiv Mayor Oleksandr Omelchenko would become head of the Kyiv branch of NS-NU, but that did not happen. The Kyiv branch... MORE
THIS YEAR, UKRAINE’S GAS WOES BEGIN EARLY
Ukraine's ability to pay for natural gas is already severely stressed on both the Russian and the Turkmen fronts. Ukraine's own, growing budget deficit has contributed to that stress. On June 20, Turkmenistan publicized the scolding administered that same day by President Saparmurat Niyazov to... MORE
MOLDOVA ELEGANTLY DISPOSES OF THE POROSHENKO-YUSCHENKO PLAN
With President Viktor Yushchenko's name pro forma on its cover, the flawed Ukrainian conflict-settlement plan for Moldova/Transnistria seems to have met an early demise in Moldova's parliament. In a respectful tenor toward the Ukrainian president, with whom official Chisinau seeks the best possible relations, the... MORE
UKRAINE BENDS MARKET ECONOMICS FOR ENERGY SUPPLY DIVERSIFICATION
Ukrainian officials continue what look like almost frantic attempts to diversify oil and gas supply sources in order to reduce dependence on Russian supplies (see EDM, May 18, 19, 23, June 11). Driven mainly by reasons of state, these efforts seem to overlook market economic... MORE
CHAIR SHAKY UNDER UKRAINE’S CHIEF PROSECUTOR
"I will go! I am fed up!" Ukrainian Prosecutor-General Sviatyslav Piskun declared during a call-in at the Fakty newspaper on Friday, June 17. "I think one should discuss things like that with the president before making statements," President Viktor Yushchenko said, reacting to Piskun's words... MORE
BELARUS OPPOSITION DEBATES TACTICS
The question of nominating a single candidate from the opposition forces to face Alexander Lukashenka in the prospective 2006 presidential election has elicited serious debate in Belarus. Plainly there is a lack of consensus about the procedure and the choice of potential candidates. The Belarusian... MORE
SOCIAL DEMOCRAT-UNITED LEADER MEDVEDCHUK AWAITS HIS FATE
In an interview long promised but only given yesterday (June 16) to Ukrayinska pravda, Social Democratic Party of Ukraine-United (SDPUo) leader Viktor Medvedchuk was asked if he was ready to flee abroad, like many of his pro-Leonid Kuchma allies. He replied, "No, under no circumstances.... MORE
WASHINGTON CONCERNED UKRAINE MAY NOT JOIN WTO THIS YEAR
During President Viktor Yushchenko's April visit to Washington, he enumerated three goals to be achieved this year: joining the WTO, lifting the Jackson-Vanik trade restrictions, and obtaining free-market economy status. The prospects for attaining the first two goals are doubtful, at least by the end... MORE