Russia announces plans for second aid convoy to Ukraine
Source: euronews
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said that Moscow wants to send a second humanitarian aid convoy to eastern Ukraine.
“Yesterday we sent an official note to Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry informing them of our intention to prepare a new humanitarian convoy,” Lavrov told a news conference.
Moscow faced sharp criticism from Kyiv and the West for sending some 20,000 tonnes of emergency supplies to Luhansk last week without official permission.
Talks between Russia, Ukraine and the EU are set to take place in the Belarusian capital Minsk on Tuesday (26 August).
Read more: http://www.euronews.com/2014/08/25/russia-announces-plans-for-second-aid-convoy-to-ukraine/
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bemildred
(90,061 posts)A Ukrainian military spokesman said on Monday that Russian forces "in the guise of" separatist rebels had crossed into south-east Ukraine with ten tanks and two armored infantry vehicles, aiming to open a new front in the separatist war.
"This morning there was an attempt by the Russian military in the guise of Donbass fighters to open a new area of military confrontation in the southern Donetsk region," spokesman Andriy Lysenko told journalists.
Earlier, a separate military statement said Ukrainian border guards had engaged an armored column near the town of Novoazovsk on the Azov Sea in south-east Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Russia wants to send a second humanitarian aid convoy to eastern Ukraine in the near future, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday after Kyiv and the West criticized Moscow for sending the first cargo without official permission.
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/europe/140825/ukraine-accuses-russian-forces-opening-new-front-separatist-war-
bemildred
(90,061 posts)MOSCOW, Russia — A Russian humanitarian convoy that boosted tensions to unprecedented levels between Russia and Ukraine crossed uneventfully back into Russia on Saturday, having reportedly delivered its cargo to a war-torn rebel stronghold in eastern Ukraine and neutralized fears it was a clandestine military invasion.
Ukrainian officials had decried the convoy of more than 220 trucks — which on Friday crossed a rebel-controlled border point without approval from Kyiv or the International Committee of the Red Cross — as a “direct invasion” of their country.
Ukraine’s Western allies had likewise warned Moscow against unilaterally deploying the caravan of white tractor-trailers, suggesting the move was aimed at resupplying rebels and thereby infringed on Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
But Saturday’s delivery to the besieged city of Luhansk — currently in the throws of what Moscow has cast as a “humanitarian crisis” amid heavy shelling — seemingly ended as quickly as it began, without any of the provocations critics feared would serve as a pretext for Russian military involvement.
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/europe/140823/russian-aid-convoy-returns-home-from-ukraine
bemildred
(90,061 posts)MOSCOW: Russia complained Monday of a failure to release details of the investigation into the Malaysian jet that crashed in Ukraine in July, accusing international investigators of lack of transparency.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov queried why the recordings from the plane’s black boxes had not been released publicly and said he had the impression that “everyone else has lost interest in the investigation.”
Dutch investigators leading the probe said early this month that they would release an initial report “in a few weeks.”
A Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 exploded over insurgent-held east Ukraine on July 17, killing all 298 on board, with the West accusing Russia-backed separatists of shooting it down and Moscow blaming Kiev.
http://www.manilatimes.net/breaking_news/russia-claims-mh17-crash-investigation-stalled/
elias49
(4,259 posts)bemildred
(90,061 posts)MOSCOW - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday that parading Ukrainian prisoners of war through a baying crowd in a rebel-held city was not demeaning.
"I saw images of that parade and I didn't see anything close to what could be considered as humiliating," Lavrov said at a news conference.
---
The move was seen as a riposte to Independence Day celebrations and a military parade in Kiev on Sunday, and appeared to recall the infamous World War II event in 1944 when Soviet soldiers marched thousands of defeated German troops through Moscow.
As in 1944, cleaning trucks followed the captives in Donetsk, spraying water to "cleanse" the streets after they had passed.
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/376339/news/world/russia-nothing-humiliating-in-publicly-parading-ukraine-pows
bemildred
(90,061 posts)LONDON—As political tensions between Ukraine and Russia continue to build, Ukraine's currency remains under selling pressure against the dollar.
NATO officials said Friday that Russia has been using artillery against Ukraine forces, as the latest development of a months-old conflict in which Kiev's forces are fighting against Russian-backed separatists from several cities in the country's east.
http://online.wsj.com/articles/ukraines-hryvnia-under-pressure-as-geopolitical-tensions-build-1408972718?tesla=y&mg=reno64-wsj&url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203293204580113471763968394.html
bemildred
(90,061 posts)KIEV
At least 250 pro-Russian separatists, including many “mercenaries” have been killed in clashes with the Ukrainian army in the eastern part of the country on Sunday, the Kiev government claims.
Ukrainian anti-terror operations press service said Monday that two voluntary groups killed 90 pro-Russian separatists in Ilovaysk city in the Donetsk Province where severe fighting continues since August 18.
The Ukrainian army killed 10 Russian mercenaries and destroyed a gun store controlled by pro-Russian separatists.
Separately, 150 “mercenaries” were killed after the pro-Russian separatists convoy was bombed in Olenivka city in Donetsk, the statement said, adding that in the operation, seven tanks and heavy artillery were also destroyed.
http://www.aa.com.tr/en/rss/378757--at-least-250-pro-russian-separatists-killed-in-ukraine
The Magistrate
(95,241 posts)This sounds like the same area where the secessionists were claiming Sunday to have encircled thousands of Ukrainian troops, hundreds of Ukrainian armor vehicles and artillery pieces, as reported in Russia Times. This report from Kiev, while of course it may not be wholly accurate either, at least shows more restraint, and respect for the audience it seeks to convince, than the latest secessionist claims have.
bemildred
(90,061 posts)Although I always view these body counts with skepticism, I have no doubts that the dead are piling up.
The Magistrate
(95,241 posts)United Nations figures are a lagging indicator, but they suggest that prior to this weekend, no more than three thousand people had been killed, and that including military and civilian deaths on both sides. Indeed, one of the features of this, which makes a good deal of the 'colossal war-crime' claims regarding cities held by the secessionists ring awfully tinny, is that this seems a pretty low intensity thing over-all, by both current and historical standards. All suffering is individual, certainly, and it is no consolation to any who have lost loved ones to point out few others have, but it still matters in weighting an event against others current.
It does seem in this instance, at least, the secessionists are being far more hysterical and creative than Kiev, and an old rule of thumb is that the wilder the claims, the worse the situation of the claimant. People who are doing well, or at least think they are, can afford to come nearer the truth.
"The dead know only that it is better to be alive."
bemildred
(90,061 posts)I see little to choose from among the participants in this dispute when it comes to refusing to exaggerate and mis-construe.
The Magistrate
(95,241 posts)Surest way to tie yourself in knots and look flat ridiculous is to use a double standard is assessing behavior.
cosmicone
(11,014 posts)Kyiv keeps spreading rumors after rumors which cannot be substantiated later.
bemildred
(90,061 posts)Better a barrage of bullshit them the simple, sorry truth. One sees such attempts here all the time.
However, to be fair, it is not some novel invention of the government in Kiev, and they don't seem all that good at it to me.
bemildred
(90,061 posts)One news report describes the life-changing effect of the EuroMaidan protests on European journalists who covered them. Another features the plight of the Yazidis in northern Iraq. A third cites Russia lowering its economy forecast amid sanctions from the West. And in between, professional promos herald "Ukraine's European ambitions."
This is the world’s newest 24-hour English-language network, Ukraine Today, which launched on Ukraine's Independence Day yesterday.
Amid the ongoing information war between Russia and Ukraine, the new channel promises to take viewers “beyond the headlines” with commitment to "Honesty," "Freedom," and "Rule of Law." But even with a Ukrainian perspective largely absent from the English-speaking media, it is unclear whether there is space for yet another player on an already crowded playing field.
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2014/0825/Ukraine-Today-jumps-into-the-Ukraine-Russia-media-war
Elmergantry
(884 posts)Who are NOT involoved in the fighting...no sir, nooo way!
[link:http://khpg.org.ua/en/index.php?id=1408977961|
The Magistrate
(95,241 posts)amandabeech
(9,893 posts)Merkel obviously wants to get this settled, perhaps before heating season begins. However, there isn't much on the surface to indicate that either Poroshenko or Putin are ready to be serious in negotiations, particularly Putin. This war is hurting Ukraine more than Russia, and that may suit Putin very well. Fighting may drag into the late fall, fester over the winter months, and then break out again with spring 2015 offensives by both parties.
This could become just a normal feature of politics in Europe, and everyone will just make adjustments around it.
bemildred
(90,061 posts)And I expect a transcript of that meeting would provide a lot of clarity.
Putin will negotiate when he gets what he wants. You are correct, he can live with this. We will have humanitarian aid convoys weekly, now, and that will relieve a lot of pressure on the Rebels. Which is, mind you, a good thing, for the people who live there, just as in Gaza.
I will hazard that Ukraine would like to get more and better help from "the West" than it has gotten so far. I will hazard that "the West" is fine with it grinding along like this too, so you would be right about that, except that Putin will tighten the screws in the Winter, and the Kiev government may not survive that long as things are. Certainly it will need more and better help than it is getting so far. And money. Lots of money, for the long haul.
The policy of the US and EU has been feckless in my view. Neither willing to be realistic based on the facts on the ground or willing to invest enough time or resources to have some likelihood of changing those facts. Lot's of long-range mouth-fighting and ducking of issues. Merkel has been pusillanimous for example, in my view.
amandabeech
(9,893 posts)forcing Ukraine into an association agreement with Putin's Eurasian Partnership, but it doesn't sound like Poroshenko is all that eager. Maybe this is the best that Ukraine can get from Germany. As you say, the West has been all talk and no action with respect to Ukraine. Putin clearly does not have a modern, Western view of borders. Maybe Merkel is modern only when it helps her. If I were Latvian, say, I would not be happy with this talk.
I'm not sure about this publication, but the article is interesting. I recommend reading the entire article. There isn't much fat on it.
http://euobserver.com/foreign/125331
Merkel: Ukraine can go to Eurasian Union
Today @ 13:25
By Valentina Pop and Andrew Rettman
BRUSSELS - Germany’s Angela Merkel has said Ukraine is free to “go to” Russia’s “Eurasian Union”, amid signs of a new willingness to make peace with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
*snip*
"I want to find a way, as many others do, which does not damage Russia. We [Germany] want to have good trade relations with Russia as well. We want reasonable relations with Russia. We are depending on one another and there are so many other conflicts in the world where we should work together, so I hope we can make progress”.
*snip*
For his part, Poroshenko, who was elected on the back of a pro-Western revolution in February, has already signed an EU free trade deal (DCFTA) and has promised to ratify it in September before general elections.
The DCFTA legally obliges Ukraine to stay out of the Customs Union.
*snip*
But he added the EU "would have nothing against" some form of Ukrainian association with Russia after the conflict in east Ukraine ends.
bemildred
(90,061 posts)I see it in my news feeds, and wouldn't hesitate to use it.
That is indeed interesting. Merkel is PM of Germany, hence gets pressure from all sides in this. It is precisely her vacillation and tendency to talk nice to whomever is bothering her today that I complain about.
Poroshenko does not want to make up with Russia before he has the East under control. He wants to be in a better negotiating position, and I infer that he is not where he wants to be yet from how he is handling the runup to these meetings. He did well to call snap elections. It may not help him much, but it's worth a try and the right thing to do.
It would not surprise me at all if Germany got tired of this.
amandabeech
(9,893 posts)but that's just not looking likely any time soon. I believe that the fighting will become absolutely vicious in the autumn as each side looks for its best winter position.
The US seems to have abandoned much participation here in favor of Merkel, and has concentrated on the Middle East, as it usually does. Our interests in the Middle East include making sure that Israel isn't pushed into the Eastern Med, and that the oil keeps flowing through the Straits of Hormuz. I don't think that ISIS or whatever they're calling themselves is going to effect either of these interests. The Israelis take care of themselves (often going too far, IMHO) and the Shias will hold ISIS out of the Gulf oil fields. Not much oil has been coming out of Kirkuk for some time.
Russia is a constant problem, and can cause a lot of trouble for us if it wants because it still has a global reach and is always ready to make common cause with the many nations that really don't like us, including those in our hemisphere. European economic problems inevitably affect us, particularly through the finance system.
Then there is the general reputational problem we have if we do not follow through and support the idea of self-determination and the rise of a modern, democratic state on the borders of our treaty allies. We will be trusted less if we let Merkel just throw Ukraine away to the Russians when it seems that the majority of Ukrainians don't want to go that way. I'm probably being far too idealistic here, but I don't think that we should throw away a chance to improve our reputation and do the right thing.
bemildred
(90,061 posts)And pretty much yes to all that you just said there too. Neither side will be allowed to fail, neither given enough to win, and Merkel and her friends and enemies both would like it to go away now. Your classic proxy war, perhaps later to be a "frozen conflict".
I tend to share your thinking about ISIS, but I think they will be hard to suppress, because conventional force is just not very good at that. Something will have to be done about their outside inputs of men and money.
What comes after Iran's victory over ISIS, should it go that way deserves some thought too. That could be a big boost for Iran's stature in the region, and end any pretense of Assad going away, or Hezbollah, or Hamas.
amandabeech
(9,893 posts)The Shia are a minority, but they've held their own for hundreds of years. Even Saudi Arabia may be required to be nicer to their Shia minority, which of course sits on top of most of the Saudi oil, if the Shia fighters hold off ISIS. It may be a delicate balance for the Saudis, considering that private Saudi money probably is going into ISIS coffers, and for us, considering our commitment to Israel.
Assad may be a creep, but the world still has a lot of creeps running countries. I give him credit for reasonable treatment of Christian and Druze minorities, which is something that other rulers in the area do not do well. Perhaps we should cut him a little slack and see how that goes.
The country that concerns me is Turkey. My personal experience with Turks affects my attitude, and reflects some of the movements in that country. They are a tough, tough bunch of people who really have but a thin facade of modernism, even among those who still worship Kemal Ataturk. They are building at least one big dam in their Kurdish area on the Tigris or Euphrates (can't remember which) with about as much regard as China has for its downstream neighbors. They could end up fighting the Shia over water supplies.
Hezbollah and Hamas. Sigh.
bemildred
(90,061 posts)I think the first thing would be to get everybody who is not the President or his minon to stop meddling in foreign policy. Fat chance.
amandabeech
(9,893 posts)bemildred
(90,061 posts)The eurozone’s flatlining economy took another hit on Monday when data showed German business sentiment sagging for the fourth consecutive month. Chancellor Angela Merkel attributed some of her own country’s decline in the second quarter to the Russia-Ukraine crisis, over which tit-for-tat sanctions threaten trade. The Munich-based Ifo, a research firm, echoed some of those sentiments as it reported its business climate index, based on a monthly survey of some 7,000 companies, fell to a worse-than-expected 106.3 from 108, the lowest level in more than a year. The findings agreed with data earlier in the month on the second-quarter contraction in Germany, the bloc’s biggest economy. Klaus Wohlrabe, an Ifo economist, said his institute expected growth in Germany to be “close to zero” in the third quarter.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/26/business/international/crisis-in-ukraine-drags-economy-in-germany.html?_r=0
That's what's bothering Merkel. Germany is not at all united behind the "get Russia" mentality, and the economic costs are starting to bite.
amandabeech
(9,893 posts)and provide much support for Merkel and her party, and I'm sure that they think that they can handle the Russian bear and that the Russian government will never harm them.
U.S. businesses have thought that about China, and many still do. However, the current Chinese leaders are not as friendly as Dung who was trying to get things going in a backward country. Current rulers do not feel the need to entice businesses and seem to be ready to play hardball with neighbors and with the US.
I think that foreign businesses in Russia and China may need to make plans to survive a less welcoming climate long term, because I'm sure that the governments of Russia and China are making plans, too.
