Section: News & Summaries

      Germany and Europe’s Security: Normalisation is Overdue

      Germany has gradually assumed an increasing share of European leadership in recent years. Now it needs to take more responsibility for the Continent’s security. Europe’s post-Cold War order feels increasingly under siege. The embers of the Eurozone crisis still smoulder quietly in Greece, and its fallout stifles economic growth and...

      U.S. Ambassador Pyatt and Commander of U.S. SpecOps Command Europe visited Ukraine Special Ops Forces at Khmelnitsky
      Jan28

      U.S. Ambassador Pyatt and Commander of U.S. SpecOps Command Europe visited Ukraine Special Ops Forces at Khmelnitsky

      U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt joined Maj. Gen. Gregory J. Lengyel, Commander of U.S. Special Operations Command Europe (SOCEUR), visited Khmelnytskyi, where U.S. forces from the 10th Special Forces Group are training Ukrainian special operations forces as part of the Joint Multinational Training Group – Ukraine (JMTG-U) During...

      In Ukraine, Putin Tries to Cash In Before Luck Runs Out
      Jan27

      In Ukraine, Putin Tries to Cash In Before Luck Runs Out

      Ukraine has become the object of high-stakes diplomacy. This does not mean that fighting has stopped—quite the opposite. Russian forces continue to launch probes and violate the cease-fire agreement; they have substantially reinforced themselves, as have the Ukrainian forces arrayed against them. Nevertheless, a major diplomatic campaign is...

      Making Sense of Minsk: Decentralization, Special Status, and Federalism
      Jan27

      Making Sense of Minsk: Decentralization, Special Status, and Federalism

      Decentralization, special status, and federalism. These terms are three different things, although they are often mistakenly substituted one for another, and some people think one term means another in Ukraine today.The decentralization debate is heating up again as Ukraine faces a legal deadline to pass a constitutional amendment that gives the...

      Not So Fast, Mr. Inozemtsov
      Jan26

      Not So Fast, Mr. Inozemtsov

      Responding to an article that Ambassadors Steven Pifer, William Taylor, and I wrote in The New York Times advocating greater US and EU assistance to Ukraine, Vladislav Inozemtsov wrote a provocative article January 19 in which he makes the case that Kyiv should cede the occupied territories of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR), Luhansk...

      Ukrainians Need to Stop Waiting for Their White Knight
      Jan25

      Ukrainians Need to Stop Waiting for Their White Knight

      My source leaned forward and said with a muffled voice: “The latest news is that grey cardinal Igor Kononenko’s men have been placed inside Ukrainian Railways, and Member of Parliament Sergei Fayermak of the People’s Front is now in charge of all the seaports.” This conversation with a government insider took place in the...

      Putin denounces Soviet founder Lenin

      Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused Soviet founder Vladimir Lenin of placing a “time bomb” under the state. ||| Moscow – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday criticized Soviet founder Vladimir Lenin, accusing him of placing a “time bomb” under the state, and sharply denouncing brutal repressions by the Bolshevik...

      Ukraine’s Economic Revival Starting in the West
      Jan25

      Ukraine’s Economic Revival Starting in the West

      What do coastal China, northern Mexico, and western Ukraine have in common?After Beijing dropped Maoist economics in the 1970s, low-wage China began to thrive. The economic boom started with the coast, the area closest to the Pacific coast ports of Canada and the United States, with its access to a huge market.Low-wage northern Mexico boomed...

      Did Ukraine’s Cyberattacks Originate in Russia?
      Jan25

      Did Ukraine’s Cyberattacks Originate in Russia?

      As Ukraine grapples with a plethora of challenges, including endemic corruption and trade disputes with Russia, cyberattacks against the country’s critical infrastructure can now be added to the list of issues.In late December, Ukraine experienced what may have been the world’s first blackout caused by a cyberattack. While the...

      US to provide to Ukraine $ 1 billion credit guarantees on condition of Prosecutor General’s resignation and fighting corruption
      Jan22

      US to provide to Ukraine $ 1 billion credit guarantees on condition of Prosecutor General’s resignation and fighting corruption

      The U.S. Department of State could provide loan guarantees to Ukraine in the amount of USD 1 billion, if President appoints a new Prosecutor General instead Viktor Shokin. According to ZN.ua this was announced during the visit of the US Deputy Attorney General David Sakveralidze Ukraine, Artem Sytnyk director of NABU (National Anti-Corruption...