HIGHLIGHTS
Ukrainian government initiates peacekeeping mission presence in Donbas, while making sure that Russian Federation is not eligible to participate in it as the aggressor. The media are actively discussing storyline that events in 2014 on the EuroMaidan have been part of a deliberate strategy of aggression of Russia against Ukraine.
The position of the EU member states regarding the reaction to the war in Ukraine is dual. While Baltic countries urged to arm Ukrainian Arm Forces, Germany declared its readiness to establish partnerships with the Russian Federation in case of settlement of the situation in Ukraine.
Former Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski clearly stated that in the peace negotiation about Ukraine European Union does not has its part as political player.
WAR. CRISIS SETTLEMENT IN UKRAINE
More than 90% of Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel get out from Debaltseve. There is no exact number of Ukrainians who were captured as a result of the operation in the Debaltseve area.
Kyiv began to actively lobby the thesis of the need to involve peacekeepers in the ATO zone. Besides, Petro Poroshenko proposed European Union to send a mission of EU military experts to participate in the Joint Center for control and coordination, which is working in East of Ukraine. President Poroshenko emphasized that Russia cannot and does not have the right to participate in the peacekeeping forces in Donbas. “We wouldn’t agree on a format of the peacekeeping mission, which will legalize presence of several thousand of Russian troops. We have enough of such “peacekeepers” already” – he said. Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the United Nations started consultations in New York on the implementation of Security Council decisions on international peacekeeping mission engagement in the Donbas.
Ukrainian media actively quoted the material of Russian “Novaya Gazeta” newspaper, which claims that has obtained a document with the scenario of the conflict in Ukraine, developed by Putin’s team during 4-15 of February 2014. According to the media’s version, the decision to shot people on the Maidan was made for the faster elimination of Yanukovych and start of a large-scale operation of splitting the Ukraine. Senior Attorney of the Prosecutor General Office, Olexiy Donskyi claims that the investigation has reason to believe that representatives of Russian security service were involved in mass murder on Maidan. Head of the Security Service of Ukraine Valentyn Nalyvaychenko accuses Advisor to the President of Russia Vladislav Surkov of instructing the sniper group of foreigners at the Independence Square in February 2014.
DONBASS ECONOMY
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev ordered to prepare proposals on the gas supply for the needs of the self-proclaimed “DPR” and “LPR”. Medvedev claimed that Ukraine has created the problem by gas supply cessation to these regions. Ukraine has temporarily suspended gas supply to the anti-terrorist operation zone due to the critical transmission infrastructure damage as a result of the fighting. “Naftogaz of Ukraine” made the statement that it will not pay the bills of “Gazprom” for gas supplies in the area of anti-terrorist operations.
REFORMS
European Union is considering the possibility to provide aid to Ukraine with 2.1 billion euros. European Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy is the question of expansion Johannes Hahn announced this during a joint briefing with President Poroshenko in Kyiv. European Commissioner has praised the start of reforms in Ukraine.
Gas tariffs for the population will be increased starting from April 2015. Minister Volodymyr Demchyshyn announced that on Thursday at a meeting of the Public Council of Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry of Ukraine.
