Crisis in Ukraine: Daily Briefing – 11 October 2016, 4 PM Kyiv time

The National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (RNBO) reported that yesterday two Ukrainian soldiers were killed and eleven Ukrainian soldiers were wounded in action. Towards Luhansk, Russian-terrorist forces shelled Ukrainian positions on the Popasne-Novooleksandrivka-Novozvanivka line with mortars and artillery. Towards Donetsk, Russian-terrorist forces shelled Ukrainian positions at Zaytseve and Avdiyivka with mortars. Towards Mariupol, Russian-terrorist forces carried out heavy mortar shelling of Ukrainian positions at Vodyane. At Shyrokyne, Russian-terrorist forces carried out heavy mortar and artillery shelling of Ukrainian positions, firing nearly 200 shells. At Talakivka and Maryinka, Russian-terrorist forces shelled Ukrainian positions with artillery.

Reuters reported that European Parliament President M. Schulz stated that “the EU’s sanctions against Moscow were linked to the Minsk peace agreement that was supposed to end the conflict in eastern Ukraine and could only be lifted when the conditions for their withdrawal had been met. Schulz condemned in harsh terms Russia’s actions in Ukraine and its support for right-wing nationalists in Europe. […]Some European lawmakers have called for the EU to impose fresh sanctions against Russia for its role in the mounting civilian death toll in Syria. France and the United States have also called for an investigation into war crimes they say have been committed by Syrian and Russian forces in eastern Aleppo. […] European Council President Donald Tusk [stated] ‘It’s obvious for me today, the only way is to prolong the sanctions against Russia […] ‘Otherwise it will be a clear capitulation.'”

Ukraine’s PM V. Groysman and US Secretary of Commerce P. Pritzker issued a joint statement on Ukraine-US economic cooperation, Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers reported. The statement reads,”Despite continued Russian aggression in Eastern Ukraine and the illegal occupation of Crimea, the reform process continues. In the last year, Ukraine has loosened capital controls in order to facilitate further investment; reduced gas royalty rates to spur the energy sector; finalized a platform for electronic asset declaration to reduce conflicts of interest; implemented a world-class electronic procurement system; made progress on corporate governance reforms in state-owned enterprises; and acceded to the World Trade Organization’s Government Procurement Agreement.  Continued progress on the IMF program, anti-corruption efforts, and deeper and accelerated economic reforms will be critical to attract long-term foreign direct investment to Ukraine.  […]During our consultations, both sides discussed progress on a ‘Roadmap’ featuring several short-term, actionable steps that will further increase business confidence. The U.S. and Ukrainian sides underscored the urgency of such measures and the importance of continued consultation among the U.S. business community, Ukrainian government officials and the Rada.  Both sides agreed on the importance of quickening momentum on reforms, to ensure a smooth transition of work areas with the incoming U.S. Administration. With the continued support of the United States, Ukraine will intensify anti-corruption efforts through reforms in the Prosecutor General’s Office and implementation of judicial reform; improve tax and customs administration to provide predictability in business operations; conclude the privatization of the Odessa Portside Plant and energy companies in accordance with international practices; accelerate deregulation to eliminate unnecessary licensing and permitting; and pursue corporate governance reform of state-owned companies.” The full statement is available at http://www.kmu.gov.ua/control/en/publish/article?art_id=249391126&cat_id=244314975

Ukraine’s President P. Poroshenko met with the Head of the National Security Bureau of the Republic of Poland P. Soloch. President Poroshenko’s press service reported, “The parties discussed the issues of bilateral cooperation in military and military-technical sphere. They emphasized the importance of concluding the bilateral agreement on cooperation in the sphere of defense shortly. They also noted successful operation of the Ukraine-Poland-Lithuania brigade. The President expressed gratitude to the Polish side for the facilitation in the professional training of Ukrainian officers and military doctors. The parties paid special attention to the intensification of dialogue in the context of Ukraine-NATO relations.”

5. Ukraine statement at UN Security Council on Syria Resolution vetoed by Russia

Following the vote on 8 October at the UN Security Council on the Resolution on Syria proposed by France and Spain, vetoed by Russia, Ukraine’s Permanent Representative to the UN V. Yelchenko stated, “Ukraine is honored to co-sponsor and vote in favor of this resolution. We commend the hard work by the French and Spanish delegations on drafting and negotiating this very important document. We are extremely dismayed – but not surprised – by the fact that all these efforts were at the end derailed by the veto power of Russia. This is the fifth veto exercised by Russia with respect to Syria draft resolutions over the past years. Had the resolution seen the light and been adopted, it would have been a real, meaningful step towards exercising the preventive diplomacy by this Council; it would have helped to prevent what is about to become one of the gravest humanitarian tragedies of our times. […] We are extremely disappointed that the Political Statement on the Suspension of the Veto in Case of Mass Atrocities – an initiative designed to curb the use of veto by the permanent members of the Council – is yet to gain traction. And here again, the Russian Federation is interested more in safeguarding its privileges than in fulfilling its responsibilities before the international community. For Ukraine, it is not something new – we have seen Russia exercising its veto quite recently, in March 2014 and July 2015. In those cases, Council’s action would have saved thousands of human lives and sent a powerful message to perpetrators of heinous acts against civilians that their crimes would not go unpunished. What we see today has a meaning – Russia’s policies remain unchanged. […] If the current dynamics in the Syrian conflict continue and the logic of war prevails over the voices of peace, we as the international community face a real risk of a protracted deadly conflict lasting for many years ahead. […] Those who oppose peace and prolong war risk setting wider region ablaze in a fire of sectarian war and radicalization, giving more space to the extremists to exploit. Finally, I want to echo Special Envoy Stefan De Mistura’s words that we don’t want to live through another Srebrenica and Rwanda. To this I would add: we also don’t want to live through another Grozny.”