Ceasefire in Ukraine Holds, Tensions with Russia Continue
As the ceasefire in Eastern Ukraine seems to hold, diplomatic cross fires and tensions continue as well.
On the one hand, military confrontations are on the wane, especially in the area patrolled by the Ukrainian army.
"Today is the first today in many weeks and months when Ukraine has no deceased or wounded, when the ceasefire has finally started working,” President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko said at a conference in Kiev, adding that the OSCE special mission is expected to be on its way to Kharkiv.
On the other hand, possible frictions are around the corner, as Kiev dismissed the possibility of any form of secession in any area of the country, stated Vice Prime Minister-Minister of Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Utilities Volodymyr Groysman speaking about the Peace plan that allows local elections in separate areas.
"On the territory of Donetsk and Luhansk regions outside the control of Ukrainian authorities, people have a lot of questions, lots of problems that require immediate solutions. We understand how important it is and we are moving in this direction. But this movement should be backed by the opposite side - the issue of Ukraine’s unity is not a subject for discussion," Volodymyr Groysman said in a note.
Prime Minister’s tones were even more determined.
“We ask our partners not to lift sanctions until Ukraine takes over the control of its entire territory – starting with the East of Ukraine and ending with Crimea. Crimea was, is, and will be a part of Ukraine,” Ukraine’s PM Arseniy Yatsenyuk declared on Wednesday.
On the other side of the border, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin is trying to find a way out and minimise the backlashes. He met with the Head of the Federal Tax Service Mikhail Mishustin on Thursday to discuss how to enhance the efficiency of tax administration.
However, some signs of internal power struggle remain.
‘Sistema JSFC, the largest publicly-traded diversified holding company in Russia and the CIS, announces that the acquisition of a 98% stake in OJSC United Petrochemical Company from the Group's subsidiary JSOC Bashneft has not been completed. Bashneft retains ownership of UPC,’
Moscow City Court ruled on Thursday that Sistema’s leader, Vladimir Petrovich Yevtushenkov, will remain under house arrest until November 16, dismissing the defence’s appeal.