Ukraine and creditors trade barbs over debt

[jakeXT]

Debt restructuring talks between Ukraine and creditors appeared to reach a boiling point late Tuesday after the government issued a sharply worded statement that questions the transparency, responsiveness and good faith of a creditors' committee.

With positions hardening weeks before a planned June deadline to avoid default by restructuring some $23bn, Ukraine's Finance Ministry, led by Natalie Jaresko (pictured below) said in the statement made public late Tuesday that it was "concerned about the approach taken by the creditors' committee representing the country's external debtholders and their lack of willingness to engage in negotiations," reports Roman Olearchyk reports from Kiev.

..

The tough words come amid increasing market expectations that the restructuring talks are likely to stretch on through the summer as war-torn Ukraine continues in the face of creditor disapproval to demand a haircut, as well as coupon cuts and maturity extensions to free up $15bn in the next four years.

Earlier on Tuesday, the country's largest investors declared that they are "ready and willing to support a prudent debt restructuring with Ukraine" but have had "no substantive engagement" from the government.

http://www.ft.com/intl/fastft/322041/ukraine-trades-barbs-with-creditors-over-debt-talks

[bemildred]

1. "the government issued a sharply worded statement that questions the transparency, responsiveness

and good faith of a creditors' committee"

I'm sorry, that just cracked me up. Like that is going to do anything but make the creditors more intransigent.

[jakeXT]

2. They'll probably find enough money for Iron Curtain 2.0

[bemildred]

3. Nah.

A useless enterprise in any case.

Apparently Ms Nuland is on the case again, there was a story about her and Yats getting together after the meeting in Sochi. And another that said the cost of Yats Great Wall is being criticized, among other things.

[bemildred]

4. Don't Blame the Victim

By every account Russia and its “insurgent army” are planning a new offensive in Ukraine. Shelling around Shyrokyne has increased considerably. Russia, once again violating the Minsk II agreement that it first broke even before the ink was dry, has brought up reinforcements, including air defenses – a telltale sign of an impending offensive. It has also reorganized and trained separatist fighters in Ukraine to make them more proficient and professional under Russian command and control.

Yet despite the fact that these ongoing Russian violations of Minsk II occur more often than do Ukrainian infractions, the leading members of the EU (the U.K., France and Germany) are all leaning on Kiev, not Moscow, to hasten implementation of the accord – lest it give Moscow a pretext for launching another invasion. In other words, the so-called "EU three" are doing what they have done throughout the crisis: that is, mainly blaming the victim, Ukraine, rather than standing up to Russia.

Moscow, for its part, repeatedly insists that the EU must bring the Ukrainians to heel in implementing the Minsk II accord, even though it and its forces have never felt bound by it. Indeed, Kiev has good reason to evade this misconceived accord. In calling for constitutional reform in Ukraine to decentralize or deconcentrate Ukrainian administration, the Minsk II agreement gives rebel forces in Donetsk and Luhansk provinces a veto power over anything Ukraine does for that purpose. Thus, they can bring the government to a standstill and create endless pretexts for further invasions. Essentially, this agreement is an invitation to Ukraine's state suicide. In this regard, it resembles numerous agreements going back to Tsarist times by which Russia invaded or menaced its neighbors, forced them to sign such agreements that invited further Russian intervention and then absorbed them.

http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/world-report/2015/05/15/the-eus-craven-appeasement-of-russia

[bemildred]

5. Nuland says her Kyiv visit signifies US support for Ukraine

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, during her meeting with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, said that her visit to Kyiv is confirmation of American support for Ukraine on its path towards reform and decentralization.

http://www.kyivpost.com/content/ukraine/nuland-says-her-kyiv-visit-signifies-us-support-for-ukraine-388689.html

[bemildred]

18. Nuland's ongoing visit to Kyiv reaffirms U.S. full and unbreakable support for Ukraine

[The main message of U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland's trip to Ukraine is to reaffirm the U.S. support to Ukrainian partners and country's sovereignty.

This follows from a daily briefing of Director of the U.S. Department of State's Press Office Jeff Rathke on May 15.

"Assistant Secretary Nuland's ongoing visit to Kyiv and her discussions with Prime Minister [Arseniy] Yatseniuk and President [Petro] Poroshenko reaffirm the United States' full and unbreakable support for Ukraine's government, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. We continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with the people of Ukraine and reiterate our deep commitment to a single Ukrainian nation, including Crimea, and all the other regions of Ukraine," he said at a briefing.

According to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, this is a critical moment for action by Russia and the separatists to live up to the Minsk agreements, the spokesperson said.

http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/265997.html

[bemildred]

22. Nuland: U.S. stepping up its engagement for implementation of Minsk agreements

http://www.kyivpost.com/content/ukraine/nuland-us-stepping-up-its-engagement-for-implementation-of-minsk-agreements-388732.html

[KoKo]

49. She Would Say That....

But, I think she's under pressure to perform...or her career is ended? We could hope.

[bemildred]

6. PayPal blocks fundraising for report about Russia invading Ukraine

On Friday, PayPal confirmed it made the move to block the funds. In a statement to CNNMoney, the company portrayed it as a calculated business decision. PayPal blamed overbearing Russian regulation -- and an inability to track who's actually giving money.

"PayPal Russia does not currently allow any political parties or political causes in Russia to receive donations due to the complexity of complying with local rules which require validating the identity of donors," the company said. "We regret any disappointment this may cause our customers."

Critics argue that PayPal is actually trying to avoid diplomatic problems in Russia.

http://money.cnn.com/2015/05/15/technology/paypal-russia-ukraine/index.html

[bemildred]

7. Russia’s economy didn’t shrink as much as everyone thought it would

Russia’s economic growth has been grinding to a halt in the past couple years, and last quarter it finally began to shrink. Economic sanctions from the West over its aggression in Ukraine and low oil prices put a squeeze on things, and the rapid inflation that came with the collapse of the ruble hurt growth further.

But there’s a bit of good news. The shrinkage (-1.9% year-over-year) was less than analysts were predicting.

http://qz.com/406043/russias-economy-didnt-shrink-as-much-as-everyone-thought-it-would/

[bemildred]

10. War-torn Ukraine's economy contracts sharply

Ukraine's gross domestic product (GDP) shrank by a staggering 17.6 percent in the first quarter of 2015 compared to one year ago, the country's national statistics agency reported Friday.

Quarter-on-quarter, the economy contracted by 6.5 percent, the office added, pointing to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine's industrial east where the Ukrainian army is still fighting pro-Russian separatists.

Leading economic institutions, including the World Bank and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD, predicted Ukraine would log a 7.5-percent decrease in output for the full year.

http://www.dw.de/war-torn-ukraines-economy-contracts-sharply/a-18452688

[bemildred]

9. Swiss civilian aid convoy reaches Donetsk

Switzerland has sent a convoy carrying 300 tonnes of chemical water treatment products to eastern Ukraine to supply around 3.5 million people in the turbulent Donetsk region with clean drinking water.

This is the first humanitarian convoy of its size to have crossed the contact line between the government-controlled area and the region under the control of non-government forces since the armed conflict began in this part of Ukraine at the beginning of 2014.

The 15-truck convoy organised by Swiss Humanitarian Aid reached the city of Donetsk on Friday, a Swiss foreign ministry statement said. Soon after it arrived, the chemicals were pumped into the waterworks reservoir to supply the population on both sides of the contact line with clean drinking water.

“Swiss Humanitarian Aid organised this delivery because the drinking water supply in the conflict zone no longer meets health standards owing to a lack of disinfection capacities, resulting in the spread of diseases like hepatitis A,” the statement said.

http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/eastern-ukraine_swiss-civilian-aid-convoy-reaches-donetsk/41433688

[bemildred]

11. Vladimir Putin calls Ukraine fascist and country’s new law helps make his case

As Ukraine continues its battle against separatists, corruption and a collapsing economy, it has taken a dangerous step that could further tear the country apart: Ukraine’s parliament, the Supreme Rada, passed a draft law last month honoring organizations involved in mass ethnic cleansing during World War Two.

The draft law — which is now on President Petro Poroshenko’s desk awaiting his signature — recognizes a series of Ukrainian political and military organizations as “fighters for Ukrainian independence in the 20th century” and bans the criticism of these groups and their members. (The bill doesn’t state the penalty for doing so.) Two of the groups honored — the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) — helped the Nazis carry out the Holocaust while also killing close to 100,000 Polish civilians during World War Two.

The law is part of a recent trend of contemporary Ukrainian nationalism promoted by those on the extreme right to break with the country’s Communist past and emphasize Ukraine’s suffering under the Soviet regime. In addition to the moral problem of forbidding the criticism of Holocaust perpetrators, the law hinders Ukraine’s European ambitions — and validates Russian President Vladimir Putin’s claims that the country is overrun by neo-Nazis.

The OUN was founded in 1929 as a revolutionary organization designed to liberate Ukraine from Soviet rule and create an independent Ukrainian state. Many OUN leaders were trained in Nazi Germany, and the group’s philosophy was influenced by Nazi racial theorists such as Alfred Rosenberg. OUN literature, for example, declared the need to “combat Jews as supporters of the Muscovite-Bolshevik regime… Death to the Muscovite-Jewish commune! Beat the commune, save Ukraine!”

http://www.thanhniennews.com/commentaries/vladimir-putin-calls-ukraine-fascist-and-countrys-new-law-helps-make-his-case-43344.html

[jakeXT]

20. Honors for Ukrainian nationalists anger their victims – in Poland

Moscow; and Warsaw — Szczepan Siekierka was a teenager in 1943 when irregular Ukrainian nationalist forces entered his village in Volhynia, now part of western Ukraine, and brutally slaughtered 16 members of his family.

His voice still shakes when he describes how the men, members of the Nazi-linked Ukrainian Insurgent Army [UPA], murdered everyone they could find, including women and children. "They weren't fighting for a free Ukraine. The people they killed were civilians, ordinary farmers who often couldn't write their own names and who knew nothing of politics."

These UPA fighters, along with other Ukrainian nationalist factions, waged a little-known wartime ethnic cleansing campaign that sought to eliminate unwanted groups, such as Jews and Poles, from what they deemed to be the territory of a future independent Ukrainian state. As many as 100,000 Poles died at their hands.

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2015/0511/Honors-for-Ukrainian-nationalists-anger-their-victims-in-Poland

[bemildred]

25. Yep. Lot's of that, equal opportunty offenders. nt

[MisterP]

28. I remember Yushchenko also gave combat-vet status to the guys who tied Polish kids

to trees and bayonetted them

[bemildred]

12. Stephen Cohen: Why Mr. Kerry Went to Sochi

Secretary of State John Kerry’s recent sitdown with Russian President Vladmir Putin in Sochi has ushered the Ukrainian crisis onto a new and far more public stage. The Nation’s Stephen Cohen joined The John Batchelor Show to comment on the long-awaited meeting of the minds, as well as the competing strategies for stability in the Ukraine.

It was not certain, Cohen explained, that Putin would make time to meet with Kerry. But prior to Kerry’s visit, Angela Merkel met with Russian leaders to stress the importance of a non-military solution. Cohen speculated that “Merkel and Putin must have decided that this was the last chance to actually implement the Minsk agreement and compel Kiev…to negotiate with the rebels in the East.” Kiev’s close ties to Washington, Cohen said, were likely on Putin’s mind when he “agreed to meet with Kerry, seeking that commitment…to get Kiev to the negotiating table.”

http://www.thenation.com/blog/207353/stephen-cohen-why-mr-kerry-went-sochi

[bemildred]

15. Putin Tries to Freeze the Ukraine Conflict

We hadn't heard much from the separatists in eastern Ukraine lately, but this week they put forward proposals for the long-term status of those regions. These are mainly in line with the Minsk peace plan of February, but they are also designed to be rejected by the government of Ukraine as a way to produce a permanent frozen conflict zone, akin to the Russian-controlled areas of Georgia.

The separatists published their proposals on the website of the "Donetsk News Agency," where they often post official statements. There is a document suggesting amendments to the Ukrainian constitution and another outlining a draft law on elections for the rebel-held areas. Both have Moscow's fingerprints; they demonstrate a lawyerly cunning that the rough and ready rebels have never exhibited.

http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-05-15/putin-tries-to-freeze-the-ukraine-conflict

[bemildred]

27. Russia Opens New Crossing Facility on Border With Ukraine

Russia opened a new border crossing facility on the border with Ukraine, which officials called an signal of Russia's peaceful intentions.

Russia has opened a new border crossing facility on the Ukrainian border, in what officials have called a signal of friendly intentions.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin was present at the opening of the new border crossing facility. The facility is located in Graivoron, which is in Russia's Belgorod region, across the border from Ukraine's Sumy region.

"Lately there are increasingly frequent calls from the brotherly country on whose border we built this installation that Russia is unfriendly, that we are attacking. But we show that we are building installations that help provide for the flow of citizens and all of this is aimed at peaceful dreams and hopes," Konstantin Busygin, the head of Russia's border facilities agency, said.

http://sputniknews.com/russia/20150516/1022223149.html

[KoKo]

37. Nice move..n/t

[bemildred]

38. They have learned all of our tricks, but sometimes they lay it on a bit thick:

"Lately there are increasingly frequent calls from the brotherly country on whose border we built this installation that Russia is unfriendly, that we are attacking. But we show that we are building installations that help provide for the flow of citizens and all of this is aimed at peaceful dreams and hopes," Konstantin Busygin, the head of Russia's border facilities agency, said.

One can see Mother Theresa smiling down benevolently.

But yeah, Putin doesn't want war, he wants to make Kiev take the Donbass back in. I'm having trouble believing that will work, but on the other hand the Kiev government has few options without money, lots of money, and the Donbass Rebels cannot afford to piss off Putin either.

[KoKo]

43. He's well off without it....

and it puts Eurozone and NATO in difficult position. They did the "Bull in the China Shop" (no pun intended) and Putin can watch them pick up the pieces. But, there are wily foes who will still find ways to end run him. And, Putin has his own Oligarch's to deal with....as do they all these days in our "Glorified Global Economy." imho.....

Sorting it out.....

[jakeXT]

30. BBC without British accents or NPR on drugs

I didn't know he talked about OBL extensively shortly before the 9/11 event

Mr. Batchelor, 57, has described his show as the BBC without British accents, but others in the world of talk radio have referred to it as NPR on drugs.

...

The show first went on the air the day after the attack on the World Trade Center. At the time, Mr. Batchelor had been appearing on a weekend radio show on WABC as a conservative commentator and conspiracy theorist, delving into assassinations and political mysteries.

On the weekend before Sept. 11, 2001, Mr. Batchelor "happened to do a whole night's worth of talking on this weirdo guy over on the other side of the planet called Osama Bin Laden," recalled Lee Mason, Mr. Batchelor's longtime producer. On Sept. 12, a WABC producer called Mr. Batchelor and his liberal co-host at the time, Paul Alexander, and begged them to move into the time slot held by Dr. Laura Schlessinger, Ms. Mason said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/19/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/19wepers.html?pagewanted=print&_r=0

[bemildred]

31. You get the audience you deserve.

When you polarize the discussion, you get angry simple-minded people.

I find myself wondering what else they talked about at Sochi.

I thought Ms Nuland looked unhappy, in the pics, and several commentators I've read today agreed. I am mildly optimistic for the first time in ages.

[bemildred]

32. Ms Nuland from Kiev Post:

Doesn't she look like she just ate a lemon?

[jakeXT]

33. She even smiled while meeting someone who was a party of regions member

Lyovochkin stated in October 2014 that the March 2014 annexation of Crimea by Russia was the result of "Putin was betrayed by our irresponsible leaders too many times, until he stopped taking Ukraine seriously".[3]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serhiy_Lyovochkin


Volodymyr Groysman

US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland meets with Chairman of Ukraine's unicameral parliament Volodymyr Groysman in Kiev, Ukraine on May 15, 2015…

[bemildred]

34. There you go. nt

[KoKo]

46. Its interesting that Stephen Cohen is still on hold

in media outlets. Even "Democracy Now" hasn't had him on and they usually cover those isolated from MSM if it fits into their emphasis on "War & Peace, Human Rights."

Like Sy Hersh--he seems to make many uncomfortable.

Thanks for the post. Glad to know he isn't banned from everywhere except the "Nation" where he has an "inside" connection. One has to laugh at our "Freedom of the Press." At least the lack of it is being exposed little by little as world events heat up and there is more access to foreign media to view--that is...when it isn't constantly "buffered" or even sometimes blocked by our lagging internet structure which leaves so many with lack of access to true High Speed Reliable connections.

On Edit: Just read the article on Batchelor above after I posted:

On

the show Mr. Batchelor rarely hides his own conservative views, but some of his most frequent guests are also his political opposites. Katrina vanden Heuvel, who has been on several times and is the editor of The Nation magazine, said she thought the show was "an antidote to the trivialization of news and the classic talk radio format."

"Though I disagree with him about 90 percent of the time, he has had me on and he's respectful of my views," she said of Mr. Batchelor. "He lets me speak my piece, which you can't say about many of our media formats today."

[bemildred]

47. He has violated certain taboos, like Chomsky, Krugman, Hersh, many others before them,

who pointed out that the emperor has no clothes, and the penalty is always the same with articulate critics of the status quo, they are discredited relentlessly if possible, or ignored relentlessly if not. Ms Warren may well find herself on that list too, but as a sitting Senator, like Bernie, she is harder to ignore or discredit.

[KoKo]

48. What's hopeful, though, imho...is that:

Chomsky, Krugman, Hersh, many others before them (including Howard Zinn) are getting heard by those behind in generation.

It is amazing to see how popular they have become in the last Decade.

So.......there is that. The "PTB" can suppress but they can't totally blot the other views out. There will always be "Seekers" in new generations. I know I was growing up with McCarthy/Cold War Propaganda, and Worse in a Rascist part of America.

But, these are difficult times and those times there were fewer competing narratives ......with Twitter/Facebook and the rest the messages for the young are much more manipulated and diverse and diluted ....than the choices that I, and my generation, faced post WWII.

Still we muddle through. Speaking about it is important...wherever we can.......however we find a resource to speak

[bemildred]

13. Donetsk Approves Creation of Armed Forces in Self-Proclaimed Republic

DONETSK (Sputnik) — The parliament of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic in eastern Ukraine unanimously adopted on Friday the Law on Defense, which envisions the creation of regular armed forces from units of armed militia.

"Without this law, the defense of the state is impossible, as previously we had only militia. Now, the law clearly stipulates that all armed units become part of the [DPR] Armed Forces," the Donetsk News Agency quoted Dmitry Perepelkin, deputy head of the parliamentary committee on security and defense, as saying.

http://sputniknews.com/europe/20150515/1022199358.html

[bemildred]

14. Cold War 2.0 Caught On Tape: US Military Convoy Crosses Eastern Europe While NATO Sings Karaoke Peac

With hawkish US Senator John McCain having inadvertently (or purposefully) joined the Ukrainian government this week as a member of Poroshenko’s new advisory committee — which incidentally is headed by former Georgian President and current international fugitive Miheil Saakashvili — one might be inclined to say the odds have just increased in favor of the Ukraine ‘conflict’ transforming into an all-out US-Russia proxy war.

As we discussed on Thursday, McCain is no stranger to Ukrainian politics, having pledged in 2013 to stand with protesters demonstrating against then-President Viktor Yanukovich (who was supported by Russia) and having recently voiced his extreme displeasure at what he perceives as foot-dragging on Washington’s part as it relates to providing lethal aid to Kiev. Of course McCain swears he’s only interested in helping the “poor people” of Ukraine defend themselves from ubiquitous “Russian aggression”, but as RT gently points out, the Senator isn’t exactly the type to exhaust all peaceful measures before resorting to a military solution:

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-05-15/cold-war-20-caught-tape-us-military-convoy-crosses-eastern-europe-while-nato-sings-k

[bemildred]

16. Ukraine accuses Facebook of pro-Russia bias

KIEV - A senior aide to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Thursday accused Facebook of political bias, ahead of a question-and-answer session with co-founder Mark Zuckerberg.

"There is pro-Russian influence and pressure on the Facebook office in Russia," said deputy head of the presidential administration Dmytro Shymkiv, who is negotiating with the global social network to solve the problem.

He claimed Russian moderators are overseeing Ukrainian users and are swayed by the Kremlin's political agenda in the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

Facebook users in Ukraine have flooded the social network with allegations of pro-Russian political bias.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/tech/world-updates/562619/

[bemildred]

29. Enraged Ukrainian Facebook Users Declare War on Mark Zuckerberg

A group of Ukrainian social media users have declared their intention to launch a two-day boycott of Facebook beginning Monday over the mass deletion of posts and accounts for hate speech, Ukrainian news hub Obozrevatel reports.

Ironically, the protesters are organizing their boycott on Facebook. On their event's page, they state that "Mark Zuckerberg has sent [an] inadequate response at Townhall Q&A on May 14 to the top question from Ukrainian users," noting that "more than 50 thousand Ukrainian users asked him to revise [the] Facebook Reporting Process due to false mass bans of Ukrainian Top Thought Leaders on Facebook."

The internet activists initiated their campaign following Zuckerberg's response to users' paranoid complaints about posts and accounts being deleted due to 'Russian influence and pressure'. Zuckerberg stated bluntly that the content was deleted for containing hate speech, adding that there is no such thing as the "Russian Facebook office" mentioned in the users' complaint.

"We don't allow content that is overtly hateful, contains ethnic slurs, or incites violence," Zuckerberg noted. "There were few posts that tripped that rule, and I think we did the right thing according to our policies by taking down that content," the internet mogul added.

http://sputniknews.com/europe/20150516/1022224068.html

[bemildred]

17. France offers Russia $890m to ditch warship deal

MOSCOW - France has offered Russia 785 million euros ($890 million) to scrap a contentious contract to supply two warships that was suspended due to the Ukraine crisis, a report said Friday.

Russian defence sources told Kommersant newspaper that the documents are now "being studied" by the Russian government, defence ministry and other relevant parties which participated in the 2011 deal. But the daily reported that Moscow was not happy with the French offer, with the defence ministry claiming that Russian firms have now incurred 1.16 billion euros of costs associated with the ships. The fate of the two Mistral helicopter carriers has plagued French-Russia ties for over a year, following the decision by Paris to put the 1.2 billion euro deal on ice as the West slapped sanctions on Russia over its annexation of Crimea and alleged backing for separatist rebels in Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin last month played down the importance of the ships and claimed that Russia ordered them mostly to help the French shipyard.

The Kremlin strongman, however, made clear Moscow would still like its money back.

http://nation.com.pk/international/16-May-2015/france-offers-russia-890m-to-ditch-warship-deal

[bemildred]

19. Russian rocket carrying Mexican satellite crashes in Siberia

KYIV, Ukraine -- A Russian rocket carrying a Mexican satellite malfunctioned and crashed Saturday in Siberia shortly after its launch -- the latest mishap to hit Russia's troubled space industry, whose Soviet-era glory has been marred by a series of launch failures.

The rocket, a Proton-M, was launched from the Russia-leased Baikonur launch pad in Kazakhstan on Saturday morning.

Roscosmos, the Russian Federal Space Agency, in a statement described the accident as a malfunction and said it was looking into what had happened. Russian news agencies quoted authorities in eastern Siberia as saying they are searching for the third stage of the rocket, which is believed to have crashed in the Zabaikalsky region that borders Mongolia and China.

There were also concerns about the tons of toxic fuel the rocket was carrying, which could have exploded at the crash site. Roscosmos would not provide any further details about the accident, including the exact site of the crash.

http://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/russian-rocket-carrying-mexican-satellite-crashes-in-siberia-1.2377234

[bemildred]

21. Foreign 'Reformers' Quit Ukraine Govt, Saakashvili Points Finger at Kiev

It seems that the Ukrainian government is in hot water, as foreign officials, who were earlier invited to join the Cabinet, are signaling their desire to withdraw.

More and more foreign officials who were earlier invited to join the Ukrainian Cabinet are signaling their desire to withdraw, the Russian online newspaper Gazeta.ru reports.

On Friday, First Deputy Economic Development and Trade Minister Sasha Borovik said that he is stepping down, just two months after he entered the Ukrainian government in a bid to deal with a spate of the Cabinet's reforms.

"I have no choice but to leave the government. Today, they have blocked my email and told my team that I will not return," Radio Liberty quoted Borovik as saying on Friday.

http://sputniknews.com/europe/20150516/1022216272.html

[bemildred]

23. Ukraine's shadow economy hits 42 percent of GDP

KIEV, May 15 (Xinhua) -- The shadow economy in Ukraine has increased by 7 percentage points last year to 42 percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP), the Economy Ministry said Friday.

"The share of the shadow economy in Ukraine in 2014 rose to its highest level since 2007," the ministry said in a report.

According to the report, the military conflict in the country, financial instability, sharp fluctuations of the local currency, panic moods of economic agents and increased administrative pressure were the main factors behind the increase.

In April, Ukraine's Finance Ministry estimated the proportion of the shadow economy in the country's GDP at 40 to 60 percent, saying that tax evasion, envelope wages and hidden incomes from monetary operations form the lion's share of the informal economy.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2015-05/15/c_134243179.htm

[bemildred]

24. . nt

[jakeXT]

26. Thanks to the police force, Kiev's sex trade is booming

"I have several contacts in the police," Koba tells Newsweek. "They tell me that they are fighting with prostitution. But it doesn't happen. A lot of politicians, policemen and parliamentarians are involved in brothels. It's for the public we pretend that we fight against prostitution, but in reality nobody will fight this."

Koba explains there are three main markets for sex. At the bottom of the ladder are "girls on the street" who must pay the police 150 UAH (€6) per night to stand in a fixed location, and provide their services to officers for free on demand. The second market is brothels advertised online with a telephone number, for which the brothels must pay €3,700 per month – a kind of line rental fee to avoid harassment by the DBZTL, which maintains a database for the numbers. Lastly there is the "elite prostitution" racket, where producers of beauty pageants and struggling girl bands will "loan" girls out for a few thousand euros per night, but the police are not involved.

http://europe.newsweek.com/kievs-sex-trade-booming-thank-police-force-326687

[KoKo]

35. Recommend the post/ thread/replies...Gotta get caught up in reading!

You two have really been focused and there's much to read to catch up on Nuland's latest "activities" and the rest of the crowd.

I fell behind, focused on Bernie Announcing & the rest of the U.S. political "stuff." "FA's" reading is too important to let it slide. It's the most important issue to this DU'er in the coming election. Because its at the root of our economic health going forward as we continue to drain our resources as we spread (with our allies support) death, destruction, dislocation across MENA and threaten Russia with Cold War II.

[bemildred]

36. Some days are busier than others.

I've been on a road trip and am recuperating, so I decided to catch up. And Ukraine has been pretty quiet of late, relatively speaking, up until Kerry went to Sochi, then you knew something was up.

[KoKo]

39. One of your posts had a link to this from Kerry....

I just posted it over on "Good Reads" here because it has video attached and for the info.

Yes...Kerry in Sochi...something up. And up to no good.

Lots of good stuff in your post and the nuggets on the sites that are also interesting, I find when I go over there to read.

I can understand why Thomas Drakes "special place" in Maryland...was "purty" appealing if you are coming back from a Road Trip in these times. Anything quiet and peaceful for a break in these times is precious! If one can find it.. 's

Oops...here's the DU "Good Reads".... Not asking you to kick or anything...just I don't have time to post the whole thing here...it's dinner time, here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1016122447

[bemildred]

40. Yeah, I was dodging thunderstorms in Oklahoma.

Yipes. And Maryland is purty, and interesting.

I suspect based on what I've read that is all intended to reassure the faint hearts in Europe that they will be protected, as a German foreign policy guy said, to paraphrase: Europe is largely disarmed, Russia is a real threat. So this is sort of the price for the stabilization of Ukraine, for Putin.

[bemildred]

41. Poroshenko: Ukraine demands Russia strictly abide by Minsk accords

Ukraine demands that the signatories to the Minsk agreements, primarily the Russian Federation, should fully adhere to the Minsk Implementation Plan, including the protocol dated September 5, 2014, the memorandum dated September 19, 2014, and a complex of measures agreed on February 12, 2015, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko underlined.

He announced this at an enlarged meeting with the Ukrainian representatives in the working subgroups of the Trilateral Contact Group for a peaceful resolution to the Donbas conflict on Saturday, which was also attended by Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksandr Turchynov, and representatives of law-enforcement agencies, the presidential press service reported.

The Minsk Implementation Plan includes, according to the president, the ceasefire verified by the OSCE and the withdrawal of heavy weapons from the line of contact in Donbas.

Addressing Ukraine's representative in the working subgroup on security Yevhen Marchuk, Poroshenko stressed the importance of retaking control of those sectors of the Ukrainian-Russian border that are not controlled by Ukraine now. One should put an end to the illegal intrusion of heavy weapons and mercenaries onto the Ukrainian territory, he added.

http://www.unian.info/politics/1078774-poroshenko-ukraine-demands-russia-strictly-abide-by-minsk-accords.html

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42. Assistant Secretary Nuland Travel to Russia

Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland is in Moscow May 17-18 to meet with senior Russian government officials to discuss next steps in Minsk implementation, following her May 14-16 visit to Kyiv, Ukraine and Secretary Kerry’s May 12 meetings in Sochi, Russia. She will also discuss bilateral issues with Russian officials, and meet with civil society representatives.

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2015/05/242504.htm

[jakeXT]

44. Congress Votes to Suspend Funds for US Implementation of New START Treaty

The US House of Representatives voted on Friday to withhold funding for the US implementation of the New START nuclear reduction agreement in the 2016 US National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), according to the US House record.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The measure passed the House with a vote of 235 to 182 and was tacked onto the larger Defense Department funding bill, the NDAA.

The measure withholds funding for the United States to fulfill its nuclear arms reductions under the New START agreement with Russia.

“None of the funds authorized [under the 2016 NDAA] may be used for implementation of the New START Treaty,” the amendment stated.

Read more: http://sputniknews.com/us/20150515/1022200870.html

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45. The best Congress money can buy.

I have been taken for some time now, since Raygun, with the US government's enthusiasm for thwarting itself.

In the end, nobody will care what they do, like the Roman Senate.