“The return to the European integration course, the rejection of which had sparked the uprising, is our priority. We must return into the family of European states,” Oleksandr Turchynov said in a statement, posted on the website of his Fatherland party.
He said Ukraine’s new leadership would build its ties with Russia “on a new basis – truly equal and neighborly – that would acknowledge and respect Ukraine’s European choice.”
Ukraine’s parliament voted Saturday to impeach President Viktor Yanukovych and hold early presidential elections on May 25.
The impeachment vote marked a dramatic development for the leader, whose rule had seemed in little doubt in late November, when a wave of protests was ignited by the government surprise decision to back away from closer ties with the EU in favor of greater economic cooperation with Russia.
On Saturday, the Ukrainian parliament voted to transfer presidential duties to the speaker, Turchinov, who ordered a national unity government be formed by Tuesday.
http://en.ria.ru/world/20140223/187827999/EU-Integration-Now-Ukraines-Priority--Acting-President.html
23/2/14
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Governors of Ukraine's nine regions step down...
ReplyDeleteThe heads of Ukraine’s nine regions have quit, according to the press-services of regional administrations.
At the moment the list of those who stepped down looks as follows: Oleg Salo (Lvov Region), Valentin Khoptian (Ternopol Region), Aleksandr Bashkalenko (Volyn Region), Vasily Chudnov (Ivano-Frankovsk Region), Sergey Ryzhuk (Zhitomir Region), Gennady Nikolenko (Nikolayev Region), Andrei Nikolayenko (Kirovograd Region), Aleksandr Udovichenko (Poltava Region), and Ivan Movchan (Vinnitsa Region).
The ex-governors’ resignation statements are available on the websites of the regional administrations. “A complicated political situation in the country” is the most often mentioned reason for resignation.
Voice of Russia, TASS
http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2014_02_24/Governors-of-Ukraines-nine-regions-step-down-2289/
24/2/14
Ukraine’s new authorities resort to ‘dictatorial’ methods in regions – Russia...
ReplyDeleteRussia has lashed out at the new regime in Kiev, accusing it of using “dictatorial” and “terrorist” methods to suppress dissent in the country, with backing from the West which is “acting out of geopolitical self-interest.”
“The position of some of our Western partners doesn’t show genuine concern, but a desire to act out of geopolitical self-interest,” said a statement on the Russian foreign ministry’s website.
“There is no condemnation of criminal actions by extremists, including manifestations or neo-Nazism and anti-Semitism. In fact, these are being encouraged.”
The statement went on to say that “outside sponsors” are advancing a “regime change” in the country, without a desire to find “national consensus.”
“We urge those embroiled in the crisis in Ukraine to show responsibility, and to prevent further deterioration of the situation, to return to the rule of law, and to stop the extremists in their bid for power.”
The Russian foreign ministry said “paramilitaries... refuse to leave the cities, or abandon the administrative buildings they have occupied, while they continue to carry out acts of violence”. It also censures them for mocking historical memorials.
The statement says that the legitimacy of the Rada, which has passed dozens of laws for the past three days with a quorum of opposition deputies and defectors from Yanukovich’s Party of Regions, is “questionable”.
Moscow accuses the Ukrainian MPs of using “revolutionary justifications” for calls to “virtually forbid the use of the Russian language entirely, encourage a lustration, liquidateparties, shut down certain media, and remove the limitations on Neo-Nazi propaganda”.
The Russian ministry has also condemned the May 25 election date, saying that according to the February 21 agreement, made before Viktor Yanukovich left Kiev, that any polls could only be staged after a constitutional reform. To ensure the success of the reform, any changes to the Constitution should be put to a national referendum, Moscow stressed.
http://rt.com/news/russia-ukraine-dictatorial-terror-486/
24/2/14
15:58 GMT:
ReplyDeleteA new chairman of the central bank has been appointed by Ukraine’s parliament. Stepan Kubiv – an MP with banking experience – was elected by 310 out of 240 deputies. His predecessor, Ihor Sorkin resigned in the wake of President Viktor Yanukovich’s recent ousting and preceding chaos in Ukraine.
15:55 GMT:
Ukraine’s parliament voted to allocate approximately 218 million dollars from the state budget to hold early presidential elections, slated to be held on May 25. The measure received 352 affirmative votes out, far surpassing the 226 required for it to pass. The chairman of the parliamentary budget committee Eugene Heller said the money would be reallocated to the election from other government programs.
15:55 GMT:
The Ukrainian parliament has voted to oust judges from the country’s constitutional court for violating their oath of office by allowing for the constitution to be amended in 2010. The upper house of the Ukrainian voted overwhelmingly in support of the measure. In September 2010, Ukraine's constitutional court increased the powers of recently ousted President Viktor Yanukovich by reversing a reform introduced in 2004, which limited presidential powers in favor of parliament. The court said the move had been unconstitutional, effectively returning the country to its previous status as a presidential republic. Deputies, however, believe the constitutional court violated its oath of office in doing so.
14:29 GMT:
Russian Chief of Staff Valeriy Gerasimov and top NATO commander Philip M. Breedlove expressed “concern” about the unfolding situation in Ukraine during a phone conversation, according to official reports.
The two generals agreed to keep in regular contact for the duration of the crisis. ......http://rt.com/news/kiev-clashes-rioters-police-571/
24/2/14