Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Ukraine agrees to host NATO war games. - In direct proximity to Russian forces in the Crimea

KIEV: Ukraine's parliament on Tuesday approved holding a series of joint military exercises with NATO countries that would put US troops in direct proximity to Russian forces in the annexed Crimea peninsula.

"This is a good opportunity to develop our armed forces," acting defence minister Mykhailo Koval told Verkhovna Rada lawmakers ahead of the 235-0 vote.


The parliament also met a key demand posed by both the West and Russia by voting unanimously to disarm all self-defence groups that sprang up across the country during its political crisis.



"The Ukrainian people are demanding order," acting president Oleksandr Turchynov said ahead of the 256-0 vote. "Those who carry arms — besides the police, the security services and the national guard — are saboteurs who are working against the country."

[timesofindia.indiatimes.com]
1/4/14
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3 comments :

  1. Ukraine to hold joint military drills with NATO, EU...

    The Ukrainian parliament approved a bill on Tuesday to conduct joint military drills with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union (EU) partners.

    With at least 226 votes needed to approve the bill, 235 lawmakers supported the legislation submitted by acting President Alexandr Turchynov.

    The multinational exercises, which are scheduled to last from May to November this year, will involve around 2,500 troops from Ukraine and the same number of military personnel from the partner countries.

    "The maneuver is aimed at preparing for participation in international peacekeeping, security, humanitarian and search operations on land and water, and in activities to protect our country," acting Defense Minister Mykhailo Koval told the parliament.

    The land phase of the drills will be held at a military training areas in Lvov and Zakarpattya regions in western Ukraine, while the sea drills will take place in the Black Sea waters at the southern Nikolayev region near the disputed Crimean Peninsula.

    In March, Crimean leaders signed a treaty with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the peninsula's accession to Russia.

    Kiev does not accept Crimea's integration into Russia, considering it an "attempt to annex the Ukrainian territory."
    http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/852062.shtml#.UzrfJKJql5Y
    1/4/14

    ReplyDelete
  2. Merkel: Still too many Russian troops near east Ukraine border ...

    BERLIN - A reduction of troop strength at the eastern Ukrainian border ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin is not enough, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday, adding there were still too many soldiers in the area.

    "It is clearly not the last step that needs to be taken because the troop concentration on the Ukrainian border is very high," Merkel told reporters during a news conference.

    In a gesture that could ease tension in the worst East-West standoff since the Cold War, Russia on Monday pulled some troops back from near Ukraine's frontier, a move the United States said would be a positive sign if it was confirmed as a withdrawal.
    http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Merkel-Still-too-many-Russian-troops-near-east-Ukraine-border-347150
    1/4/14

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ukrainian parliament to curtail illegally armed groups...

    The Ukrainian parliament has announced it is to remove weapons from illegally armed groups in the country.

    A parliamentary statement on Tuesday said the decision followed a shooting the night before, in which a member of Ukraine’s ultra-nationalist Right Sector party opened fire on Kiev Deputy Mayor Bogdan Dubas and two members of the country’s national self-defense units.

    The attack in a cafe in the center of the Ukrainian capital followed a fatal shooting earlier in the day.

    "In line with the extreme sociopolitical situation in the country, the escalation of crime and systematic provocation from foreign citizens in southeastern Ukraine and Kiev, the Verkhovna Rada orders the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Special Services to immediately disarm the illegal groups," the statement read.

    Tensions between Ukraine’s interim government and the Right Sector have been increasing in recent weeks as the group blames the government for its inaction in the Crimea crisis, which resulted in the region being unilaterally annexed by Russia.

    It has been reported that some radical activists are operating in armed groups in Maidan Square, Kiev's central square and the traditional gathering place for political rallies, and sometimes raid shops there.

    Meanwhile, the Ukrainian parliament has suspended its session until April 8 after lawmakers failed to adopt a law introducing amendments to laws covering Ukraine's local elections.......http://www.aa.com.tr/en/headline/308663--ukrainian-parliament-to-curtail-illegally-armed-groups
    1/4/14

    ReplyDelete

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