Quote: Ukraine and Russia are planning to hold consultations on consequences of Ukraine's possible entry to NATO¸ Foreign Minister Volodymyr Ohryzko told reporters Wednesday.
During his visit to Moscow on April 15, he and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov agreed on holding consultations on NATO issues.
«We've agreed that in the near future, Ukrainian and Russian experts will start consultations to discuss possible concerns, as stated by our Russian partners, concerning Ukraine's participation in NATO,» he said.
As the minister noted, Ukraine will be explaining each item that arouses concerns of the Russian side, proving that it poses no problems or threats to Russia.
Ohryzko said he was satisfied with his visit to Russia.
Among positive moments he pointed out that the Ukrainian delegation managed to convey its position on Ukraine's future accession to the alliance and to state clearly that it brings no threats to Russia.
Earlier, Lavrov told the Echo of Moscow radio that Russia would not admit Ukraine's entry to NATO and confirmed that during the Russia - NATO council meeting in Bucharest (Romania), Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed doubts about Ukraine's future territorial integrity.
Full article: http://weekly.com.ua/?rub=news&from=0&page=0&ncode=1208436899#open_news
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Thursday, April 17, 2008
PGO charges Tsushko of PGO seizure
Quote: The Prosecutor-General's Office (PGO) has charged former Interior Minister Vasyl Tsushko with exceeding his authority as part of the case involving the seizure of the building housing the PGO in May 2007.
«The case involving the events at the Prosecutor-General's Office has practically been concluded. Tsushko has been charged... He is accused of exceeding his authority and interfering in the activities of employees of law enforcement agencies,» Deputy Prosecutor-General Renat Kuzmin told a news briefing.
A PGO investigator went to Russia where the former minister is undergoing treatment. Tsushko was charged there. Kuzmin said the Ukrainian embassy in Russia was assisting in the investigation of the case.
Full article: http://weekly.com.ua/?rub=news&from=0&page=0&ncode=1208436756#open_news
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«The case involving the events at the Prosecutor-General's Office has practically been concluded. Tsushko has been charged... He is accused of exceeding his authority and interfering in the activities of employees of law enforcement agencies,» Deputy Prosecutor-General Renat Kuzmin told a news briefing.
A PGO investigator went to Russia where the former minister is undergoing treatment. Tsushko was charged there. Kuzmin said the Ukrainian embassy in Russia was assisting in the investigation of the case.
Full article: http://weekly.com.ua/?rub=news&from=0&page=0&ncode=1208436756#open_news
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Left-wing forces gaining popularity in Ukraine - poll
Quote: If parliamentary elections were held now, 29% of voters would support the Bloc of Yulia Tymoshenko, 17.6% would support the Party of Regions, the Communist Party and the pro-presidential Our Ukraine- People's Self-Defense bloc would come third with 10% each and the Socialist Party would receive 5.3%, Sagalakov said, citing the results of a public opinion poll held in March 22-29.
http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=574&topicId=100007539&docId=l:777342827&start=22
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http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=574&topicId=100007539&docId=l:777342827&start=22
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Experts See Possibility For Yuschenko's Second Term As President With Transition To Parliamentary Republic
Quote: Experts of the Situations Modeling Agency see chances for President Viktor Yuschenko to be elected to the post again with amendments to the Constitution introducing the transition to the parliamentary republic in Ukraine.
Ukrainian News learned this from a statement by the Situations Modeling Agency.
"Viktor Yuschenko may become the head of he state for the second time only in the event of the formalization of the post of the president of Ukraine," Agency Deputy Director Oleksii Holobytskyi has said.
In his opinion, the current attempts by the Secretariat of President Yuschenko to narrow the powers of the prime minister without amendments to the Constitution will have reverse effects.
"Leading political parties are interested in the removal of the destabilizing element in the person of the institute of the president," he said.
In the opinion of Holobutskyi, Yuschenko should be interested in the option of the formalization of the post of the president.
"The functional duties of that sort obviously meet the aspirations of Yuschenko the most," he said.
http://www.ukranews.com/eng/article/117607.html
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Ukrainian News learned this from a statement by the Situations Modeling Agency.
"Viktor Yuschenko may become the head of he state for the second time only in the event of the formalization of the post of the president of Ukraine," Agency Deputy Director Oleksii Holobytskyi has said.
In his opinion, the current attempts by the Secretariat of President Yuschenko to narrow the powers of the prime minister without amendments to the Constitution will have reverse effects.
"Leading political parties are interested in the removal of the destabilizing element in the person of the institute of the president," he said.
In the opinion of Holobutskyi, Yuschenko should be interested in the option of the formalization of the post of the president.
"The functional duties of that sort obviously meet the aspirations of Yuschenko the most," he said.
http://www.ukranews.com/eng/article/117607.html
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Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Yushchenko more outstanding than Tymoshenko; Yanukovych pushed into background
Quote: At the weekend, Inter television publicized the outcome of voting on “Big Ukrainians” project, and disclosed the top hundred. Some of those “Big Ukrainians” were present in the television studio: Hero of Ukraine, famous Soviet dissident and person who was one of the initiators of the Ukrainian independence, Levko Lukyanenko [#38], first president of the independent Ukraine Leonid Kravchuk [#51], and leader of the Ukrainian Communist Party Petro Symonenko [#79].
So far it is unclear how exactly positions are distributed among the names in the top ten, and who will head the list of Big Ukrainians. The second tour of voting is taking place. In alphabetical order, the top ten looks as follows:
As for the top hundred, it mostly includes political figures and statesmen. In addition to mentioned-above Khelnytskiy, Yaroslav Mudry, Kravchuk and Lukyanenko, the hundred also includes hetman Ivan Mazepa [#11], the first Ukrainian President Mykhaylo Hrushevskiy [#14], Kyiv Rus Prince Volodymyr the Great [#16], President of Ukraine Victor Yushchenko [#20], Pm of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko [#21], Vladimir Lenin [#23], Symon Petrlyura [#26], King Danylo Halytskiy [#34], hetman Pylyp Orlyk [#36], Princess Olga [#43], Victor Yanukovych [#62], Leonid Brezhnev [#63], hetman Dmytro Bayda-Vyshnevetskiy [#97], and others.
The list also includes many cultural figures: writer Mykola Gogol [#18], film director Oleksander Dovzhenko [#22], poetess Lina Kostenko [#25], actor Leonid Bykov [#27], founder of the new Ukrainian literature Ivan Kotlyarevskiy [#27], composer Volodymyr Ivasyuk [#30], opera singer Solomia Krushelnytska [#31], composer Mykola Lysenko [#41], actor Bohdan Stupka [#47], writer Mykhaylo Bulhakov [#49], opera singer Anatoliy Solovyanenko [#55], actor Mykola Hrynko [#59], “golden voice” of Ukraine Nina Matviyenko [#60], artist Illya Ryepin [#65], actress Maria Zankovetska [#66], actor Ivan Mykolaychuk [#67], writer Mykhaylo Kotsyubynskiy [#73], singer Raisa Kyrychenko [#74], singer Nazariy Yaremchuk [#75], theater reformator Les Kurbas [#78], artist Kateryna Bilokur [#84], poetess Olena Teliha [#94], writer Ostap Vyshnya [#96].
The youngest Big Ukrainian is swimmer Yana Klochkova, 25, four-time winner of the Olympic Games. The oldest – Princess Olga, who ruled the Kyiv Rus after her husband was killed.
22 Big Ukrainians are our contemporary. The most outstanding of them are the Klitschko brothers [#15].
http://www.unian.net/eng/news/news-246553.html
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So far it is unclear how exactly positions are distributed among the names in the top ten, and who will head the list of Big Ukrainians. The second tour of voting is taking place. In alphabetical order, the top ten looks as follows:
As for the top hundred, it mostly includes political figures and statesmen. In addition to mentioned-above Khelnytskiy, Yaroslav Mudry, Kravchuk and Lukyanenko, the hundred also includes hetman Ivan Mazepa [#11], the first Ukrainian President Mykhaylo Hrushevskiy [#14], Kyiv Rus Prince Volodymyr the Great [#16], President of Ukraine Victor Yushchenko [#20], Pm of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko [#21], Vladimir Lenin [#23], Symon Petrlyura [#26], King Danylo Halytskiy [#34], hetman Pylyp Orlyk [#36], Princess Olga [#43], Victor Yanukovych [#62], Leonid Brezhnev [#63], hetman Dmytro Bayda-Vyshnevetskiy [#97], and others.
The list also includes many cultural figures: writer Mykola Gogol [#18], film director Oleksander Dovzhenko [#22], poetess Lina Kostenko [#25], actor Leonid Bykov [#27], founder of the new Ukrainian literature Ivan Kotlyarevskiy [#27], composer Volodymyr Ivasyuk [#30], opera singer Solomia Krushelnytska [#31], composer Mykola Lysenko [#41], actor Bohdan Stupka [#47], writer Mykhaylo Bulhakov [#49], opera singer Anatoliy Solovyanenko [#55], actor Mykola Hrynko [#59], “golden voice” of Ukraine Nina Matviyenko [#60], artist Illya Ryepin [#65], actress Maria Zankovetska [#66], actor Ivan Mykolaychuk [#67], writer Mykhaylo Kotsyubynskiy [#73], singer Raisa Kyrychenko [#74], singer Nazariy Yaremchuk [#75], theater reformator Les Kurbas [#78], artist Kateryna Bilokur [#84], poetess Olena Teliha [#94], writer Ostap Vyshnya [#96].
The youngest Big Ukrainian is swimmer Yana Klochkova, 25, four-time winner of the Olympic Games. The oldest – Princess Olga, who ruled the Kyiv Rus after her husband was killed.
22 Big Ukrainians are our contemporary. The most outstanding of them are the Klitschko brothers [#15].
http://www.unian.net/eng/news/news-246553.html
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51: Poll shows Chernovetsky with 33%
Quote: Chernovetsky leads race, according to the results of yet another poll released on Friday April 4:
Chernovetsky 31.8%
Klitschko 20.8
Undecided 17
Omelchenko 5.8
Against all 4.8
Lutsenko 3.6
Katerynchuk 3.2
Tomenko 1.4
Turchynov 1.4
Results presented by Nikolai Churylov, director of the “Socis” Center of political and marketing research.
Churylov said that 33.3% of respondents think that Chernovetsky will stay on as mayor, while 20.4% think that Klitschko will win the title.
http://kyivscoop.blogspot.com/2008/04/51-poll-shows-chernovetsky-with-33.html
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Chernovetsky 31.8%
Klitschko 20.8
Undecided 17
Omelchenko 5.8
Against all 4.8
Lutsenko 3.6
Katerynchuk 3.2
Tomenko 1.4
Turchynov 1.4
Results presented by Nikolai Churylov, director of the “Socis” Center of political and marketing research.
Churylov said that 33.3% of respondents think that Chernovetsky will stay on as mayor, while 20.4% think that Klitschko will win the title.
http://kyivscoop.blogspot.com/2008/04/51-poll-shows-chernovetsky-with-33.html
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Russia accused of annexation attempt
Quote: Georgia accused Russia on Wednesday of seeking to annex parts of its territory after Moscow said it would establish official links with the separatist regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
David Bakradze, Georgia’s foreign minister, condemned the move as a breach of international law and an “attempt to legalise the de facto annexation process taking place in Abkhazia”.
“We will respond using all diplomatic, legal and political tools,” Mr Bakradze told the Financial Times after an emergency meeting of the Georgian security council. “We will ask for a special meeting of the United Nations Security Council.”
In Brussels on Wednesday, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, Nato secretary-general, said: “I am deeply concerned by the actions Russia has taken to establish legal links with the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.” He noted that Nato allies had reiterated their support for Georgia’s territorial integrity at a recent summit.
“The Russian steps undermine that sovereignty,” he said. “I urge the Russian Federation to reverse these measures, and call on the Georgian authorities to continue to show restraint.”
Moscow’s foreign ministry insisted the move was a peaceful step aimed at lifting restrictions hindering social and economic development in the Caucasus region. Russia was “not choosing [the path of] confrontation with Georgia”, it added.
Earlier, Vladimir Putin, Russian president, signed a decree instructing the government to co-operate with the “de facto” authorities in Abkhazia and South Ossetia in economic, trade and other areas, and to recognise some documents issued by them. It said the foreign ministry should look at providing consular services to the regions’ residents.
Although Russian-Georgian relations had recently improved with the partial lifting of a Russian transport blockade on its southern neighbour, Moscow’s move left the two countries again on a potentially dangerous collision course.
Abkhazia and South Ossetia are home to ethnic minorities where separatist movements sprang up in the early 1990s, leading to bloody wars with Georgian forces, ended by uneasy ceasefires. They retain self-declared independence from Georgia, and are run by separatist governments.
President Mikheil Saakashvili of Georgia has waged an unsuccessful campaign to re-integrate them since coming to power in the 2003 “Rose” Revolution. He accuses Russia of hindering that process and attempting a “creeping annexation”.
Russia had hinted it might recognise the two regions in response to Kosovo’s declaration of independence from Serbia in February. It has so far stopped short of this. But weeks after Kosovo’s move, it lifted sanctions on Abkhazia that had been agreed by the Commonwealth of Independent States in 1996. Georgia said these mainly related to arms movements, but Russia said they covered broader economic relations.
The Russian foreign ministry characterised Mr Putin’s decree as a logical next step after lifting the sanctions. It said measures for further co-operation would be prepared “in the interests of the social-economic development of these republics, and defending the rights of the populations living in them, including Russian citizens”.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7c67dda8-0bd8-11dd-9840-0000779fd2ac.html?nclick_check=1
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David Bakradze, Georgia’s foreign minister, condemned the move as a breach of international law and an “attempt to legalise the de facto annexation process taking place in Abkhazia”.
“We will respond using all diplomatic, legal and political tools,” Mr Bakradze told the Financial Times after an emergency meeting of the Georgian security council. “We will ask for a special meeting of the United Nations Security Council.”
In Brussels on Wednesday, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, Nato secretary-general, said: “I am deeply concerned by the actions Russia has taken to establish legal links with the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.” He noted that Nato allies had reiterated their support for Georgia’s territorial integrity at a recent summit.
“The Russian steps undermine that sovereignty,” he said. “I urge the Russian Federation to reverse these measures, and call on the Georgian authorities to continue to show restraint.”
Moscow’s foreign ministry insisted the move was a peaceful step aimed at lifting restrictions hindering social and economic development in the Caucasus region. Russia was “not choosing [the path of] confrontation with Georgia”, it added.
Earlier, Vladimir Putin, Russian president, signed a decree instructing the government to co-operate with the “de facto” authorities in Abkhazia and South Ossetia in economic, trade and other areas, and to recognise some documents issued by them. It said the foreign ministry should look at providing consular services to the regions’ residents.
Although Russian-Georgian relations had recently improved with the partial lifting of a Russian transport blockade on its southern neighbour, Moscow’s move left the two countries again on a potentially dangerous collision course.
Abkhazia and South Ossetia are home to ethnic minorities where separatist movements sprang up in the early 1990s, leading to bloody wars with Georgian forces, ended by uneasy ceasefires. They retain self-declared independence from Georgia, and are run by separatist governments.
President Mikheil Saakashvili of Georgia has waged an unsuccessful campaign to re-integrate them since coming to power in the 2003 “Rose” Revolution. He accuses Russia of hindering that process and attempting a “creeping annexation”.
Russia had hinted it might recognise the two regions in response to Kosovo’s declaration of independence from Serbia in February. It has so far stopped short of this. But weeks after Kosovo’s move, it lifted sanctions on Abkhazia that had been agreed by the Commonwealth of Independent States in 1996. Georgia said these mainly related to arms movements, but Russia said they covered broader economic relations.
The Russian foreign ministry characterised Mr Putin’s decree as a logical next step after lifting the sanctions. It said measures for further co-operation would be prepared “in the interests of the social-economic development of these republics, and defending the rights of the populations living in them, including Russian citizens”.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7c67dda8-0bd8-11dd-9840-0000779fd2ac.html?nclick_check=1
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Putin’s father fought for Nazis: Suvorov
Quote: In 2003, Polish media reported that KGB defector Victor Suvorov (Vladimir Rizun) found documents and pictures in London which show that the Russian president’s father served in the Nazi-collaborating army led by Russian general Vlasov. Vladimir Spiridonovich Putin was apparently captured by British forces, but not before he helped crush the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising of 1943. (In the photo above, Putin’s father is identified as the man on the far left.)http://kyivscoop.blogspot.com/2008/04/putins-father-fought-for-nazis-suvorov.html
Also: http://siteground239.com/~ukrainee/forum/index.php?topic=850.new#top
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Ukraine, Russia To Launch Consultations On Withdrawal Of Russian Black Sea Fleet From Crimea June 1
Quote: From June 1, 2008, Ukraine and Russia will launch consultation on order and mechanism of withdrawal of Russian Black Sea fleet from Crimea.
Foreign Affairs Ministry press service head Vasyl Kyrylych disclosed this to the press.
He also said that on April 15, Foreign Affairs Minister Volodymyr Ohryzko handed over the memo "On stages and order of withdrawal of Russian Black Sea fleet from Crimea by May 28, 2017" to his Russian colleague Sergey Lavrov.
"The memo foresees that from June 1 we will have to launch consultation on order, determination of mechanism and procedure of withdrawal of Russian Black Sea fleet from the territory of Ukraine," he said.
Kyrylych also said that the text of the memo is not published, as it is being currently elaborated.
As Ukrainian News earlier reported, Russian Ambassador to Ukraine Viktor Chernomyrdin has doubts that Ukraine may cancel agreement on deployment of Russian Black Sea fleet in Crimea.
Earlier, the Ukrainian People's Party had called on President Viktor Yuschenko, Verkhovna Rada and the Cabinet of Ministers to revise agreement with Russia on status and conditions of deployment of its Black Sea fleet in Crimea.
At the same time, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko opposes Ukraine's unilateral initiative on revision of the fleet deployment in Crimea.
http://www.ukranews.com/eng/article/117332.html
Foreign Affairs Ministry press service head Vasyl Kyrylych disclosed this to the press.
He also said that on April 15, Foreign Affairs Minister Volodymyr Ohryzko handed over the memo "On stages and order of withdrawal of Russian Black Sea fleet from Crimea by May 28, 2017" to his Russian colleague Sergey Lavrov.
"The memo foresees that from June 1 we will have to launch consultation on order, determination of mechanism and procedure of withdrawal of Russian Black Sea fleet from the territory of Ukraine," he said.
Kyrylych also said that the text of the memo is not published, as it is being currently elaborated.
As Ukrainian News earlier reported, Russian Ambassador to Ukraine Viktor Chernomyrdin has doubts that Ukraine may cancel agreement on deployment of Russian Black Sea fleet in Crimea.
Earlier, the Ukrainian People's Party had called on President Viktor Yuschenko, Verkhovna Rada and the Cabinet of Ministers to revise agreement with Russia on status and conditions of deployment of its Black Sea fleet in Crimea.
At the same time, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko opposes Ukraine's unilateral initiative on revision of the fleet deployment in Crimea.
http://www.ukranews.com/eng/article/117332.html
Analysis: Russia prepares for lengthy battle over Ukraine
Quote: Russia`s pro-Kremlin mass media lauded the recent NATO decision in Bucharest to delay issuing Membership Action Plans (MAPs) to Ukraine and Georgia, hailing it as a victory for departing President Vladimir Putin.
However, many serious pundits in Russia have been less smug. They appear to regard the objections formulated by Germany and France as temporary obstacles and think that NATO remains bent on including Kyiv and Tbilisi around its table. Ukraine is of particular concern, because, as the emerging neo-nationalist ideology in Russia argues, without that country, Moscow cannot restore its status as "the center of power in Eurasia."
"NATO membership for Ukraine means death for Russia," nationalist publisher Aleksandr Prokhanov has said.
At the same time, Russia`s ruling elite is acutely aware of its significant geoeconomic interests in Ukraine, particularly since Ukraine and Belarus are the main conduits for Russian hydrocarbon exports to Western Europe.
Finally, Putin has a personal stake in the outcome. During Ukraine`s 2004-05 Orange Revolution, Putin personally intervened on the side of then-Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, who led the "anti-Orange" camp. The failure of that heavy-handed intervention was presented around the world, including in Russia and Ukraine, as a major foreign-policy fiasco for Moscow. Media reports at the time indicated that the failed effort in Ukraine was coordinated by Putin`s then chief of staff, Dmitry Medvedev.
Russian analysts realize that support in the United States for Ukraine`s eventual NATO membership is not limited to the George W. Bush administration. It has bipartisan backing in both houses of the U.S. Congress, both of which this year passed resolutions of support. Russian media have noted that all the remaining U.S. presidential candidates -- Senators John McCain (Republican, Arizona), Hillary Clinton (Democrat, New York), and Barak Obama (Democrat, Illinois) -- support NATO membership for both Ukraine and Georgia. Obama was an initiator of the corresponding resolution in the Senate.
In addition, the concluding document of the NATO summit in Bucharest, which was endorsed by all NATO members of both "old" and "new" Europe, clearly states that Ukraine and Georgia should become members of the alliance.
Russian pundits have also noted with concern that, although a majority of Ukrainians still opposes NATO membership, that majority is slipping. The pro-Kremlin news agency RosBalt earlier this month published research that indicates the percentage of Ukrainians actively opposing membership has fallen from 70 percent to 35 percent in the last two years. Other research indicates that 60 percent of Ukrainians oppose joining NATO while 40 percent favor membership.
Moreover, the Ukrainian government is working to continue turning this tide. President Viktor Yushchenko told Germany`s ZDF television recently that he thinks the percentages can be reversed within two years. Yushchenko`s belief is well-founded, as the country`s political elite -- with the exception of left-leaning parties -- is solidly pro-NATO and Ukrainian media -- which, unlike Russia`s, are genuinely independent -- broadly support membership.
Observers in Moscow have also expressed concern that the traditionally pro-Russian elements in Ukraine have been antagonized by the recent gas wars and various other clumsy efforts initiated by Moscow. In October, for instance, the pro-Kremlin Eurasian Youth Movement (ESM) entered Ukraine and vandalized some state symbols at the summit of the country`s highest peak.
The protest outraged the Ukrainian authorities and public opinion, especially after press reports suggested that the instigator of the action was International Eurasian Movement leader Aleksandr Dugin. The ESM is part of Dugin`s umbrella organization. In the wake of the scandal, Putin fired Modest Kolerov, the head of the presidential-administration department in charge of ties with CIS countries who had enlisted Dugin as an adviser.
Pro-Kremlin propagandists also emphasize the idea of a "military threat" from the alliance, even though some of Russia`s top defense officials are skeptical of such a threat. First Deputy Prime Minister and former Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov, for instance, said in April 2007 that Russia faces no military danger on its Western borders, saying that the real potential danger lies in the Far East and the Pacific region.
"It is true," Ivanov said, "that we have NATO [in the west], but we have acceptable relations with it and a system of treaties and mechanisms has been established." This assessment, made during a speech in Vladivostok, went little noticed by the central mass media. As a result, a significant segment of Russian public opinion is convinced the Western alliance presents a military threat to Russia.
Full article: http://www.unian.net/eng/news/news-246720.html
.
However, many serious pundits in Russia have been less smug. They appear to regard the objections formulated by Germany and France as temporary obstacles and think that NATO remains bent on including Kyiv and Tbilisi around its table. Ukraine is of particular concern, because, as the emerging neo-nationalist ideology in Russia argues, without that country, Moscow cannot restore its status as "the center of power in Eurasia."
"NATO membership for Ukraine means death for Russia," nationalist publisher Aleksandr Prokhanov has said.
At the same time, Russia`s ruling elite is acutely aware of its significant geoeconomic interests in Ukraine, particularly since Ukraine and Belarus are the main conduits for Russian hydrocarbon exports to Western Europe.
Finally, Putin has a personal stake in the outcome. During Ukraine`s 2004-05 Orange Revolution, Putin personally intervened on the side of then-Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, who led the "anti-Orange" camp. The failure of that heavy-handed intervention was presented around the world, including in Russia and Ukraine, as a major foreign-policy fiasco for Moscow. Media reports at the time indicated that the failed effort in Ukraine was coordinated by Putin`s then chief of staff, Dmitry Medvedev.
Russian analysts realize that support in the United States for Ukraine`s eventual NATO membership is not limited to the George W. Bush administration. It has bipartisan backing in both houses of the U.S. Congress, both of which this year passed resolutions of support. Russian media have noted that all the remaining U.S. presidential candidates -- Senators John McCain (Republican, Arizona), Hillary Clinton (Democrat, New York), and Barak Obama (Democrat, Illinois) -- support NATO membership for both Ukraine and Georgia. Obama was an initiator of the corresponding resolution in the Senate.
In addition, the concluding document of the NATO summit in Bucharest, which was endorsed by all NATO members of both "old" and "new" Europe, clearly states that Ukraine and Georgia should become members of the alliance.
Russian pundits have also noted with concern that, although a majority of Ukrainians still opposes NATO membership, that majority is slipping. The pro-Kremlin news agency RosBalt earlier this month published research that indicates the percentage of Ukrainians actively opposing membership has fallen from 70 percent to 35 percent in the last two years. Other research indicates that 60 percent of Ukrainians oppose joining NATO while 40 percent favor membership.
Moreover, the Ukrainian government is working to continue turning this tide. President Viktor Yushchenko told Germany`s ZDF television recently that he thinks the percentages can be reversed within two years. Yushchenko`s belief is well-founded, as the country`s political elite -- with the exception of left-leaning parties -- is solidly pro-NATO and Ukrainian media -- which, unlike Russia`s, are genuinely independent -- broadly support membership.
Observers in Moscow have also expressed concern that the traditionally pro-Russian elements in Ukraine have been antagonized by the recent gas wars and various other clumsy efforts initiated by Moscow. In October, for instance, the pro-Kremlin Eurasian Youth Movement (ESM) entered Ukraine and vandalized some state symbols at the summit of the country`s highest peak.
The protest outraged the Ukrainian authorities and public opinion, especially after press reports suggested that the instigator of the action was International Eurasian Movement leader Aleksandr Dugin. The ESM is part of Dugin`s umbrella organization. In the wake of the scandal, Putin fired Modest Kolerov, the head of the presidential-administration department in charge of ties with CIS countries who had enlisted Dugin as an adviser.
Pro-Kremlin propagandists also emphasize the idea of a "military threat" from the alliance, even though some of Russia`s top defense officials are skeptical of such a threat. First Deputy Prime Minister and former Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov, for instance, said in April 2007 that Russia faces no military danger on its Western borders, saying that the real potential danger lies in the Far East and the Pacific region.
"It is true," Ivanov said, "that we have NATO [in the west], but we have acceptable relations with it and a system of treaties and mechanisms has been established." This assessment, made during a speech in Vladivostok, went little noticed by the central mass media. As a result, a significant segment of Russian public opinion is convinced the Western alliance presents a military threat to Russia.
Full article: http://www.unian.net/eng/news/news-246720.html
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