IMF praises adoption of legislation on banking, land reforms:
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has praised the Ukrainian parliament's adoption of legislation on banking and land reforms that could unlock billions of dollars in loans.
Ukraine has been in talks with the IMF for months about a three-year, $5.5 billion loan tied to reforms to help the country meet a spike in debt repayments this year.
Parliament on March 30 voted to lift a ban on the sale of farmland and approved in the first reading a banking law, although it failed to adopt a revised budget for 2020.
"We welcome the support by the Ukrainian parliament in the first reading of the legislation aimed at strengthening the fundamentals of bank restructuring, and we expect its final adoption," IMF envoy Goesta Ljungman said in a statement on April 4.
"We also look forward to the adoption of amendments to the budget for 2020, which will help the authorities respond to the extraordinary challenges that have arisen as a result of COVID -19," Ljungman added.
The banking bill prevents the former owners of banks that were nationalized or liquidated in recent years during a widespread financial-sector clean-up from regaining ownership rights or receiving monetary compensation.
Though the legislation also has other implications for Ukraine's banks, observers say its main purpose is to prevent one of Ukraine's most powerful tycoons, Ihor Kolomoyskiy, the former co-owner of PrivatBank, from regaining ownership rights to the bank.
Lawmakers also approved legislation lifting a ban on the sale of farmland, which is expected to unlock enormous investment potential in what is already one of the world's top grain exporters.
The land market should be opened by July 1, 2021, based on the bill's provisions. (Interfax and Reuters)
Here is today's map of the security situation in eastern Ukraine, according to the National Security and Defense Council (click to enlarge):
Details from yesterday's fighting:
Trump fires intelligence official involved in impeachment probe:
By RFE/RL
U.S. President Donald Trump has fired the intelligence official who handled the whistle-blower complaint involving aid to Ukraine that triggered Trump's impeachment.
Trump informed the Senate Intelligence Committee late on April 3 of his decision to fire Michael Atkinson.
Atkinson served as inspector-general of the intelligence community and was the first to inform Congress about an anonymous whistle-blower complaint last year that described Trump's pressure on Ukraine to investigate former Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son.
Atkinson, a Trump appointee, told lawmakers he believed the complaint was "urgent" and "credible."
The whistle-blower complaint, which was eventually released publicly, revealed that Trump had asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in a July phone call to investigate the Bidens.
The complaint prompted a House investigation that ultimately resulted in Trump's impeachment. The Republican-led Senate acquitted Trump in February.
Trump said in the letter to the Senate Intelligence Committee that it was "vital" that he has confidence in the appointees serving as inspectors-general, and "that is no longer the case with regard to this inspector-general."
He did not elaborate, except to say that "it is extremely important that we promote the economy, efficiency, and effectiveness of federal programs and activities," and that an inspector-general is critical to those goals.
The letter was addressed to Representative Adam Schiff (Democrat-California), the head of the House Intelligence Committee, and Devin Nunes (Republican-California), the top Republican on the committee.
Schiff called the firing a "blatant attempt to gut the independence of the Intelligence Community and retaliate against those who dare to expose presidential wrongdoing."
"It puts our country and national security at even greater risk," he said on Twitter.
Trump wrote that he planned to nominate an individual "who has my full confidence" to replace Atkinson at a later date. (w/AP and dpa)
This ends our live blogging for April 3. Be sure to check back tomorrow for our continuing coverage.