NATO Activates Six New Hubs On Eastern Flank With Russia
Six NATO hubs being established along the alliance's eastern flank went into operation on September 1, the alliance said, in a move responding to a perceived new security threat from Russia.
NATO has been stepping up its role in Eastern Europe to deter potential aggressors and reassure its allies in light of the conflict in Ukraine, where Russia has been condemned for annexing Crimea and backing pro-Moscow separatists.
The six NATO centers -- in Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Romania -- are to help on the ground with exercises and planning activities. Each should be staffed with around 40 people by the end of the year.
"They have begun work, but are not yet operating at full capacity," a NATO spokesman said.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg is due on September 3 to attend an inauguration ceremony at the Lithuanian command-and-control center.
The decision to establish the so-called NATO Force Integration Units was made at the alliance's Wales summit in September 2014. They are to be fully operational by the next NATO summit, taking place in Warsaw in July 2016, the spokesman said.
Based on reporting by dpa and AFP
EU Set To Extend Sanctions On Russia Until March 2016
By RFE/RL
The European Union is set to maintain until March 15 sanctions targeted against almost 200 Russian firms and individuals, as well as Ukrainian separatists, to maintain pressure on Moscow to carry out the Minsk cease-fire agreement, diplomats said.
The decision is expected at a meeting of senior EU officials on September 2 and should be signed off by ministers in mid-September, the diplomats said. The asset freeze and travel bans are due to expire on September 15.
The sanctions currently target 151 people, including senior Russian advisers, lawmakers, and Ukrainian rebel leaders. Russian President Vladimir Putin and his top ministers weren’t affected. One person on the list has died, the diplomats said, reducing the number of individuals to 150.
The Russians targeted include deputy prime minister Dmitry Kozak, who the EU said was in charge of integrating Crimea into Russia after its March 2014 annexation, and Dmitry Rogozin, who publicly called for the seizing of the territory, according to the EU. It also includes Igor Sergun, head of Russia’s main intelligence directorate, and senior Kremlin aide Vladislav Surkov.
Also on the list are 37 firms and other entities, including 13 which were confiscated by Moscow during Russia’s annexation of Crimea or which benefited from that move.
There had been some discussion of extending the targeted sanctions only until the end of January. Earlier in the year, some EU officials said there could be pressure to reduce the size of the list since the situation in eastern Ukraine had calmed somewhat. However, a clear majority of member states is now behind the six-month extension, the diplomats said.
The expected move is the latest sign that despite significant political differences within the bloc over the conflict in Ukraine, the EU’s 28 member states remain united around the need to keep economic pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In June, the EU agreed to extend broader economic sanctions against Russia until January 2016. The EU, the United States, and other Western countries imposed sanctions on Russia for supporting and supplying the separatists. Russia denies any interference.
Russia and Ukraine must complete by December 31 implementation of the Febuary 12 cease-fire deal, signed in and named after the Belarusian capital. For Ukraine, that means agreeing to broad constitutional reforms to increase autonomy of the eastern regions of the country where the separatists have enjoyed some support.
The Ukrainian parliament's initial vote of approval for the constitutional reforms this week provoked a violent protest and the death of three National Guardsmen. A vote on final approval will come later this year.
For Russia, compliance with the agreement means withdrawing all forces from Ukraine and returning control to Kyiv of the Ukrainian side of the border between the two countries. Moscow denies it has any soldiers in Ukraine.
In a visit to Brussels last week, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko urged the bloc to roll over the sanctions, accusing Russia and the separatists of repeatedly violating the cease-fire.
During the latest peak in violence last month, Moscow blamed Kyiv, saying Ukrainian forces were preparing a fresh offensive against the rebels.
With reporting by Wall Street Journal and Interfax
That concludes our live-blogging of the Ukraine crisis for Tuesday, September 1. Check back here tomorrow morning for more of our continuing coverage.
More on the violence at the August 31 protests in Kyiv over a bill that could give more autonomy to pro-Russian separatists. Three Ukrainian National Guardsmen died in the violence when a grenade was thrown into the crowd:
Investigators have summoned nearly 30 people for questioning including Svoboda leader Oleh Tyahnybok in connection with the clashes, the Interior Ministry said on September 1.
President Petro Poroshenko met with the country's top law enforcement officers and called for a speedy investigation into the clashes.
Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin said the perpetrators and organizers of the clashes would face lengthy prison terms on charges of carrying out a terrorist attack.
Parliament speaker Volodymyr Groisman urged all political parties on September 1 to condemn violence and rally around the president and his plans to devolve powers.
However, the Radical Party led by Oleh Lyashko said it would now officially oppose Poroshenko and his plan, which they believe threatens the country's sovereignty.
The bill, which was presented by Poroshenko and is part of Kyiv's obligations under the February Minsk peace accords, was tentatively approved by parliament on August 31.
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World powers, including the United States, Germany, Russia, and European Union, also have condemned the violence, but welcomed the parliamentary action on the decentralization bill.
European Council President Donald Tusk said that, despite some domestic opposition, the legislation must be implemented before the year-end deadline stated in the cease-fire deal.
"I am concerned about the violence in Kyiv yesterday. In a sense, this shows the strong determination of the Ukrainian government and parliament to honor their obligations and implement the Minsk agreements," he said in a statement.
"It shows Ukraine is ready to pay a high price for peace," Tusk added.
Washington also added its voice of support.
"This action represents an important step toward comprehensive reform of Ukraine's governance and the empowerment of regional and local authorities," National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said.