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EU
foreign ministers extend sanctions against Russian officials, E.
Ukraine rebels
EU
foreign ministers have decided to extend targeted sanctions against
Russian officials and the militias in eastern Ukraine until
September, according to Federica Mogherini, the European Union High
Representative for Foreign Affairs.
RT,
29
January, 2015
The
first batch of sanctions, which was adopted last year and targeted
specific individuals accused of fostering conflict in eastern
Ukraine, was set to expire in March. The sanctions included travel
bans and economic restrictions.
The
EU Council has also requested that the European Commission expand the
blacklist of individuals it blames for the escalation of the Ukraine
conflict, Mogherini said after a meeting in Brussels on Thursday.
"We
have shown that the EU is ready to take further measures and to
prepare further measures in the weeks to come if the situation
doesn't improve," she said.
The
council, however, has refrained from imposing broader economic
measures for now.
Greek
Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias said that Greece insisted on removing
a passage which would have imposed new sanctions on Russia from the
draft proposals at the ministers’ meeting. It also insisted that
the final communiqué does not put direct blame for the Ukraine
conflict on Russia
German
Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said the EU would need to
send a clear message if the rebels in eastern Ukraine launched a
full-blown offensive.
"If
there were large military offensives, for example with widespread
assaults on Mariupol, a clear reaction would be needed," he told
reporters.
The
ministers were widely expected to step up sanctions against Russia
following mounting pressure after last week’s deadly Mariupol
attack. The EU has moved to steadily increase sanctions and
restrictions against Moscow since Crimea joined Russia last spring.
Journalist
Neil Clark told RT that the lack of extremely harsh measures reveals
a division within the EU ranks.
“What
we’ve seen tonight is the evidence of a real split. We haven’t
had these measures that some people wanted. For example, some of the
more anti-Russian elements have been calling for Russia to be banned
from the SWIFT banking system.”
Kiev
used barrier squads to prevent troops from retreating – E. Ukraine
militia
The
Ukrainian military employed barrier troops who fired at their fellow
servicemen in order to prevent their retreat during a night battle in
the country's southeast, the Defense Ministry of the Donetsk People’s
Republic (DPR) said.
:RT,
29
January, 2015
"Ukrainian
troops are demoralized, which is proven by an unprecedented incident
that occurred last night,” DPR Defense Ministry spokesman Eduard
Basurin said, as quoted by Donetsk News Agency.
An
injured Ukrainian soldier who surrendered to the militias said during
questioning that “anti-retreat units from territorial defense
battalions were used against the Ukrainian troops,” Basurin said.
According
to the spokesman, 70 Ukrainian troops have surrendered to the rebels
since January 9, with 11 of them capitulating in the past 24 hours.
Meanwhile,
the Ukrainian Defense Ministry decided to accelerate the graduation
of students from the country's military schools and universities in
order to deploy them to the conflict zone in the Donetsk and Lugansk
Regions, TASS reported.
“It
is done to make up for the huge combat losses of officers” in the
fighting in the southeast and the mass evasion of mobilization by
reserve officers of the Ukrainian army, representative parent
associations of Ukrainian military schools said.
New
volunteers for the Ukrainian Interior Ministry's Azov battalion line
up before they depart to the frontlines in eastern Ukraine, in
central Kiev January 17, 2015. (Reuters/Gleb Garanich)New volunteers
for the Ukrainian Interior Ministry's Azov battalion line up before
they depart to the frontlines in eastern Ukraine, in central Kiev
January 17, 2015. (Reuters/Gleb Garanich)
According
to the parents, the Defense Ministry plans to send over 2,000
under-educated lieutenants to the war-torn southeast.
Preparations
for the early graduations are already underway in military schools in
Kharkov, Lvov, and Poltava, they said.
Notably,
graduates of Kharkov Air Force University will be sent to infantry
units due to the shortage of operational planes in the Ukrainian
military.
The
parents stressed that they do not agree with the decision by the
Defense Ministry and promised to stage rallies and block the
country’s military schools and universities.
Last
Tuesday, the Ukrainian military launched yet another military draft,
which aims to recruit 100,000 people into the army in three stages
throughout the year.
Volunteers
for the Ukrainian interior ministry's "Azov" battalion.
(Reuters/Valentyn Ogirenko)Volunteers for the Ukrainian interior
ministry's "Azov" battalion. (Reuters/Valentyn Ogirenko)
READ
MORE: New military draft starts in Ukraine amid intensified assault
on militia-held territories
Kiev
troops and Donbass militia forces are locked in renewed hostilities
in southeastern Ukraine after a shaky ceasefire reached by the sides
in September utterly collapsed.
Ukrainian
forces launched a massive offensive in mid-January, but failed to
gain any ground despite deploying tanks, artillery, and air forces.
On
Saturday, a residential area in the port city of Mariupol – which
has remained relatively insulated from violence throughout the
majority of the conflict – was shelled.
Kiev
forces and the militias have been trading blame for the incident,
which has led to the deaths of at least 30 people. Another 100 have
been injured in the hostilities.
The
Ukraine conflict began last April when Kiev launched a military
operation in the southeastern Donetsk and Lugansk regions, after they
refused to recognize the country’s new, coup-imposed authorities.
The
death toll in the Ukraine conflict has exceeded 5,000 people. Over
10,000 have been injured, according to UN estimates.
US Supports PACE
According to the State Department, the US welcomes the PACE decision to extend its suspension of the Russian delegation's voting rights in that assembly until at least April 2015
WASHINGTON, January 30 (Sputnik) — The United States welcomes the decision of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) to suspend Russian delegation’s voting rights in the organization, the State Department official told Sputnik.
“We
welcome PACE’s January 28 decision to extend its suspension of the
Russian delegation's voting rights in that assembly until at least
April 2015,” the official told Sputnik Thursday.
The
PACE adopted a resolution on Wednesday, depriving the Russian
delegation of voting rights in the organization and cancelling its
participation in the work of the Council of Europe until at least its
April session, accusing Moscow of participating in the military
conflict in the southeast of Ukraine, which Russia has repeatedly
denied.
In
response to the PACE’s decision, the head of the Russian delegation
Alexei Pushkov said that Russia is suspending its work in PACE until
the end of the year.
The
state department official noted that they had seen reports about the
decision of the Russian delegation to suspend its role in the
organization.
“We
respect the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe as an
important European institution, dedicated to promoting democracy,
human rights, and the rule of law,” the official said.
For
the first time, PACE suspended the Russian delegation’s voting
rights back in spring 2014 in response to Russia’s reunification
with Crimea. In protest, the Russian delegation walked out of the
PACE spring 2014 session and skipped the summer session.
The
PACE’s resolution stresses that the revision of the decision and
other sanctions against Russia could be held during opening meetings
of the April session if Moscow demonstrates substantial progress in
meeting the PACE demands over Russia’s alleged role in the
Ukrainian crisis, including the protection of rights of the Crimean
Tatars.
Washington
disagrees with former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev that the
United States is in another Cold war with Russia, which might turn
into a "hot" one, spokesperson for the US Department of
State Jen Psaki told journalists.
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