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IMF recognizes status of Ukraine’s debt
Ukraine’s debt to Russia is set to mature on December 20th. Recently, however, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) lifted the ban on lending to countries with existing overdue sovereign debt, so Ukraine’s unpaid "debt of Yanukovych" will not prevent the IMF from further cooperation with Kiev.
The Executive Committee of the IMF officially recognized the $3 billion Eurobond that Ukraine owes to Russia as sovereign debt, not commercial. Consequently, Ukraine will have to demonstrate that it is …
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No delay in the introduction of EU-Ukraine free trade zone
Despite the opposition of Moscow, an agreement on a free trade zone between the EU and Ukraine will begin effective January 1st. The President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, ended the delays that were hindering the Free Trade Area (FTA) agreement between the European Union and Ukraine. The EU President stated this during a press conference in Brussels on Wednesday, December 16th.
“A comprehensive Free Trade Area between Ukraine and the EU will become enforced as of January 1 …
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Putin comments on Nemtsov investigation
During his annual Q & A session with journalists, Russian President Vladimir Putin encouraged those who demand progress in the investigation of the assassination of Boris Nemtsov to be patient.
"I knew him personally. He chose a path of political battle, and he was not alone...and I believe that is a crime that must be investigated thoroughly", Putin stated.
Nemtsov, an outspoken critic of Putin, was gunned down in February of this year, just steps from the Kremlin. The former Minister had …
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Russia deploys nuclear weapons in Crimea
MP and leader of the Crimean Tatars, Mustafa Dzhemilev, spoke about the nuclear situation in Russian occupied Crimea.
The People's Deputy said that the Kremlin has decided to position its nuclear power on the occupied peninsula and has restored the abandoned nuclear storage facility.
“It is known for certain that they have almost completely restored the nuclear repository in the natural boundary of Kyzyltash near Yalta, which was closed and emptied after the signing of the 1994 Budapest …
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Turkey detains Russian merchant ships
Turkish authorities cite the formal reason for the detention as the lack of completed documents, minor technical defects and violations of safety regulations.Since the beginning of the deterioration of relations between Moscow and Ankara, a total of 27 Russian merchant vessels have been detained in Turkey. These actions were in response to the detention of eight merchant ships in the Black Sea, as reported on December 16th by the Hürriyet. According to the newspaper, Turkish authorities …