This is bad. Relations … EU foreign ministers have met for talks on the bloc's relations with Moscow as fears rise over Russia's intentions in Ukraine. For more, read the new issue of the Russian Analytical Digest ‘ Russia-Ukraine ‘. The present Occasional Paper, which analyses the geoeconomic, geopolitical and socio-cultural dimensions of relations in the Russia-EU-Ukraine triangle, suggests that these relations represent a kind of ‘zero-sum game’. However, some 400,000 residents with Russian citizenship inhabit the zone. In the latest flare-up between Moscow and Kyiv over the weekend, Russia’s security services on Saturday accused a Ukrainian diplomat of trying to access classified local law enforcement databases in Saint Petersburg, prompting authorities to expel the envoy. Since taking office, the Donald J. Trump administration has continued to pressure Russia over its involvement eastern Ukraine. News EU discusses Russia strategy as tensions grow in Ukraine. Send Facebook Twitter reddit EMail Facebook Messenger Web Whatsapp Web Telegram linkedin. Ankara said on Friday that the US had already announced at the end of March that it would be sending two warships to the Black Sea in mid-April. Although mainly soldiers, mercenaries, rebels and militiamen are involved in the conflict, the civilian population is repeatedly affected. On Saturday, a possible thawing of frosty relations between the two neighbors came about after Russia and Ukraine exchanged a total of 70 prisoners, including Ukrainian sailors that … White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, meanwhile, said that "Russia now has more troops on the border with Ukraine than at any time since 2014. In response, a senior diplomat from Russia’s embassy in Kyiv has been given 72 hours from Monday to leave the country, the spokesman said. KIEV, April 17. U.S. President Joe Biden did drop plans to send two warships into the Black Sea following protests from Russia. This article omits a split of over 100 years' duration between Eastern and Western Ukraine as well as the area's being conquered and reconquered, reunited and split depending on which empire controlled which area(s) of Ukraine. /TASS/. "We will soon reach such a level of relations with Ukraine that there will be no more room for reciprocity. ", © 2021 Deutsche Welle | Russia/Ukraine International Relations Get the latest news and developments on Russian-Ukrainian state affairs. On both sides of the Russian-Ukrainian border, troops are testing the combat readiness of their weapon systems. "All in all, the relations with Russia are not improving, but the contrary; the tension is increasing in different fronts," said the EU's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, ahead of the meeting. Latest news, analysis and comment on security in Europe and beyond. Most Popular They were, however, broken time and again. The forecast for the Ukraine is one of the most ungrateful tasks for a political expert. Cooperation has been suspended since 2014 in response to Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine but political and military channels of communication remain open. ", Ukraine's top diplomat Dmytro Kuleba called for broad EU sanctions against Russia. "Key element: preparing a new set of sectoral sanctions. Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said he hoped Europe would "speak in one voice, saying that Russia needs to draw away its troops and stop the escalation. the treatment of jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. During a visit to the Donbass region earlier in the week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy inspected the situation on the ground and honored soldiers for services rendered. Head of the Committee of the Verkhovna Rada on Social Policy and Veterans’ Rights, MP from Servant of the People party Halyna Tretiakova published the statement on Facebook. Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, is sometimes referred to as “the mother of Russian cities,” on par in terms of cultural influence with Moscow and St. Petersburg. Latest news, analysis and comment from POLITICO’s editors and guest writers in Europe. Russia-Ukraine relations. Since 2014, several ceasefires have been agreed upon. And it was Chris… Explore the live extension of our journalism, The wonk's survival guide to the EU Green Deal, April 19 — Rewriting the Transatlantic Tech Playbook, April 20 — The coming shakeup of the EU Emissions Trading System. On Saturday, he will meet President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey. However, last week, a senior EU official said new sanctions were unlikely. To escape this bottleneck, Russia has been working to diversify its gas exports to Europe by building pipelines that can bypass Ukraine. It was in Kyiv in the eighth and ninth centuries that Christianity was brought from Byzantium to the Slavic peoples. The US, NATO and the EU have pledged support for Ukraine's efforts to defend its territory. Ukraine will expel a senior diplomat of the Russian embassy in Kiev, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said on Saturday. But tensions are growing on several other fronts as well. Over the past five years conflict has led to a deterioration of Russo-Ukrainian economic relations while ties with the EU have been deepened. Diplomatic advisers from the four countries are set to meet on Monday. ceasefire that was officially agreed last July. Borrell confirmed that for the time being, no sanctions or expulsions of Russian diplomats had been planned. Privacy Policy | Jewish lawmaker advances impeachment against Ukraine… The Kremlin threatens to sever all the relations with Ukraine after following the sanctions imposed against Russian companies. Two Russian warships transited the Bosphorus en route to the Black Sea on Saturday and 15 smaller vessels completed a transfer to the sea as Moscow beefs up … MOSCOW, April 17 — Two Russian warships transited the Bosphorus en route to the Black Sea today and 15 smaller vessels completed a transfer to the sea as Moscow beefs up its naval presence at a time of tense relations with the West and Ukraine. The movements come on top of Russia’s massive troop build-up along its border with Ukraine in recent weeks, prompting fears of a possible invasion. Both Moscow and Kyiv have expelled a diplomat in the latest escalation of tensions. This affects Russia's relationship with modern Ukraine since modern Ukraine was only reunited in the 20th century after having been split between or fought over by the western empires and Imperial Russia … France and Germany helped negotiate a peace deal for eastern Ukraine that was signed in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, in 2015. Since 1991 Russian clashed often with Ukraine on economic, territorial, and military issues within the CIS which the Ukraine refused to see as more than an instrument for a civilized divorce. Latest news, analysis and comment on migration in Europe and beyond. Servant of the People party urges President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky to cut off diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation. "To protect them," Moscow announced on Friday, the Kremlin would take action. "A senior diplomat of the Russian … Moscow deployed two warships through the Bosphorus | Ozan Kose/AFP via Getty Images, Campaigning, lobbying and political influence in the EU. When Russia and Ukraine clashed again in January 2009, it brought about the worst disruption in gas transit since the beginning of Russian gas exports to Europe. No Comments on Russia-Ukraine Relations This graphic outlines the findings of a survey of Ukrainian and Russian public opinion on the conflict in the Donbas. builds up its military presence at the Ukrainian border. By international law, the renegade areas belong to Ukraine. Recent Developments . Both Macron and Merkel called on Russia to withdraw its troops from the border regions. Russia and Britain are both sending warships to the Black Sea as tensions between Moscow and Ukraine simmer following dueling diplomat expulsions over the weekend. ", Borrell said Russia had built up a troop presence on the Ukraine border and in annexed Crimea. European Union foreign ministers met at a virtual conference on Monday to reassess the bloc's options as Russia builds up its military presence at the Ukrainian border. Regardless of the fact that Russia and the EU would like to avoid any clash in … A tank fires during control checks of Russia's armed forces. In the first week of April, Russia had begun to build up its military presence at the border with Ukraine. The Ukraine crisis has become the bloodiest European conflict since the wars over the former Yugoslavia in the early 1990s -- but what triggered the violence and what is happening on the ground? For its part, the U.K. is planning to deploy vessels to the region next month in an effort to underscore support for Kyiv, according to The Sunday Times. According to observers sent by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), there was no provocation. Between 2014–2018, a military conflict between Ukrainian soldiers and Russian-backed separatists continued in eastern Ukraine. This was a reaction to Ukraine's "provocations" — which were aimed at escalating the conflict between Russian separatists and Ukrainian government troops, the Kremlin said. We use cookies to improve our service for you. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has been trying to marshal international backing as he navigates the potential crisis. And last week, NATO’s Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken stood firmly with Ukraine, without indicating what steps they might take to counteract Russia’s behavior. This thumbnail was taken from a video released by the Russian Defense Ministry. According to Ukrainian media reports, a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron is on the agenda as well. The United States is considering sending warships into the Black Sea in the next few weeks in a show of support for Ukraine amid Russia's increased military presence on Ukraine… Fighting between Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine has killed more than 14,000 people since it erupted after Moscow's annexation of the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014. On November 25, 2018, Russian ships attacked and boarded three Ukrainian vessels in the Crimean port of Azov near the Black Sea. Since then, they have mediated the conflict — in the regions of Luhansk and Donetsk — under the so-called Normandy format. Ukrainian Defense Minister Andriy Taran had put the estimated number of troops at 110,000. “We absolutely reject the accusations made against the consular officer,” a spokesman for Ukraine’s foreign ministry said in an emailed statement, adding the move shows Russia is choosing a “line of hostility.”.