Published in Inform issue #126
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Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has re-emphasised Ukraine’s commitment to becoming a member of the EU while supporting friendly and pragmatic relations with Russia. That was the central message she delivered at the 6th Yalta European Strategy (YES) summit in the Crimea on Friday.

During her speech, entitled “Vision of the future of Ukraine,” the premier stressed that her strategy does not imply multi-vectorism, but a commonsense choice, calling for greater EU integration but at the same time pragmatic, mutually beneficial, friendly, constructive relations with Russia.

“Ukraine has made a clear choice – the European community. But partnership, pragmatic, mutually beneficial and friendly relations with Russia, one of our neighbours, to my mind, make an important integral part of Ukraine’s logical development,” said Ms Tymoshenko.

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Published in Inform issue #125
See the full issue here.

The privatisation of the Odesa Portside Plant has again hit the headlines as President Viktor Yushchenko tries to thwart the sale sanctioned by the government and the State Property Fund.

Last Thursday, President Yushchenko moved to halt the sale of the plant by presidential decree. The reason he gave was, "The privatisation of the Odesa Portside Plant threatens the economic security of Ukraine."

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko is determined that the sale of the Black Sea chemical fertilizer plant goes ahead in an open and transparent fashion.

"I would like to firmly state that a decision on the privatisation was passed by the State Property Fund of Ukraine and it will take place within the term fixed by the fund, and nothing will prevent this," said Ms Tymoshenko.

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Published in Inform issue #125
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A two part exhaustive study of parliamentary political forces, and to what extent they fulfilled their election pledges in the first eight months of 2009, was published in Ukrayinska Pravda (11 and 14 September). The author was Ms Lesia Shevchenko, the President of the Kyiv-based Open Society Foundation.

Accountability of politicians is a central component of a consolidated democracy and an area that needs attention in Ukraine. Sadly, low trust in state institutions and politicians is a reflection of politicians who are deemed unaccountable to their electorate. But this disinterest in voters is not the case for all of the political forces represented in parliament. The analysis concluded that, of parliament’s five factions, the Bloc of Yulia Tymoshenko (BYuT) is the most conscientious in fulfilling its pledges made to voters in the September 2007 pre-term parliamentary elections.

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Published in Inform issue #124
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Oleksandr Savchenko, the Deputy Chairman of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU), submitted his resignation last week in protest over political interference by President Viktor Yushchenko into the operations of the central bank. The resignation coincides with an investigation by the Interior Ministry into alleged illegal currency speculation by senior officials within the bank.

Speaking at a press conference in Kyiv, Mr Savchenko said, “I have filed my resignation. It would be dishonourable to remain silent and wait. The NBU is not independent, it is engaged in politics, and sometimes it is being involved in certain schemes and speculations.”

Alarmingly, Mr Savchenko accused senior NBU officials of speculation on the foreign exchange market, and refinancing commercial banks in such a manner that certain banks received larger shares, which they could direct to the currency market.

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Published in RBC-Ukraine

Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko plans to run for president in 2009, she said during today’s meeting of the National Trilateral Social and Economic Council.

She also said that the increase in social standards in 2010 will be very moderate due to the global financial and economic crisis. “Our main priority has to be rejuvenating the economy. But as a candidate for president, increasing social standards is very important,” Tymoshenko said.

Published in Inform issue #123
See the full issue here.

Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has taken a huge step in resetting gas relations with Russia. It comes at a time when measures are being taken to strengthen the finances of Naftohaz Ukrainy – Ukraine’s state run gas company – and reduce natural gas imports.

The premier declared that Ukraine expects to cut its gas imports in 2010 by 25 billion cubic metres. Speaking at a cabinet meeting she said, “We agreed that 27-33 billion cubic metres will be (imported) next year, depending on how the fight against the crisis unfolds and how the crisis ends."

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Published in Kyiv Post

Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has met with her Polish counterpart Donald Tusk in Gdansk as part of her visit to Poland.

The question of Ukrainian-Polish cooperation, particularly the two countries' preparations for hosting the Euro 2012 European Football Championship was discussed during the meeting, the Ukrainian government's press service reported.

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Published in Kyiv Post

Ukraine will pay only for the Russian gas it consumes, Ukrainian Prime Minster Yulia Tymoshenko said after meeting with her Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Sopot on Tuesday.

"Vladimir Vladimirovich [Putin] and I have discussed the issue of Ukraine's consumption of Russian gas, and the position of the Russian prime minister is that Ukraine will pay only for the amount of gas it consumes," Tymoshenko said.

Putin reiterated that the current world crisis should be taken into account in mutual settlements and supplies.

"My colleague and I have agreed that we will give our respective economic entities an instruction to take these circumstances into account," Putin said.

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