Ukraine crisis. News in brief. Saturday 17 December. [Ukrainian sources]

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NEWS:
US Department of Justice does not intend to meet with Onyshchenko.  Hague will examine crimes in Crimea at least three years.  US Department of Justice does not intend to meet with Onyshchenko.  Pro-Russia militants keep destroying Ukrainian townsl.  Kuchma about Savchenko's meeting with ORDLO representatives: we have only one negotiation platform in Minsk.  13 soldiers killed in car bomb attack in Turkey. Turchynov opts for economic blockade of breakaway Donbas republics. Pope Francis turns 80 today. Ukrainian volunteers give rebels 7 days to release POWs. Trump found a position for Sylvester Stallone.

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Speaking to Liga.net Dec. 16, the head of the National Security and Defense Council, Oleksandr Turchynov, said he favors the economic blockade of the rebel-held territories.

 “We should cash in on Croatia’s experience in the Balkan war in the early 90s.

The Serbs set up a breakaway enclave inside Croatia. To resolve the problem, Croatia imposed an economic blockade, cutting the flow of goods to the separatists. It worked, and conditions were created soon to de-occupy the territories seized by the Serbs,” Turchynov said.

However, Ukraine’s western partners object against the economic blockade, saying it will lead to a humanitarian disaster in Donbas, Turchynov said.

 “My personal opinion is that complete isolation of the rebel-held territories will shorten the road to their freedom. Otherwise, the presently slow process will only prolong the sufferings of civilians living in the breakaway republics,” Turchynov said.

zik.ua

Ukraine's representative to the Trilateral Contact Group for Donbas, second Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma, welcomes efforts of everyone who wants to help to release hostages, but he stressed that there is only one platform for negotiations – in the Minsk format.

Commenting on a meeting of Ukrainian parliamentarian Nadia Savchenko with representatives of separate areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions (ORDLO) where they allegedly discussed the release of hostages, Kuchma told reporters that "we have only one platform for negotiations – Minsk, and everything that concerns these problems we have there. I do not recognize other platforms."......

en.interfax.com.ua

The 266th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church Francis is entering his ninth decade, as he turns 80 years old today, December 17.

His papacy began three years ago, in March 2013, when he replaced Benedict XVI, who became the first Pope to resign in almost 600 years amid the ‘Vatileaks' scandal.

Pope Francis, who was born as Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1936, has been known for his humility and concern for the poor..............



Access complete text of the editorial:  uatoday.tv In English

The U.S. Department of Justice is not going to meet with the former MP Oleksandr Onyshchenko, who is hiding abroad.

Censor.NET reports citing Interfax-Ukraina.

Under normal conditions, the U.S. Department of Justice, as well as law enforcement agencies, is ready to meet with people who claim to have evidence concerning violations of laws of the United States. But the fact of such meeting doesn't confirm that such violations took place or that given information is true.

The U.S. Department of Justice does not usually comment on such meetings, but Onyshchenko's decision to speak publicly on this topic changed the matter. For this reason the U.S. Department informs that it has no plans to conduct further meetings with Oleksandr Onyshchenko.

On March 16, the NABU raided the office of Onyshchenko. It stated the searches were carried out under the pre-trial investigation into abuse of office during the sale of natural gas extracted jointly with Ukrhazvydobuvannia SE.

Later, the NABU requested the Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) to remove the immunity from people's deputy Onyshchenko. Moreover, the NABU and the PGO claim Onyshchenko is involved in embezzlement of 1.6 billion hryvnia (approx. $64.02 million).

On June 16, Prosecutor General Yurii Lutsenko issued a motion requesting Verkhovna Rada's consent for criminal prosecution, arrest, and pre-trial detention of Onyshchenko. On July 5, the parliament approved the detention and arrest of the lawmaker.

The suspect himself stated he was busy with the preparation for the upcoming Olympics and not going to react to NABU's actions. On July 29, Onyshchenko said he was in the U.K. and had applied for political asylum.

On Dec. 1, 2016, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) announced it suspected fugitive MP Onyshchenko of high treason. As noted, the MP acquired Russian citizenship in exchange for cooperation with Russian authorities to destabilize the situation in Ukraine. On the same day, Onyshchenko said he had provided compromising materials against President Poroshenko to the U.S. intelligence.

ua.censor.net.ua , In Ukrainian / на українській мові

Servicemen of volunteer battalions gave Donbas rebels an ultimatum to free all the 58 POWs in their custody, ‘Donbas’ volunteer battalion member Yevhen Shevchenko says, UNIAN reports Dec. 17.

 “If the Russian and rebel troops do not release or exchange the POWs within 7 days, the Ukrainian volunteers will start the total blockade of the rebel-held territories,” Shevchenko writes in Facebook. 

The headquarters to coordinate the actions of the volunteers is going to be set up soon, he said. 

The initiative to start the blockade belongs to “Aidar” and “Donbas” battalions, ex-commander of “Donbas” Semen Semenchenko said.

Ukraine officials confirmed earlier that Kyiv is prepared to exchange 58 Ukrainian POWs for 228 rebels held in Ukraine.

zik.ua

At least 13 soldiers were killed and 48 wounded in a Saturday car bomb attack in Kayseri province, central Turkey, the country's military officials said in a statement, according to Anadolu.

Read also: Turkey declares national day of mourning following Istanbul attack - DW

The attack, which occurred at 8:45 AM local time, targeted a public bus, that was carrying off-duty troops near a local university campus.

‘The car bomb was detonated by a suicide attacker', the governor of the province Suleyman Kamci said...........

uatoday.tv

Newly elected US president may appoint the chairman Stallone Arts Foundation



US President-elect Donald Trump is going to appoint actor Sylvester Stallone Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities.

This was stated on air broadcaster Fox News, reports TASS.

"As the representative channel Trump, there's a"decision pending", but he stressed that the elected president" very high opinion "of Stallone," - said in a statement.

Trump's representative added that the newly elected president and Stallone - old friends.

According to him, Trump candidacy Stallone considers most appropriate in order to "make art again great."

Earlier, the actor spoke positively about the Republican and said that interest is to build a career in politics. Stallone consideration Trump's offer to become the head Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities is unknown.

Sylvester Stallone, who was born in New York in 1946 in a family of Sicilian immigrants, is a famous actor, director and screenwriter. During his creative career has starred in more than 50 films, but is best known roles in a series of paintings "Rocky» (Rocky) and "Rambo» (Rambo). There is a three-time nominee for the award "Oscar". For her performance as boxer Rocky Balboa in the film 'Creed, Rocky Heritage »(Creed, 2015) Stallone was awarded the" Golden Globe".

glavcom.ua , In Ukrainian / на українській мові

Prosecuted may be delayed and will not be easy

Study of the International Criminal Court in The Hague collected materials on human rights crimes in the occupied Crimea Russia may take up to three years.

This warning and legal experts emphasize that Russia investigate crimes against humanity in the Crimea will pass easily, writes Zn.ua .

"Office of the Prosecutor in The Hague is not limited by time, and the study of the Russian-Georgian armed conflict took him eight years as the Kremlin made misleading the court", - says the article.

Chairman of the European Committee against Torture Hnatovskyy Nicholas believes that as a full member of the court Ukraine could save a lot of time.

"We again took the position of the object, instead of being an active subject. We opened up and told the court: "Here, look at all our clothes and think what to do." If we were a member of the ICC, we could immediately transfer the situation to the Prosecutor and at least would save time on one stage - the preliminary investigation, "- he explained.

The lawyer refused to predict whether the deal breaks Hague for crimes in the Crimea. Human rights activists, however, agree in opinion that in case of violation case investigation will be difficult, given the isolation of the peninsula and the refusal of Russia to cooperate with the ICC.

Recall that in November, human rights group sent to the International Criminal Court report on evidence of crimes against humanity in the territory of Russia occupied Crimea. November 15 International Criminal Court in The Hague compared the annexation of Crimea to international armed conflict. The next day, Wednesday, November 16, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Russia's intention not to be party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

glavcom.ua, In Ukrainian / на українській мові

The Russian hack of the 2016 election worked because America let it work. That was the message from President Obama at the final pre-holiday press conference of his presidency.

Obama said hundreds of words about the election hacking revelations some Democrats are still desperately hoping will prevent Donald Trump from attaining the presidency — and nearly all of them were about what Obama saw as systemic failures by the press, the Republican Party, and the public.

Russia’s gonna Russia, Obama said. Its actions, which seemingly amounted to hacking and leaking info from Democrats in an effort to swing the election to Trump, had an impact only because America’s divisions allowed them to have an impact.

“Mr. Putin can weaken us just like he’s trying to weaken Europe if we start buying into notions that it’s OK to intimidate the press, or lock up dissidents, or discriminate against people because of their faith or what they look like,” Obama said.

He was particularly critical of President-elect Trump’s allies who seem to have warmed to Putin.

“Over a third of Republican voters approve of Vladimir Putin, the former head of the KGB. Ronald Reagan would roll over in his grave,” Obama said. “And how did that happen? It happened in part because for too long, everything that happens in this town, everything that’s said, is seen through the lens of, Does this help or hurt us relative to Democrats or relative to President Obama.”...............

Access complete text of the editorial:  news.vice.com In English

European Union diplomats reached a compromise on Dec. 15 on the Ukraine-EU Association Agreement in which guarantees were offered to skeptics that would limit the extent of Ukraine’s involvement with the superstructure. Representing the interests of the skeptics/anti-globalists was Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte, whose citizens voted in April to reject the agreement after it was approved by 27 other EU member states. The Netherlands was the last obstacle but active Russian lobbying is believed to have led to the referendum, which was supported by both the far Left and the far Right.

Among the guarantees, outlined in a separate document, are close and long-standing relations between Ukraine and the EU on the basis of common values, yet without the status of a candidate for membership. Security cooperation is to be maintained, yet without collective security guarantees or other military assistance. Ukrainians also don’t gain the right to live and work in the EU.

Despite the guarantees restricting Ukraine’s involvement, the agreement itself remains unamended and will return to the Dutch parliament for a vote, which Rutte considered a victory since “taking the agreement off the table would be the biggest present ever we could give to Vladimir Putin.” He said he would fight for its approval by his Dutch colleagues, particularly the anti-immigrant forces, which are leading in polls ahead of the March 2017 parliamentary elections.

Concorde analyst Zenon Zawada added: “After a disastrous referendum outcome for Ukraine, this compromise is as good as it gets to repair the geopolitical damage that has been done. The agreement itself can’t be amended for Russia, which is achieved by this compromise. The demands of the Dutch public also can’t be ignored, which is also achieved.

“Out of the desire to make further political capital from this agreement, Geert Wilders and other anti-immigrant leaders might still reject the compromise in political posturing. Yet Rutte could find other allies to get it approved, particularly among the far Left...............

ukrainebusiness.com.ua