Ukraine News. Thursday 26 April. [Ukrainian sources]

THURSDAY HEADLINES:
Fighting money laundering: Britain wants to reveal the names of Russians who keep money in its territories.  Russian spies kicked out from US included agents allegedly tracking defectors in this country.  The EU is ready to invest 100 million euros in the energy efficiency sector of Ukraine.  The EU court dismissed Azarov's claim for lifting sanctions against him.  Russia will never comply with the PACE resolutions on Ukraine, the head of the international committee of the State Duma.  The unification of churches in Ukraine will be only peaceful: those who do not want, may not join - Filaret.  The United States is actively working on the issue of blocking Hungary by the NATO-Ukraine Commission.  Stoltenberg suggests that NATO Heads of Foreign Affairs discuss Ukraine's aspirations to join the block.

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The British Parliament plans to vote next week for a bill that requires the overseas territories of the British Crown, such as the Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands, to disclose the identity of the beneficiaries of companies that keep money in their territory, in particular of Russian origin.

As informs Cnsor.NET with reference to " Kommersant", the newspaper The Times reports.

According to the authors of the bill, the support of which has already been declared by the deputies of the ruling coalition and opposition members, it will help in combating money laundering.

According to Andrew Mitchell, a member of the Conservative Party, the document was developed with the consent of the Prime Minister of Great Britain, Scale May. Mr. Mitchell specified that the main goal of the new law is to make sure that "under the British flag anywhere in the world do not hide dirty money." According to the new rules, all the overseas territories of the UK will be obliged to carry out a transparency reform by the end of 2020. According to the parliamentarian, the vote is scheduled for Tuesday, May 2.

transparency reform was initiated under the previous prime minister David Cameron, who held a leading position from 2010 to 2016. So, in 2013, the public register of beneficiaries of offshore companies was provided by the City of London. However, Mr. Cameron's attempts to convince overseas territories, which are the most popular places to store assets, to follow the example of London did not succeed.

ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

Among the dozens of Russian diplomats the US expelled last month were suspected spies who US law enforcement and intelligence officials believe were tracking Russian defectors and their families who had resettled in the US.

As reported by Censor.NET, officials briefed on the matter told CNN.

In at least one instance, suspected Russian spies were believed to be casing someone who was part of a CIA program that provided new identities to protect resettled Russians, the officials said.

That episode and other US intelligence raised concerns that the Russians were preparing to target Russian émigrés in the US labeled by the Kremlin as traitors or enemies, law enforcement and intelligence officials said.

The CIA declined to comment. The White House declined to comment.

The Russian embassy did not respond to a request for comment.

The concerns have been heightened following the poisoning in the UK of a former Russian spy, Sergei Skripal, and his daughter, who is a Russian citizen. British and US officials have blamed Russian intelligence for the use of a nerve agent in the attempted poisoning.

As reported, Russian ex-spy Sergei Skripal, 66, and daughter Yulia Skripal, 33, remain critically ill in hospital, after they were found unconscious on a bench in the Wiltshire city on March 4. The UK government says they were poisoned with a nerve agent of a type developed by Russia called Novichok and PM Theresa May said she believed Moscow was "culpable."

UK expelled 23 Russian diplomats as part of a "full and robust" response – prompting Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to say it will "certainly" expel British diplomats in response.

On March 16, Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance had "no reason to doubt the findings and assessments by the British government" which suggested Russian responsibility. He said the "UK is not alone" and Nato allies gave "strong political support" to Britain, following a joint statement from the US, France and Germany backing Mrs May's government and a pledge of support from Australia.

British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson said that the U.K.'s government believes that it was likely Putin's decision to direct the use of a nerve agent on the streets of the U.K.

On March 26, U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the expulsion of 60 Russians from the United States, including 12 people identified as Russian intelligence officers who have been stationed at the United Nations in New York.

BBC earlier reported that the 33-year-old left Salisbury District Hospital on Monday and has been taken to a secure location.

ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

The EU is ready to assist Ukraine in implementing programs relating to decentralization, energy conservation and energy efficiency, vocational education, and assistance to migrants.

This was announced by the Head of the Delegation of the European Union, Ambassador Higu Mingarelli during a meeting in Zaporizhia region State Administration, reports Censor.NET, citing Ukrinform.

"The EU is very interested in helping to implement reforms, in particular decentralization, with a significant focus on the energy efficiency sector, in which the European Union is ready to invest around 100 million euros, and another 50 million dollars is being prepared to support internally displaced persons in order to receive immigrants not only housing but also jobs.

Another important direction that is being prepared for implementation in Ukraine is the support of the reform of vocational education. Now this project is being worked out together with the Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine Lilia Grinevich, - noted Mingarelli.

ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

The European Court of Justice dismissed the suit of former Prime Minister of Ukraine Mykola Azarov against the EU Council on lifting a number of sanctions imposed in 2014.

According to Censor.NET, referring to the "Public" , this is stated in the court decision.

Thus, Yanukovych's colleague is still banned from staying in the EU, where his bank assets are frozen. Also Azarov was sentenced to compensation of court expenses of the parties.

Azarov's defense argued that sanctions violate fundamental rights to property, conduct business and an independent investigation. Lawyers also said that the ex-prime minister of Ukraine fell into the black list of the EU on the basis of a false judgment.

ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

The Russian Federation has no intention of ever complying with the resolutions of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe concerning Ukraine.

According to Censor.NET, referring to Ukrinform, Leonid Slutsky, head of the State Duma committee on international affairs, told a meeting of the ad hoc PACE committee in Strasbourg.

"Never," Slutsky responded to the question of when Russia would comply with the PACE resolutions on Ukraine.

Slutsky also said that during the meeting of the ad hoc committee, he expects "constructive cooperation between Russia and the Council of Europe".

Asked how he managed to arrive in Strasbourg under sanctions, Slutsky responded that sanctions did not apply to the participation of international organizations.

"Sanctions stipulate that participation in the work of public organizations can be, and the Council of Europe belongs to these civic organizations, international," said Slutsky.

It should be noted that the ad hoc committee was created to change the rules and procedures, in fact, to facilitate the return of the Russian delegation to the PACE.

The delegation of the Russian Federation was deprived of the right to vote in the PACE in 2014 after the Russian occupation of Crimea and the destabilization of the situation in the Donbas.

ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

The creation of a single local Ukrainian Orthodox Church will mean the unification of Ukraine.

This was emphasized by the Patriarch of Kyiv and All Russia-Ukraine Filaret, answering questions Ukrinform after events in Kiev, dedicated to the 32nd anniversary of the Chernobyl accident, reports Censor.NET.

"For Ukraine, this means that Ukraine will be united, today it is divided, the Orthodox Church is divided, and our society is divided, and when there is one Ukrainian Orthodox Church, there will be different political parties, but they will all be serve the interests of Ukraine, and this will be the merit of the independent independent Ukrainian church, "Filaret emphasized.

He also noted that this initiative was not new, and other churches, including Russian ones, went through this route.

"We do not do anything new, and all the churches, Greek and Romanian, and Bulgarian, and Serbian, went all this way without exception." When the state arose, an independent church was formed, and we suffered for a long time, but those churches also suffered for a long time. let the Russian Church itself recall its history, and she also declared autocephaly in 1448. Without the consent of the Kiev Metropolitan, although belonging to the Kyivan Metropolitanate, without the consent of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, she was not recognized by 141. But then she was recognized. remembers its history and no harm to us, "said the Head of the UOC-KP.

As regards the UOC MP in Ukraine, Filaret noted: "There will be the Moscow Patriarchate in Russia, and we will have the Ukrainian exarchate of the Russian Church."

He also stressed that the association of churches in Ukraine will be held peacefully.

"The union will be only peaceful. If anyone does not want to join the Ukrainian church, he may not join, but then he must belong to this Russian exarchate, and everyone will know that this is a Russian church. But I think that Ukrainians will be in the Ukrainian church"- said Filaret.

Recall that on April 17, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko announced that he had decided to appeal to the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew with a request to issue a tomos about autocephaly of the Ukrainian Local Church.

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate urged the UOC-Moscow Patriarchate to support efforts for the canonical recognition of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Ukrainian Church Independence.

For his part, the representative of the UOC-MP, deputy head of the Department of External Church Relations of the UOC Archpriest Nikolai Danilevich, said that an attempt to create a Ukrainian national autocephalous church would not produce results.

On April 18, he met with the presiding officer of the Orthodox churches of Ukraine and formally accepted the Appeal to convey to the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew the provision of the Ukrainian church of tomos on autocephaly with the signatures of all the bishops who supported this decision.

On April 19, the Verkhovna Rada supported the address of President Petro Poroshenko to the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to grant the Ukrainian Orthodox Church an autocephaly.

On April 22 Poroshenko informed that the Ecumenical Patriarchate began to consider Ukraine's request.

ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

The United States supports the Euro-Atlantic aspirations of Ukraine and is working on the resumption of meetings of the NATO-Ukraine Commission at ministerial level.

According to Censor.NET, referring to Ukrinform , the US ambassador to NATO Kay Bailey stated at a briefing on Thursday in Brussels.

"We support Ukraine's aspiration to become a member of NATO," the ambassador assured.

Bailey praised the Euro-Atlantic aspirations of Ukrainians who do not want to be dependent on Russia.

The ambassador also emphasized that Ukraine has made progress on the path to the reforms necessary for joining NATO, but called for further progress.

She also said that the United States is very hopeful that the meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission at the ministerial level, which is now blocking Hungary, will be resumed. The ambassador assured that the American side is actively working on this issue.

ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the heads of the foreign ministries of the bloc countries could discuss Ukraine's aspiration to join the organization.

As informs Censor.NET, informs " Gazeta.ru".

"Ukraine also expressed its desire for membership in the alliance, and I expect the ministers to express their desire to discuss this issue," Stoltenberg said.

He added that NATO continues to support Ukraine, considering it an important partner.

"It's important for NATO to continue to provide Ukraine with strong political and practical support," said Stoltenberg.

Earlier, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko announced Ukraine's plans to join NATO's military-political bloc over the next 10 years.

ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український