Ukraine News. Tuesday 28 August. [Ukrainian sources]

TUESDAY HEADLINES:
Ukraine is preparing unpleasant surprises for the UN General Assembly.  Lavrov on Russia's response to new US sanctions: In all cases, we react in accordance with the principle of reciprocity.  Russia declared blocking the sending of the UN delegation to the Donbas.  Macron said that Europe can no longer rely on the US on security issues.  Terrorists did not grant OSCE observers access to monitoring in the regions of the six temporarily occupied settlements of the Donbas.  Great Britain after Brexit will not weaken sanctions against Russia.  The British side recognizes the presence of many visa problems with Ukraine and is ready to work on improving the service.  The world is worried about Russia's aggression in the Azov Sea.  In Russia, they refused Archbishop Clement in pardon of Sentsov.  Pressure on Russia will grow. We impose sanctions on a layer by layer.  The head of the Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Christine Freeland canceled a visit to Ukraine.

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Volodymyr Yelchenko, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations, said that the Ukrainian government has prepared a number of initiatives to address the UN General Assembly, which will be "unpleasant surprises" for Russia.

This is reported by Gazeta.ua.

"We are preparing a number of initiatives for the General Assembly, I can not disclose them, because our northern neighbor waits for this ... They (Russians - Ed.) Expect a few very unpleasant surprises - both in Crimea and Donbass and on the question of the militarization of the Crimea. When you hear it, you will be pleasantly surprised, "Yelchenko said.

The opening of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly is scheduled for September 18, 2018. According to the publication, the Ukrainian delegation headed by President Petro Poroshenko will participate in it.

Yelchenko is not the first time warning Russia about surprises.

A year earlier, before the opening of the 72nd General Assembly, the Ukrainian post-deputy also said that Kiev had prepared "a lot of surprises" for Russia.

As reported by the "Apostrophe", experts say that if Ukraine is really interested in positive results in resolving the conflict in the Donbass, Ukrainian diplomacy should be pro-active and constantly intercept the initiative.

apostrophe.ua  In Ukrainian/український

Russia will respond to American sanctions in connection with the work of the Fiddlers pragmatically and on the basis of the principle of reciprocity.

As informs Censor.NET with reference to the " Correspondent", an interview with the Slovak newspaper Pravda said the head of the Foreign Ministry Sergey Lavrov.

"For our part, we will continue to act calmly and pragmatically, responding to all incidents in accordance with the principle of reciprocity," the minister said.

He noted that attempts to talk with Russia in the language of ultimatums are hopeless.

"At the same time, we remain open to building normal, mutually respectful relations with Washington on the basis of real consideration of each other's interests," added Lavrov.

At the same time, he noted that the American administration declaring readiness to engage in dialogue with Moscow does not behave in a consistent manner, imposing sanctions.

"Despite the Americans' assurances of readiness for dialogue, we continue to face unfriendly steps that exacerbate the already difficult situation in relations: on August 8, new anti-Russian measures were announced on the pretext of our alleged involvement in the work of the Fiddlers," - he said.

Lavrov said that after the meeting between the presidents of Russia and the United States, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, in Helsinki, there are working out concrete steps for establishing effective cooperation between Moscow and Washington.

The Minister noted that this concerns the maintenance of strategic stability, the fight against international terrorism and other modern challenges, the settlement of regional crisis situations, the development of bilateral trade and economic relations.

It will be recalled that on August 8 it became known that the United States would impose new sanctions on Russia on August 22 because of an incident involving chemical weapons in British Salisbury, but their introduction was postponed until August 27.

If, within three months, Moscow will not provide guarantees that it will not use chemical weapons, and will not allow international inspectors to allow their chemical weapons production companies, then Russia will have a second round of sanctions. In particular, it provides for a ban on flights by Aeroflot in the United States, a reduction in diplomatic relations, an almost complete suspension of American exports (excluding food) and the import of Russian goods by the United States.

a.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

The Ukrainian authorities want to familiarize representatives of the United Nations and the UN Security Council with the situation in eastern Ukraine.

Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations Volodymyr Yelchenko declares that Russia opposes the visit of the delegation of the United Nations Security Council to the Donbas. The diplomat said this in Kiev during a meeting of the press club of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reports Censor.NET with reference to UNIAN.

He noted that he suggested that the leadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine consider the possibility of inviting several different UN delegations to Donbass with the participation of permanent representatives of member countries and other UN staff working at the headquarters of the organization in New York. The purpose of the proposal is to make the delegates personally familiar with the situation in eastern Ukraine.

"I have had such an idea for a long time, I persistently advocated for a delegation of the Security Council to visit the Donbas, for which, unfortunately, the Security Council decision is also needed. And again, Russia simply frankly said that it would block it," he said. Yelchenko

"That is, they really do not want so many people to see what's happening even on our side, I'm not talking about the other side, about the uncontrolled part," he added.

Yelchenko believes that showing foreign delegations of the event along the line of delimitation in the territory controlled by the Ukrainian government will be "very useful".

"And if we can not bring an official delegation of the Security Council mandated there, then we will probably just invite some (representatives)," he said.

Yelchenko also believes that it is necessary to invite to the east of Ukraine representatives of those countries that are "far from the problem" of Donbass - the countries of Latin America, Africa and Asia. According to the diplomat, among those countries there are many supporters of Ukraine, but they "are under pressure from Russia."

ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

President of France, Emmanuel Macron, said that Europe can not continue to rely on the US on security matters.

This is reported by CNN.

"Today, we need to take responsibility and guarantee our own security and thus have European sovereignty," said Macron.

He also stressed that he wants to see a complete rethinking of how Europe will be protected in the future.

Recall that in April 2018, Emmanuel Macron and US President Donald Trump have announced plans to develop a new agreement on Iran's nuclear program.

And in June, Macron stated that his telephone conversations with Donald Trump and other world leaders are similar to sausages: "It's better not to explain what's inside."

hromadske.ua  In Ukrainian/український

The Ukrainian side of the CTSK recorded a further violation of the Minsk agreements by the armed forces of the Russian Federation.

As informs Censor.NET, this is stated in the message of the press service of the OS in Facebook.

"For the past 24hrs, the armed forces of the Russian Federation have violated the cease-fire regime for 26 times, 5 times using weapons that are prohibited by the Minsk accords, fire was used with tanks, as well as 120 mm and 82 mm mortars.

In addition, officers of the Ukrainian side of the SCCC recorded 3 cases of shelling by armed formations of the Russian Federation settlements: Trinity, Kryakivka, and Mayne, "the statement reads.

It is also reported that the OSCE PMM confirmed the death of a civilian as a result of the firing of armed units of the Russian Federation Vrubivka on August 24, 2018.

"According to the report of the OSCE's SMM, issued on August 27, 2018, in the temporarily occupied territory representatives of the Mission repeatedly recorded heavy weapons of the Russian armed forces, which were placed in violation of the lines of withdrawal, and absent in the areas of storage:

152 mm towbars 2A65 "Masta-B" - 6 units;
122 mm trailer howitzers D-30 - 11 units;
122 mm self-propelled howitzers 2С1 "Carnation" - 13 units;
122 mm RZZ BM-21 "Grad" - 14 units", - stated in the message.

At the same time, it is noted that the armed formations of the Russian Federation continue to hinder the activities of the OSCE SMM patrols in the temporarily occupied territories. According to the report of the OSCE's SMM, issued on August 27, 2018, militants from the Russian armed forces did not provide access to the monitoring facilities in the Zaichenko, Novoazovsk, Yasne, Izvaryna, Voznesenivka, Novolaspas to OSCE PMM observers.

In addition, during August 27, 2018, the Ukrainian side of the Joint Monitoring and Coordination Center for the cease-fire and the stabilization of the line of demarcation of the parties, together with the OSCE's SMM, coordinated and supported the implementation of repair and restoration works in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions:

Stanitsa Lugansk - performance of repair works on the distribution network of the water supply Stanitsa Lugansk;

in the area Popasna-Zolothe-3 - conducting inspection and repair and restoration works of Popasyany district water channel;

Golden-5 - installation of a new section of the water supply;

Avdeyivka - carrying out of repair and reconstruction works of roofs of inhabitants' houses; ensuring functioning of the Donetsk filtration station (DFS);

Artema - carrying out of emergency restoration works on power lines of the Petrovsky water intake.

"SCCC will continue to interact with the OSCE's SMM and will report on the results of monitoring compliance with the Minsk Agreements and coordinate the maintenance of repair and restoration works," the report said.

ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

Britain will not automatically keep European sanctions against Russia after Brexit, but it has developed its sanctions legislation that covers all current sanctions and provides for the possibility of their expansion.

This was stated by Ambassador of Ukraine to the Great Britain Natalia Galibarenko at a meeting of the press club within the framework of the XIII meeting of ambassadors to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reports Censor.NET with reference to Ukrinform.

Read on "Censor.NET": The British side acknowledges the presence of many visa problems with Ukraine and is ready to work on improving the service, - Ambassador Galibarenko

"Automatically, sanctions for Britain will not work, so Britain has developed its sanctions legislation, it is already ready and even put in parliament, the option is that it will be adopted after the exit (Britain with the EU - Ed.)", - said Galibarenko.

She added that in her opinion, its simplicity is positive in this legislation.

"The British have laid down a very simple logic - to incorporate into the sanction regime all those sanctions that are now operating within the framework of international organizations, which was a member of the United Kingdom and which it supported, that is, both at the UN level and at the EU level," the ambassador explained.

Another positive point is that Galibarenko believes that in the new sanctions legislation, the United Kingdom envisaged the possibility for the government to expand the lists of both individuals and legal entities "without the blessing of the parliament."

ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

Ambassador of Ukraine to the UK, Natalia Galibarenko, announced the start of a dialogue on visa issues with Great Britain, but was not satisfied with the proposals received from the British side.
According to Censor.NET, referring to the " European truth" , she said during a press-club of the XIII meeting of heads of foreign diplomatic establishments of Ukraine on Tuesday in Kyiv.

According to Galibarenko, the Ministry of the Interior of the United Kingdom, responsible for issuing visas, first recognized the shortcomings in its work.

"The British side acknowledges that there are many problems with visa practice, and this is a good news. Earlier, the Foreign Office (MFA)" nodded "to the Home Office (MIA) that it was not ready to conduct a dialogue. We now have a situation that the two agencies have a common position", - she said.

According to the ambassador, the British party is now only talking about fixing problems in its visa practice, rather than simplifying visa requirements for Ukraine.

According to Halibarenko, the British side told Kyiv that "is ready to work on improving the service."

"There was no such thing that a person paid for an urgent visa, and then the documents did not return on time in Warsaw (within 5 business days - Ed.) If it is 14 days (for non-permanent visas), then it was 14 days, and not more. It's also about reducing that term, "she said.

At the same time, the ambassador acknowledged that he had been denied Ukraine's proposals on visa facilitation. According to her, Kyiv does not satisfy this London approach.

"The bad news is that there is no dialogue about simplification... But we are not ready to restrict ourselves to just improving the service and we will continue to press for it," she said.

"I understand the British side's desire not to resolve the issues of visa policy precisely. We would like to move now." At one time, Britain without any reservations supported the introduction of a visa-free regime with the EU by Ukraine, so let's make a similar document - a road map, where the stages will be indicated."

The ambassador also expressed confidence that for several years the visa regime for travel of citizens of Ukraine to the UK would be simplified.

ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

The situation in the Azov Sea after the Crimean occupation is "very dangerous".

This was stated in an interview with the Voice of America on August 27, spokesman of the US State Department for Ukraine Kurt Volker, reports Censor.NET.

"It is very dangerous, of course, Russia has its own legal interpretation, given the annexation of the Crimea, who believe that they have territorial waters and must protect the cities built in Crimea, the rest of the world regards it as Ukrainian coastal and international waters, and is concerned by the military boost - Sea presence and increasing aggressiveness in the Sea of ​​Azov, "he said.

According to Volcker, this does not mean that Russia is preparing for aggression.

"Although we must always be ready for this," he stressed.

ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

Archbishop of Simferopol and Crimea Clement again received a refusal from the Russian authorities to pardon the political prisoner, the director Oleg Sentsov.

This is reported by the Crimean Human Rights Group, referring to the response of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug Commission to the personal appeal of Archbishop Clement to the President of the Russian Federation.

The document states that, in order to initiate the pardon procedure, Oleg Sentsov should "independently address the President of Russia Vladimir Putin with a corresponding request in writing and hand him over to the administration of the correctional institution in which he is staying".

Officials refer in response to the decree of the President of the RF number 1500 of December 28, 2001 "On the Commission on pardons on the territories of the RF subjects."

"On the basis of consideration of the application, sentence and characteristics of the prisoner, - ed.) The conclusion is made on the expediency of the application of pardon and transferred to the governor of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. The governor of the district, on the basis of the materials and conclusions of the Commission, makes his decision and submits to the President of the Russian Federation the expediency of the application of pardon to this convict, "the document says.

Clement, August 8, sent a request to expedite consideration of the treatment of Mother Sentsov to the Commission for the pardon of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug.

In July, the Archbishop of Simferopol and the Crimean Clement urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to show the act of mercy and release Oleg Sentsov, Volodymyr Baluch and other Ukrainian political prisoners.

Earlier, the State Department called on the Russian Federation to release Oleg Sentsov.

On August 21, under the Russian embassy in Kiev, an action was held in support of Oleg Sentsov on the 100th day of his hunger strike.

At the same time, solidarity actions take place in Lviv, Vinnitsa, Moscow and St. Petersburg. In addition, the shares will be held today in the United Kingdom, Kenya, Sweden, Denmark and the United States.

Recall that the Presidential Administration said that in order to pardon Sentsov himself must write a request to Putin.

On August 14, Oleg Sentsova was visited by Russian human rights activist Zoya Svetova in the colony . They talked with Oleg in his ward. They did not discuss the issues of exchange, however, according to Svetova, he hopes for it.

Oleg Sentsov's mother Lyudmila wrote to Putin for a son 's pardon on July 13. Read the full text of Ludmila Sentsova 's appeal for Sentsov's pardon.

On July 13, a video with Sentsov, recorded on the 18th day of his hunger strike, was published. This is the first 2 years footage with Sentsov in prison.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine urged partners to intensify pressure on Russia to liberate Sentsov.

Politician Oleg Sentsov , illegally sentenced to 20 years in the colony, May 14, 2018, declared a hunger strike. Sentsov demands the release of all Ukrainian political prisoners of the Kremlin. On May 28, Sentsov agreed to supportive therapy.

He started starving before the World Cup in Russia to attract as many people as possible.

On July 5, his sister Natalia Kaplan visited his short-term date with Sentsov in the "White Bear" colony in Labitnangi. This was the first meeting for 3 years. They spoke for two hours.

Ukrainian director Oleg Sentsov and activist Oleksandr Kolchenko were detained in Crimea on May 10, 2014. They were accused of preparing terrorist acts, convicting Kolchenko to 10, and Sentsova - up to 20 years imprisonment. Together with them were also arrested by Gennady Afanasyev and Alexei Chirnya. Afanasyeva exchanged in 2016, Chirnaya is still in a colony in the Shahty of the Rostov region.

In Russia and in the annexed Crimea, there are 64 Ukrainian political prisoners, 27 of which are in Russia.

58 - detained in the Crimea or in cases related to the Crimea. These figures do not take into account the prisoners held in the territory of self-appointed republics.

hromadske.ua  In Ukrainian/український

Both the Tramp administration and the US Congress are taking steps to increase pressure on Russia.
According to Cenzor.NET, Kurt Volker stated this in an exclusive interview with Voice of America.

"I am convinced that the pressure (on Russia. - Ed.) Will increase," the US special envoy on the issues of Ukraine stressed. "You have seen this and the administration of the United States - every few months, new sanctions are introduced because Russia does not make progress on any issues, of which we expressed our concern, including Syria, which includes Ukraine, including human rights, the work of the Violinist."

Sanctions will intensify if Russia does not change its behavior, Volker says.

"We are imposing sanctions on a layer, you also see initiatives from the Congress, and Russia's behavior, as well as the desire to continue to put pressure on the administration, prompts us to see that there is a movement on both sides, it will continue," the official said.

Volker convinces the United States and Europe to clearly understand what is happening in Ukraine and all involved US institutions are unanimous in supporting Ukraine.

"I see that in Washington and Europe we have a strong consensus on our position on the conflict in Ukraine and support of Ukraine, as well as concerns about the aggression of Russia, whether it is the House of Representatives, the Senate, the US Department of Defense, the State Department, the White House, analysts: there is a clear understanding and understanding of the situation and what is needed to solve it. I feel strong support."

Also read: Today, new US sanctions against Russia come into force

At the same time, the United States and Russia should keep their channels open, Volker said, commenting on the recent communication of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo with Russia's Foreign Minister Lavrov.

"To my knowledge, we have agreed to keep open channels for communication in order to continue the dialogue on various issues - Syria, Ukraine, etc. Because of the differences, because Russia's policy is a source of serious concern for us, we must manage this process and create opportunities for achievement. progress".

Responding to the concern that divergences in US-EU policy could have a negative impact on Ukraine, Volker called for a review of Trump's policy towards the EU.

"I do not think that we are losing solidarity. I think we see the president's very resolute position on NATO spending on defense when he talks about Germany when he speaks of North Stream 2. However, if you look at The results, such as the results of the NATO summit, when countries agreed to increase their own defense spending, the president held a very positive press conference.You saw here President of the European Commission Juncker, they agreed to move towards zero trade tariffs, which is progress since then, where were we where Several years ago, Europe has many emotions and disappointments, as in America, but the reality is that we are going together and achieving more and more results."

It will be recalled that on August 8 it became known that the United States would impose new sanctions on Russia on August 22 because of an incident involving chemical weapons in British Salisbury, but their introduction was postponed until August 27.

If, within three months, Moscow will not provide guarantees that it will not use chemical weapons, and will not allow international inspectors to allow their chemical weapons production companies, then Russia will have a second round of sanctions. In particular, it provides for a ban on flights by Aeroflot in the United States, a reduction in diplomatic relations, an almost complete suspension of American exports (excluding food) and the import of Russian goods by the United States.

ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada Christine Friland, who planned to visit Ukraine on August 27-29, canceled her visit due to urgent negotiations.

The Foreign Minister of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin informed about it.

"It really is a pity that Christa Friland took a visit because of the urgent need for negotiations," Klimkin wrote.

At the same time, Canadian Ambassador to Ukraine Roman Vashchuk said that Freeland canceled visits to Kyiv and Paris through talks on a North American Free Trade Agreement.

"Due to urgent events and talks around the NAFTA North American Free Trade Zone, the Foreign Minister of Canada, Friedland postpones visits to Kiev and Paris and goes to Washington," the ambassador wrote.

In Ukraine, Fryland planned to meet with the leadership of the state and heads of a number of ministries, as well as to take part in the plenary meeting of the XIII meeting of heads of foreign diplomatic institutions of Ukraine.

Earlier, US President Donald Trump said he had agreed with the Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto about a new trade bilateral agreement .

It is expected that it will replace the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

Trump also said he would soon be in touch with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to discuss terms of an agreement with a third NAFTA member country.

hromadske.ua  In Ukrainian/український

President Petro Poroshenko stressed that the last 4.5 years were uneasy, but now one of the most critical periods is coming - the democratic world is entering a new electoral cycle. The elections will take place in the US in November, the renewal of the euroinstitutions - in 2019, the electoral campaign is approaching in Ukraine.

This Cenzor.NET reported in the press service of the President.

"Right now, the leading IT companies record the creation of thousands, tens of thousands of fake accounts with Russian roots. Russia is preparing for a new powerful manipulative campaign - fake news, undermining stability," the Head of State emphasized during the 13th meeting of heads of foreign diplomatic institutions of Ukraine.

The President stressed: "And I have no doubt that Moscow will not lose any opportunity to discredit our achievements with you in order to sow disillusionment among citizens in the future and the fatigue of a European choice. We must be ready to stand up, although this is not a simple task. We have to learn the experience in each country of residence - the experience of the legislative, the experience of the executive, the steps of efficiency."

According to Petro Poroshenko, Russia has already well-nailed its hands in other countries, in particular during the Netherlands referendum on ratification of the association agreement, the Brexit referendum.

"The tentacles of Moscow are very firmly penetrated into social networks, hold separate media, are in cyberspace, while the Kremlin is able to cover its subversive activities with democratic values ​​and principles. Already we have to look for ways to co-operate with other states and coordinate efforts to develop a reliable mechanism for preventing foreign interference with the electoral process and ensuring the free expression of the will of our citizens, "the President said.

The President called for special attention to be paid to the countries that already have relevant developments. "In particular, the experience of Paris and Berlin is very interesting, I ask you to work out the possibility of involving German, French and American experts in the preparation of a similar legislative initiative in Ukraine." I can emphasize that international assistance will not be unnecessary to us. "The question is extremely sensitive, since it requires a balance between the requirements of the national security and respect for democratic values, "the Head of State said.

According to him, the best antidote against Russian poisonous propaganda should be the result oriented. "I am grateful to the political forces that have not allowed the narrow-minded interests to override the interests of the state. I am convinced that a new political season, which will start in a few days, will be no less important decisions, in particular, in the field of fighting corruption, economic reforms, revival, and it is very important to cooperate with the IMF, to promote the peace process in the Donbas and to improve the policy, and it needs to improve the de-occupation of the Crimea, "Petro Poroshenko emphasized.

The President also urged Ukrainian diplomats to maintain friendly relations with their host countries while protecting the national interests of our country.

ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український