Ukraine
Ukrainian reforms – is the glass half full or half empty?
Over the last four years, Ukraine has made some tremendous changes to become a functioning market economy and a liberal democracy, a feat which is scarcely recognised by others, writes Ivan Miklos.
The EU has a duty to the population of Donbas
In Donbass, Ukraine is experiencing a catastrophe comparable with the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Now as then, it is urgent to restore the confidence of the affected people in the state and their trust to each other, argues Sergii Parashyn.
Bringing the Eastern Partnership closer to the citizens
The Eastern Partnership can only be successful if people feel and believe in its positive results and see concrete improvements in their daily lives, write Micheil Dschanelidse and Michael Roth.
A low-key Eastern Partnership Summit
Instead of grand declarations, a low-key Eastern Partnership Summit focusing on concrete deliverables can be just what both the EU and the EaP countries need, write Igor Merheim-Eyre and Katarzyna Sobieraj.
Russian blackmail in the Council of Europe?
The Council of Europe (CoE) could become the first European institution to lift sanctions imposed on Russia for annexing Crimea and military aggression in Eastern Ukraine. This would be a major blow to democratic values on the European continent, write Volodymyr Yermolenko and Sergiy Sydorenko.
Speaking with facts about Ukraine’s law on education
It is high time to stop politicizing the new Ukrainian Law on education, writes Ukraine’s Ambassador to the EU, Mykola Tochytskyi.
More than javelins, Ukraine needs change
I remember Ukraine as a friendlier place. But my country’s recent uptick of expelling foreigners it considers inconvenient belies a less hospitable, darker trend. The government that grew out of Ukraine’s 2014 “Revolution of Peoples’ Dignity” now has some Ukrainians reminiscing about the more tolerant, less corrupt government it overthrew, writes Serhiy Lyovochkin.
Here’s what a realistic Ukraine settlement may look like
The idea of Ukraine joining NATO should be taken off the table, but the issue of Crimea may be hardest to solve, writes Josh Cohen.
Three risks and three scenarios for Ukraine
Between 2014 and 2017, Ukraine's leadership failed to transform the country's old post-Soviet Russia oligarchic system into a European and Western-style democracy. The transformation is inefficient and slow, and this entails risk, writes Roman Rukomeda.
Europe should stop following US
President Trump walks the talk with his "America First". But US Congress also supports this mantra. It is high time that the EU defends its own legitimate interests, including with respect to trade and energy relations with Russia, writes Tom Sauer.
MH17: The deadliest attack against EU citizens
Today (17 July) is the anniversary of the attack that claimed the largest number of EU lives since a united Europe emerged from the rubble of WWII, when 298 civilians were killed, including 80 children, on flight MH17. Juraj Mesík looks back, three years on.
A quiet Ukrainian success for the EU
The EU may have its hands full with Donald Trump and Brexit. But quietly, modestly, things are starting to go right in Ukraine, writes Sir Graham Watson.
The French elections, seen from Ukraine
Ahead of France's presidential election, Ukraine's experience shows that opinion polls may be skewed by underlying hatred of the ruling classes and institutions. Vadym Omelchenko warns that ultra-conservatism stands to gain in the end.
NATO, the Middle East and Eastern Europe
Interests within NATO diverge, particularly between the United States and many European countries. George Friedman takes a closer look.
Ukraine’s rising Euroscepticism
Ukraine’s pivot towards the West has barely begun, yet Euroscepticism could already set in, writes Borja Lasheras.
Tangible results on the road to reform in Ukraine
In signing four projects with Ukrainian officials in Brussels today, EIB will have fulfilled its €3 billion obligation to Ukraine. Instead of providing general aid, the EIB supports very specific projects, writes Vazil Hudák.
For Russia, some conflicts are colder than ever
The breakaway strategy should be understood as part of Russia's broader efforts to keep its sphere of influence in the former Soviet periphery intact so as to buffer against foreign rivals, writes Eugene Chausovsky.
Commission opens door to further Gazprom blackmail
A recent decision of the European Commission puts the whole European diversification and energy security strategy in jeopardy, and Poland and Ukraine may take legal action against the EU executive, writes Jacek Saryusz-Wolski.
Could UK choose a ‘Ukrainian model’ after Brexit?
British confusion has given rise to hopes and fears that Brexit may not actually mean Brexit. Andrew Duff makes the case for an association agreement when the UK leaves.
Life in Ukraine’s conflict zone: The anxious reality
The humanitarian situation in Eastern Ukraine is severe and requires an urgent solution. No drinkable water, a lack of access to coal for heating and uncertain electricity supplies are part of everyday life for Ukrainians in the conflict zone, writes Mark Demesmaeker.
Crimea: The cost of sanctions and the risk of retaliation
Sanctions have already cost Russia one third of its GDP. As they come up for renewal, the EU must be wary of backing Putin into a corner and forcing him to take drastic action, writes John Dale Grover.
Ukraine’s fight against corruption deserves EU support
It is crucial that the EU continues to help Ukraine fight its 'culture of corruption' in its struggle to establish democracy and integration into the West, writes Mark Demesmaeker on its 25th independence day anniversary.
President Juncker’s misguided trip to Russia
The visit of Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker o St. Petersburg will not promote the general interest of the Union prescribed by the EU Treaty, writes Hrant Kostanyan.