Author Archives: RomanInUkraine

Poroshenko: Decentralization has nothing in common with federalization

Ukrainians are resistant to the desperately needed decentralization because Russia uses decentralization as step toward annexation.

“Decentralization will not weaken central authorities in such issues as defense, national security, rule of law, compliance with civil freedoms, and has nothing in common with federalization,” Poroshenko said at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy on Sunday, addressing the academy’s graduates.

“I deliberately and voluntarily agree to give a significant part of powers and financial resources to the level of communities. Central government will have only functions of control,” he said.

After decentralization, the following steps will be the abolishment of parliamentary and judicial immunity and reformation of the judicial system, he added.

Poroshenko believes that the parliamentary-presidential model of governance is the best for Ukraine and the presidential powers will not be extended.

“On the Day of Constitution, I would like to reiterate my commitment to the parliamentary-presidential model that was restored in Ukraine after the Revolution of Dignity. Present form of government is optimal for Ukraine. I call on politicians to stop instigating people with empty chatter and start learning the art of compromise,” he said.

Read more on UNIAN: http://www.unian.info/politics/1094823-poroshenko-decentralization-has-nothing-in-common-with-federalization.html

Russian nationalist politician threatens to kill Ukrainian pilot Nadiya Savchenko, invade Europe

Vladimir Zhirinovsky, Leader of Russia’s Liberal Democratic Party: “We will shoot all your governors starting with Saakashvili, then they’ll be afraid, and there will be a different situation in Europe and Ukraine. Nobody knows what will happen tomorrow. Defence Minister Shoigu should lead all the troops into combat duty. Let’s aim at Berlin, Brussels, London, and Washington, then they’ll agree and will promise to leave us alone…Shoot this Savchenko tomorrow and hang her in Belgrade.”

http://uatoday.tv/politics/russian-nationalist-politician-threatens-to-kill-ukrainian-pilot-nadiya-savchenko-433026.html

Poroshenko on decentralization

Poroshenko pointedly described the Ukrainian plan as an alternative to “despotism”.

“Finally, decentralisation will become another civilisational difference from our post-Soviet neighbours,” he told reporters. “True self-government is impossible in an authoritarian state. Despotism admits neither independence of communities, nor freedom of its citizens.”

http://www.euractiv.com/sections/europes-east/russia-deeply-concerned-over-ukraines-decentralisation-plan-315963

In addition to massive Siberian land lease, Beijing wants Moscow to agree to massive Chinese settlement

Transbaikal officials are working on a deal with China that would allow Chinese firms to lease more than 300,000 hectares (1.2 thousand sq mi) of land in that Russian region, but a Beijing official says that the deal won’t go through unless Moscow agrees to a massive influx of Chinese workers because there are no Russians available for work there.

According to “Nezavisimaya gazeta,” the Transbaikal kray government in Eastern Siberia is ready to sign a letter of intent that would allow a Chinese company to lease the land for 49 years, but “in Beijing, they consider that such a transfer of land is insufficient” and that Moscow must allow for the entrance of Chinese citizens to work it.
Chinese workers will be able to settle in Russia with their families.

This new Chinese demand was presented by a senior official of the Chinese Institute of International Strategic Research last week in a Chinese newspaper. Moscow has traditionally viewed that institute as expressing the official position of China. (For a Russian translation of the article, see here).

According to the Chinese writer, Beijing believes that Moscow not the Transbaikal authorities is being Russia’s new willingness to lease land to China but insists that this “progress” will not be complete until the Russian authorities agree to simplify procedures for Chinese workers to come there in large numbers.

http://euromaidanpress.com/2015/06/16/in-addition-to-massive-siberian-land-lease-beijing-wants-moscow-to-agree-to-massive-chinese-settlement/

New IRI poll regarding Ukraine and NATO / EU

The International Republican Institute (IRI) just released the results of a massive 22 city 17,000 respondent poll it commissioned earlier this spring on Ukrainians’ attitudes towards politics, corruption, the economy, NATO, the European Union, Russia, and almost anything else you can think of. The 22 cities in which polls were conducted represent all the regional capitals which are currently under the control of the central government, so essentially the capitals of every oblast in Ukraine outside of Lugansk, Donetsk, and Crimea. . . .

Well the headline figures are the following: 57% of respondents to the poll would choose to join the European Union (versus 13% who want to join the Russia-led customs union) while 47% would vote yes in a referendum about joining NATO (versus 29% who would vote no).

At the same time, as the following graphs show, there are still some pretty significant regional differences. On NATO membership the percentage of “nos” ranged from 51% in Odessa to 4% in Lviv. On the question of membership in the European Union, the range was, if anything, even greater: 30% of the residents of Odessa, Kharkiv, and Mykolaiv want to join the EU. Meanwhile in Ternopil 92% do.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/markadomanis/2015/05/20/the-international-republican-institute-just-released-a-fascinating-poll-on-ukraine/