U.S. Congress Threatens Sanctions As Ukraine May Face Kosovo Scenario

Stop NATO
February 11, 2014
1) U.S. House of Representatives’ vote threatens sanctions against Ukraine
2) Congressional vote backs Ukrainian opposition
3) Ukrainian separatists, Western backers may present Ukraine with Kosovo-style conflict: Russian experts
4) Cityv officials estimate protest damage at $24 million hryvnyas
5) Counter-Terrorism Center alerted over bomb threats to nuclear, other power facilities
6) Interior Minister speaks of anti-government information war
7) Taras Bulba redux: Polish prime minister conspires with opposition trio

1)
Russian Information Agency Novosti
February 11, 2014
US Threatens Sanctions Against Ukraine Over Protest Violence
MOSCOW: American lawmakers backed a resolution on Monday night threatening sanctions against officials in Ukraine if violence is used against pro-European protestors.
The US House of Representatives voted 381 to 2 to endorse the resolution in support of Ukraine’s pro-European opposition movement.
It calls on the government in Ukraine to “release and drop criminal charges against [demonstrators] detained for exercising their democratic rights.” The resolution also urges the Ukrainian authorities to prosecute those responsible for previous cases of violence against protesters.
The resolution warns that in case of “further violence by government authorities against peaceful protestors, the [US] may consider targeted sanctions against [officials] who authorize or engage in this use of force.”
Forty-eight US lawmakers, a mixture of Democrats and Republicans, did not vote on the resolution, which expressed support for “the democratic and European aspirations of the people of Ukraine, and their right to choose their own future free of intimidation and fear.”
The resolution, which was first introduced in December amid swelling anti-government demonstrations in Kiev and other cities, called for all sides in Ukraine to work towards a peaceful solution to the political crisis that has engulfed the country for nearly three months.
National protests erupted after President Viktor Yanukovych rejected an association agreement with the European Union at the last minute in November and instead signed an aid deal for Ukraine to receive $15 billion from Russia. Initially venting anger at the abandoned trade deal, the demonstrations quickly turned into a broad anti-government protest movement, resulting in a standoff between the government and political opposition that is still ongoing.

The US resolution encouraged Ukraine to resume pursuit of the association agreement with the EU. It said the US and the EU should work together to secure a peaceful outcome to the crisis in the former Soviet republic.
The European Parliament also adopted a resolution on Ukraine last week, condemning violence and urging European financial institutions to offer support to help relieve the crisis.
Russia suspended payment of its aid when Ukraine’s government resigned in late January, after days of violent clashes between police and protestors over new laws that severely curtailed public demonstrations. The laws were swiftly abolished, but the EU is still in talks over possible economic assistance to Ukraine.
—————————————————————————–
2)
National Radio Company of Ukraine
February 11, 2014
US Congress passes resolution in support of Ukraine protests
The U.S. House of Representatives on February 10 passed a resolution in support of the popular protests in Ukraine, U.S. media have reported. The text, adopted with a 381-2 vote, says that the House supports “the Ukrainian people’s struggle to build an independent, democratic, and strong Ukraine that is free from foreign meddling.”

——————————————————————————
3)
ForUm
February 7, 2014
Experts: Ukraine under threat of Kosovo scenario
Kosovo scenario may be implemented in Ukraine, Russian experts said during a videoconference Kyiv-Moscow, ForUm correspondent reports.
Thus, deputy director of the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies Tamara Guzenkova stressed that talks about division of Ukraine and, as a soft option, regionalization and federalization have been going on for a long time, and the likelihood that they will go into practice is quite high.
In addition, a senior research fellow at the Institute of Slavic Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences Petr Iskenderov noted that the danger of the situation in Ukraine is that events can take on an unpredictable nature and really get out of control.
In turn, head of the Center for Political Studies of the Institute of Economics, professor Boris Shmelev compared Ukraine to Kosovo and Kosovars to resident of western Ukrainian regions, stressing that the latter ones set to resolve the national question with radical methods.
——————————————————————————-
4)
ForUm
February 7, 2014
KCSA estimates losses from Hrushevsky Street riots at 24 m
The Kyiv City State Administration estimates losses from holding protests in the Hrushevsky Street in front the stadium “Dynamo” at 24 million UAH.
“Losses are large. I said they were worth 24 million, but I do not know the precise figures, as every day something is going on there,” first deputy chairman of KCSA Anatoly Holubchenko said.
In addition, he said that the city government would agree if repairs will be paid by sponsors.
“Of course, as soon as the sponsors want, let them come and repair. We will be grateful,” he said.
————————————————————————————-
5)
National Radio Company of Ukraine
February 10, 2014
Counter-terrorism services alerted in Ukraine amid bomb threats
The Ukrainian Security Service’s Counter-Terrorism Center has announced that it was compelled to alert its services in the wake of a series of reports about bombs allegedly planted in busy public places.Bomb threats that had been received, are allegedly targeting hazardous facilities, such as nuclear and hydropower plants, the international airports in Kyiv, Lviv, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk and Simferopol, railway and bus terminals, and trunk pipelines.
The national security service also cited other manifestations of terrorism, including “attempts to block government offices and calls to seize facilities with large arsenals.”The alert will apply to the Ukrainian Security Service, Interior Ministry, Emergency Situations Service, Health and Infrastructure Ministries, and “other counter-terrorism services and governing bodies, and aims exclusively to guarantee citizens’ security and to prevent terrorism,” it says.
———————————————————————————————-
6)
National Radio Company of Ukraine
February 10, 2014
Talk of violent dispersal of protesters an element of information war
Ukrainian Interior Minister Vitaliy Zakharchenko has said that any talk of violent dispersal is a technology used to mobilize protesters on the Maidan.”Any talk of violent dispersal is an element of information wars. I am confident that these are only the fables of some opposition politicians aimed at supporting the protest moods in society,” Zakharchenko said.
He said that police had not used force during the clashes on Hrushevskoho Street.In his opinion, information wars will continue.However, Zakharchenko expressed confidence that the public would soon itself assess all the events and, in the end, come to the conclusion that only the police had saved them from complete anarchy and chaos.
————————————————————————————————–
7)
UNIAN
February 7, 2014
Tusk discusses situation in Ukraine with leaders of Ukrainian opposition
Prime Minister of Poland Donald Tusk discussed the situation in Ukraine with leaders of Ukrainian opposition Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Vitaliy Klitschko and Oleh Tyagnybok in the evening on February 6.
The press service of the Polish government disclosed this to UNIAN.
“Donald Tusk shared results of the talks that he held in Europe concerning issue of Ukraine with the leaders of the Ukrainian opposition. He expressed solidarity with protesters for the European values and respect to responsibility to the leaders”, – the press service noted.
Interlocutors of the Prime Minister of Poland, who spoke to him in teleconference regime, told him about the current situation in Ukraine and their view of settlement of the political crisis.
According to the report, in accordance with opinions of the interlocutors of Tusk, it is possible to settle the crisis in a way of changing Constitution of Ukraine and carrying out of fair election.
The head of the Polish government assured opposition leaders that Poland will keep on acting with a goal to settle up the crisis in Ukraine.

Source