From our newsroom:
Ukrainian President Poroshenko Dismisses Envoy To U.S.
krainian President Petro Poroshenko has dismissed his ambassador to the United States, whose tenure in Washington has spanned the duration of Kyiv’s year-long conflict with Russia.
Poroshenko did not provide an explanation for the dismissal in his April 14 decree relieving Ambassador Oleksandr Motsyk of his post as Ukraine's envoy to the United States.
Ukrainian media have speculated that Valeriy Chaly, deputy head of Poroshenko’s administration, could replace Motsyk. Chaly indicated on April 3 that he would accept the post if Poroshenko offered it.
Motsyk had served as Ukraine’s ambassador in Washington since June 2010, when he was appointed by then-President Viktor Yanukovych, who was chased from office by protests in February 2014.
The United States has been a crucial ally for Kyiv following Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea territory in March 2014 and Kyiv’s battle with Moscow-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.
With reporting by Voice Of America's Ukrainian service
Dmitri Trenin argues that "Russia's realignment toward Asia...does not presage a new Sino-Russian bloc, but the epoch of post-communist Russia’s integration with the West is over."
Harper says "significant additional military resources to help train and build the capacity of Ukrainian forces personnel following a briefing on the current security situation in Ukraine" on the way.
Reuters quotes Ukraine's top central banker, Valeriya Hontareva, on a possible easing of currency controls to defend the hryvnya:
The head of Ukraine's central bank said on Tuesday the national currency appeared to have found an equilibrium rate and said the hryvnia's recent stability on the currency market could lead to the easing of certain currency controls.
The hryvnia lost 50 percent in value against the dollar in February but has since stabilised after the bank raised interest rates, intervened in the currency market and tightened controls.
"There are grounds to talk of achieving an equilibrium on the currency market. In recent weeks, the situation has been stable. Therefore the central bank notes the existence of conditions for liberalising the market and easing certain restrictions," bank head Valeriia Gontareva was quoted as saying in a statement.
Ukraine's president has recalled his ambassador to the United States, Oleksandr Motsyk, according to a statement on Poroshenko's official website.
From our Brussels correspondent Rikard Jozwiak, more on the EU's highest-level visit to the Belarusian capital this decade, scheduled to start on Thursday:
EU Commissioner To Hold Talks With Lukashenka
Johannes Hahn, the EU commissioner for European neighborhood policy and enlargement negotiations, will hold talks with Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka on April 16-17, during the bloc's first high-level visit to Minsk in five years.
Hahn is also due to meet with members of the opposition -- which is routinely repressed in Belarus -- during his visit, which is seen as a sign of improved EU-Belarus relations.
The European Union has had limited contact with Belarus since Brussels imposed asset freezes and visa bans on Belarusian individuals and entities linked to Lukashenka's government after it detained and jailed opposition candidates following the 2010 presidential election.
The sanctions, which were renewed last year, currently affect 18 companies and 201 individuals, including Lukashenka.
But Brussels recently praised Belarus for its role in facilitating a cease-fire agreement that has eased the fighting in eastern Ukraine.
Minsk may also receive a visa facilitation deal with the EU at the Eastern Partnership Summit in Latvia next month, with the possibility that Lukashenka will attend the event.