Putin Pulls Levers As Russian Patriarch, PM Head Abroad
By Steve Gutterman
With the Russian patriarch and prime minister both holding big meetings abroad, this weekend presents a chance for President Vladimir Putin to soothe a world still stunned by Moscow's aggression in Ukraine and dismayed by its bombing campaign in Syria.
Russian Orthodox Church chief Kirill holds historic talks with Pope Francis at the airport in Havana, Cuba, on February 12, the first such meeting since Christendom split in two more than 1,000 years ago.
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev will speak at the annual Munich Security Conference on February 12-14 -- the same forum at which Putin ripped into Washington and the West in a 2007 address that set the tone for years of discord.
Facing deep economic troubles and persistent Western sanctions, Putin may be looking for ways to alleviate Russia's isolation.
But will he use the high-profile meetings of two top allies to build real bridges, or to execute tactical moves in a mounting confrontation with the United States and Europe?
Signs point to something far short of the first and closer to the second: an effort to improve Russia's global image and score points with the West without giving ground on the gritty issues of Syria and Ukraine -- or even the deep-rooted disputes between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church.
The clearest of those signs, perhaps, is the fact that Putin is not attending the security conference.
"I will not come to Munich," he said bluntly in an interview with German tabloid Bild last month.
Why not?
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IMF Demand For Ukraine Reform Just Latest Red Flag For Poroshenko
By Tony Wesolowsky
A stinging rebuke from the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has underscored the precarious spot in which Ukraine finds itself despite Kyiv's repeated pledges to tackle corruption and enact major reforms.
IMF head Christine Lagarde's call on February 10 for "a substantial new effort" from Ukraine's leadership carries particular weight due to fears that the fund could suspend its $17.5 billion portion of an international bailout to help the country kick-start its economy, stay on a democratic track, and weather an ongoing conflict with Russia.
The IMF's stark language set off alarm bells in Kyiv, where President Petro Poroshenko quickly telephoned Lagarde to assure her and allies such as the United States that he recognized the need to "reboot" the government.
The government's approval ratings have tumbled and it could face a no-confidence vote in the coming days, ushering in more uncertainty for a country already on a war footing.
But Poroshenko's quoted remarks to Lagarde also appeared to highlight the risk in the current climate of dramatic showdowns in Ukraine, whose economy and currency have collapsed since unrest in 2014 unseated a pro-Russian president and unleashed invasion plans in Moscow. Poroshenko reminded critics of the desire to avoid "snap elections, which would only deepen the political crisis and worsen conditions for carrying out reform," according to a statement on Poroshenko's website.
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Ukraine leader, wife defend disabled man kicked out of eatery
Kiev, Feb 11, 2016 (AFP) -- Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and his wife Maryna took the unusual step Thursday of defending a disabled man who was pushed out of a restaurant because of his "suspicious" behaviour.
The incident in Ukraine's ancient western city of Lviv sparked outrage in the social media and provoked a rare debate about the treatment of physically disadvantaged people in a country often criticised for its discriminatory customs and habits.
"I fully support the resentment of the Ukrainian people," Maryna Poroshenko said in a video that the president later posted on Facebook.
"Such an act toward a person with a disability is ungodly," she said.
The incident occurred to a 35-year-old taxi driver who turned out to be one of the 1.5 million people displaced from their homes in war-torn eastern Ukraine.
Cabby Roman Kislyak told Ukrainian media that he had developed cerebral palsy and came to the restaurant for a planned meeting with a reporter.
The eatery's owner later explained that the waiter had stopped Kislyak and pushed him in the back toward the door because of his "suspicious" walk and manners.
The restaurant also issued an apology and called the entire case "an unfortunate chain of misunderstandings".
But the incident gained still further attention when Kislyak gave a heart-wrenching television interview in which he questioned whether his life was worth living at all.
"I know that I am ugly," he told one of Ukraine's rolling news channels.
People "are squeamish," he added. "I do not want to live, because I am a burden on society."
The comments prompted Maryna Poroshenko to tell Kislyak personally in her video message that "I would love to meet you over a cup of coffee."
Kislyak wrote on his Facebook page Thursday that he was delighted to accept.
"Let's have coffee!" he wrote.
He also urged people to join a "coffee with a friend" campaign launched by social media users who want disabled people to feel less shackled by social stigmas and have the freedom to go out.