U.S., Ukraine to deepen defense cooperation:
By RFE/RL
The United States and Ukraine have agreed to deepen defense cooperation, with a retired U.S. Army general being appointed special adviser to Ukraine's defense minister.
The Pentagon said in a statement released on September 8 that John Abizaid will advise Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak as Ukraine tries to reform oversight of its armed forces and root out the endemic corruption that has hobbled it in its fight against Russia-backed separatists.
The announcement came as Washington and Kyiv agreed to cooperate further on defense technology and improve Ukraine's forces.
The announcement, however, includes no mention of offensive weaponry like Javelin antitank missiles, which Kyiv says would greatly fortify its forces against Russia-backed separatists.
U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter reiterated that in the statement, saying Abizaid's appointment should not be interpreted not a signal of U.S. plans to help Ukraine in offensive operations.
Abizaid oversaw U.S. Central Command from 2003 to 2007, when U.S. forces were in the depths of fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. (w/AP)
Here is today's map of the security situation in eastern Ukraine, according to the National Security and Defense Council (click to enlarge):
This ends our live blogging for September 8. Be sure to check back tomorrow for our continuing coverage.
British court to hear Russian complaint over Kyiv's $3 Billion default:
Britain's High Court in January will hear a case Moscow has filed against Ukraine for defaulting on a $3 billion eurobond, a deputy Russian finance minister has said.
"The court hearing has been set for January 17-20. The hearing will last three days," Deputy Finance Minister Sergei Storchak said on September 8.
Russia provided Ukraine with the $3 billion loan in late 2013 when Moscow-backed Viktor Yanukovych was president. But Yanukovych was ousted by a popular uprising two months later.
After failing to reach a settlement on repaying the loan, Kyiv stopped making debt payments in December, arguing that Moscow lent Yanukovych the money as a kind of bribe.
Moscow, which is suffering from a protracted recession, took its case to court rather than grant Kyiv a discount on repayment of the loans. It filed a lawsuit in London in February.
It is one of several major lawsuits lodged in various international courts between the two former allies turned arch-foes, which include disputes over natural-gas contract prices, the Crimean Peninsula that Russia annexed in 2014, and war damage in east Ukraine, where Russia-backed separatists are fighting Kyiv government forces. (AFP, TASS)