Ukraine's Savchenko Draws Fire For Crimea Comments
By RFE/RL
Ukrainian lawmaker Nadia Savchenko has caused controversy by suggesting that Kyiv must accept Moscow's grip on Crimea for the time being if it wants to regain control over eastern territory held by Russia-backed separatists.
Speaking on 112 Ukraine TV on January 17, Savchenko said that "the only peaceful way" to resolve the status of the eastern Donbas region in Kyiv's favor is to put the issue of Crimea, which was seized by Russia in March 2014, "on the back burner."
"We must not abandon" Crimea or the Donbas, Savchenko said. But she suggested that in order to regain control of separatist-held territory in the east, Ukrainian politicians will have to "give up" Crimea "for a certain period."
She suggested that if Kyiv focuses on demands for the return of control over Crimea, the Donbas will become "another Transdniester" -- a reference to a sliver of neighboring Moldova that has been held by pro-Russian separatists since a war in 1992.
The only other way to regain control over the Donbas is by force, she said.
From the Ukraine researcher at Human Rights Watch:
Estonia, Lithuania Sign Deals With U.S. To Allow Troop Deployments
By RFE/RL
Estonia and Lithuania moved on January 17 to shore up military relations with the United States ahead of the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump.
The two Baltic states signed bilateral defense agreements with the United States to formalize the presence of U.S. troops in their countries, their defense ministries said.
The third Baltic state, Latvia, signed a similar deal with the United States last week.
The accords will ease the deployment of U.S. forces in the countries and allow for joint exercises and training.
"We are interested in the continued presence of American troops in Lithuania, as this is one of the key elements of our security," Defense Minister Raimundas Karoblis said.
Trump has called the NATO alliance that binds Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania with the United States and 24 other countries "obsolete." The comments caused a stir in the Baltic states, which have expressed concerns about the assertiveness of neighboring Russia following that country’s illegal annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and support for separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Trump, who will take office on January 20, has repeatedly signaled his intent for warmer relations with Russia.
Linas Kojala, director of the Eastern Europe Studies Center in Vilnius, told the Associated Press that the moves are purposely being made to beat the clock on Trump’s inauguration.
"Both sides (the United States and Lithuania) aimed to finalize the agreement before the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, as the arrival of the new administration might push the issue to the bottom of the political agenda," Kojala said.
With reporting by dpa and AP
Lithuania Plans To Build Fence Along Border With Russia's Kaliningrad
Lithuania says it will start construction on a 129-kilometer fence on its border with Kaliningrad, the Russian exclave bordering the NATO-member nation.
The interior minister for the Baltic state said on January 17 that the barrier will be 2.5 meters high and feature electronic surveillance systems and drones. The fence, at an estimated cost of $3.85 million, is scheduled to be completed by the end 2017.
The minister, Eimutis Misiunas, acknowledged that the fence would not provide much defense against a massive military assault but said it underscored his country’s concerns about an increasingly assertive Russia, which stations thousands of troops and military equipment in the oblast.
EU-member Lithuania also characterized the move as a way to reduce smuggling.
"We have to prevent smuggling and strengthen the external borders of the European Union. We understand well what is going on in the Russian exclave," Misiunas told AP.
Based on reporting by AP and Reuters
China Offers To Help Seek Resolution Of Ukraine Crisis
By RFE/RL
China is willing to play a constructive role in seeking a political resolution to the crisis in Ukraine, Chinese President Xi Jinping told his Ukrainian counterpart on January 17.
The first-time Chinese offer of aid to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on the sidelines of the Davos economic summit came in Switzerland comes at a time when the United States' role in mediating the Ukraine conflict appears set to diminish under a Donald Trump presidency that seeks to mend fences with Russia.
China has previously shown little interest in getting involved in diplomatic efforts to end the crisis spawned by Russia's illegal annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and backing for militant separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Beijing has avoided taking sides in the conflict, saying it respects Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty but that Western powers should take into consideration Russia's legitimate security concerns.
Beijing in the past has avoided alienating Moscow, its ally on many international matters, by getting drawn into the struggle between Russia and the West over Ukraine's future.
But those concerns appeared to be set aside, at least temporarily, in Davos when Xi told Poroshenko that China would like to deepen cooperation with Ukraine under a long tradition of friendship between the countries.
"We genuinely hope that Ukraine maintains social stability and economic development and are willing to play a constructive role in promoting a political resolution to the crisis," Xi said, according to China's Foreign Ministry.
Poroshenko told Xi that Ukraine welcomed Chinese investment and that there was great potential for cooperation in areas like logistics, ports, steel, and agriculture, the ministry said.
Also at the Davos summit, Xi met with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, who has been the Obama administration's point man on Ukraine and a strong supporter of Kyiv in its struggle with Russia.
Xi released a statement after the Biden meeting that did not address Ukraine but noted the record level of trade between the United States and China achieved under the Obama administration and called for a continuation of that trend.
"The basic interests of the people of both countries and the world need China and the United States to work hard, to form a long-term, stable cooperative relationship," Xi said.
Trump has vowed to aggressively confront China over trade and economic issues, even threatening to withdraw support for the decades-old "One China" policy, in a development that has been deeply unsettling to Beijing.
With reporting by Reuters and Xinhua
That concludes our live-blogging of the Ukraine crisis for Tuesday, January 17, 2017. Check back here tomorrow for more of our continuing coverage. Thanks for reading and take care.