EU Court Rejects Russian Missile-Maker's Challenge Against Sanctions
BRUSSELS -- A European Union court has rejected a bid by Russian arms maker Almaz-Antey to force the EU to lift sanctions imposed in connection with the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
The EU slapped sanctions on Almaz-Antey in July 2014, together with 36 other entities and 146 people that Brussels considers responsible for "actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine."
The Luxembourg-based General Court said on January 25 that the EU Council had not acted disproportionately in freezing the funds of Almaz-Antey, which makes antiaircraft weaponry including Buk surface-to-air missile systems, and that the reason for putting it on sanctions list in 2014 was valid.
At the time, the official EU journal said that "the Russian authorities have been providing heavy weaponry to separatists in eastern Ukraine, contributing to the destabilization of Ukraine," and that the weapons were being used for "shooting down airplanes" among other things. State-owned Almaz-Antey "therefore contributes to the destabilization of Ukraine," it said.
The court said that the EU was not required to "demonstrate positively that the weapons which Almaz-Antey produced were used in Ukraine by the separatists" as such evidence "would be difficult to provide, particularly in a conflict situation."
The sanctions were prolonged by six months in September 2016 and are expected to be extended by another six months in March.
With reporting by AFP
Here is today's map of the security situation in eastern Ukraine, according to the National Security and Defense Council:
U.S. Senate Confirms Haley, Ukraine Sovereignty Advocate, As UN Envoy
The U.S. Senate confirmed President Donald Trump's pick to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations by a decisive 96-to-4 vote on January 24.
South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley won support from most Democratic senators because she testified that she does not support Republican efforts to slash U.S. funding for the UN.
Democratic Senator Ben Cardin said Haley also said that "Crimea is not Russian" despite Moscow's annexation of the peninsula in 2014, and she spoke "very strongly" about defending Ukrainian sovereignty.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker said Haley, the daughter of Indian immigrants, will be a "fierce advocate" for U.S. interests at the UN.
A full Senate vote is expected soon on Trump's choice for secretary of state, former ExxonMobil chief executive Rex Tillerson, who was narrowly approved by the Foreign Relations Committee on January 23.
Tillerson's bid got a key boost when Democratic Senator Joe Manchin announced his support. Manchin, who faces reelection in 2018 in a state that backed Trump heavily in the presidential election, said Tillerson's extensive business career "will bring a unique perspective to the State Department."
Based on reporting by AP and dpa
We are now closing the live blog for today, but we'll be back again tomorrow morning to cover all the latest developments. Until then, you can keep up with all our other Ukraine coverage here.