UkraineAlert

President Zelenskyy’s talk of a new approach to peace with Russia proved hugely attractive to the war-weary Ukrainian public in 2019. However, one year on, there is very little to show for this initial optimism.

Ukraine will hold local elections in October 2020. This will be the first big test for President Zelenskyy and his Servant of the People party since landslide victories in 2019’s presidential and parliamentary votes.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy won the Ukrainian presidency with a campaign that positioned him as an everyman alternative to the country’s discredited political elite, but a lack of media engagement now risks undermining his democratic credentials.

In a recent National Interest article, George Beebe dismisses US policy on Ukraine as “steeped in illusions” and argues for a “sensible alternative.” It is a nice try, but what he comes up with does not pass muster.

Moscow’s insistence on the inclusion of figures with no apparent relationship to the conflict in eastern Ukraine during a recent prisoner exchange has exposed the nationwide scale of Russia’s hybrid hostilities against Ukraine.

The path to peace in eastern Ukraine remains unclear, but localized troop withdrawals in recent months have led to renewed hopes of a reduction in the bloodshed. Can further disengegement pave the way for a lasting ceasefire?

Only weeks away from completion, new US sanctions force Nord Stream 2 contractor to down tools, placing the pipeline’s future in jeopardy.

The EU has enough pipelines and LNG terminals to import all the gas it needs without Nord Stream 2.

As a result of the Nord Stream 2 project, Europeans will get more climate-friendly gas and Russians will choke on coal dust.

Ukraine’s economy is currently in far better shape than many people realise. In order to build on the firm foundations laid by recent years of structural reforms, the process must now continue to include a comprehensive cleansing of the country’s law enforcement architecture

Ukraine has staged a strong economic recovery over the past few years but the question in 2020 is whether the new Zelenskyy government can lead the country’s economy from stabilization to sustainable growth.

88% of Ukraine’s American Chamber of Commerce member companies reported increased revenues in 2019. However, concerns remain that the Ukrainian authorities could yet spoil this positive picture during the coming year.

A number of global heavyweights have recently adopted the Ukrainian-language derived “Kyiv” as their official spelling for the country’s capital city, replacing the Russian-rooted “Kiev.”

Despite the nod to the critical role women play in the war with Russia, representatives of the Ukraine Women’s Veterans Movement note that discrimination has increased.

In the non-government controlled territories of Ukraine, 57 percent of children were born without proper birth registration by the Ukrainian authorities and may be unable to qualify for a Ukrainian passport at age 14.