INSIDE: l A look at Ukraine’s new government – page 7 l “Songs from Ancient Ukraine” at UIA – page 12 l Carpathian Ski Club races in Hunter, N.Y. – page 17 THEPublished U by theKRAINIAN Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal W non-profit associationEEKLY Vol. LXXXVIII No. 11 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MARCH 15, 2020 $2.00 Canadian foreign minister discusses Will Ukraine renew water supply his first official visit to Ukraine for Russian-occupied Crimea? New Cabinet sends mixed signals by Roman Tymotsko KYIV – On the first day after his appoint- ment as Ukraine’s prime minister, Denys Shmyhal mentioned the possibility of renewing the water supply from mainland Ukraine to the occupied Crimean peninsu- la. He was speaking on the “Right to Power” program on the 1+1 television channel on the evening of March 5. “The issue of supplying water to occu- pied Crimea is not a matter of trade with the invader. It is not a matter of business. It is a matter of humanitarian responsibility before people who live in Crimea. Failure to Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine supply water will lead to a humanitarian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal. François-Philippe Champagne (FPC)/Twitter catastrophe... We won’t turn the water off at Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister François-Philippe Champagne meets with the mainline... We cannot stop giving water the deadline for reforms was yesterday.” Canada’s Operation UNIFIER forces in Yavoriv, Ukraine. to Ukrainians,” Mr. Shmyhal said. And the very next day, he felt first-hand the An outburst of public criticism followed public’s lack of patience. those words. Many Ukrainians expressed by Christopher Guly Royal Canadian Mounted Police is assisting Ex-Minister of Foreign Affairs Pavlo their opinion on social media, and most of Special to The Ukrainian Weekly Ukrainian police in their criminal investiga- Klimkin commented on Mr. Shmyhal’s tion of the Ukraine International Airlines them voiced their disappointment with the statement about water for Crimea. “I want OTTAWA – At the conclusion of his first (UIA) plane that Iran said its Islamic newly appointed prime minister. everyone to understand what will happen official visit to Ukraine as Canada’s foreign Revolutionary Guard Corps accidentally shot In his first address as prime minister, on after the resumption of the water supply to affairs minister, François-Philippe Cham- March 4, Mr. Shmyhal noted that “expecta- pagne told reporters back home that the (Continued on page 9) tions are high, patience is wearing thin, and (Continued on page 4) U.S.-Ukraine Security Dialogue conference held in Washington by Andrij Dobriansky ence by less than 24 hours. Moreover, that major change in government had taken WASHINGTON – The 11th U.S.-Ukraine place only a few hours after more than a Security Dialogue took place in Washington third of all delegates for the Democratic on Thursday, March 5. The full-day confer- National Convention had been assigned, ence was presented at the National Press with 14 state primaries and one caucus Club as a collaborative effort of the Center eliciting nearly a fifth of all Democratic pri- for U.S.-Ukrainian Relations (CUSUR), the mary voters in a single day. American Foreign Policy Council, the U.S.- In response to Russian armed forces vio- Ukraine Foundation and the Ukrainian lating the ceasefire in the Joint Forces Congress Committee of America. Operation (JFO) area in eastern Ukraine 11 In addition to the two dozen senior U.S. times on March 1, and the 22 violations on and Ukrainian strategists as well as defense February 18, Mr. Futey urged the prioritiza- and security experts who presented at the tion of NATO’s Enhanced Opportunities conference, were the Ambassador Partners program for Ukraine, and the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of renewed possibility of Major Non-NATO Ukraine to the United States of America Ally (MNNA) status for Ukraine. Mr. Futey Volodymyr Yelchenko, as well as his succes- Andrij Dobriansky repeated the UCCA’s recent call to get sor as the permanent representative of The audience listens to presentations by panelists (from left) Ambassador Volodymyr involved in this year’s presidential and con- Ukraine to the United Nations, Serhiy Vasylenko, Ambassador John Herbst, Ariel Cohen and Jonathan Katz. gressional elections, encouraging Kyslytsya. Ukrainian Americans to volunteer for cam- Prof. Walter Zaryckyj of CUSUR intro- York City, who was able to remain at the Joining Ambassador Kyslytsya to close paigns and to engage with candidates on duced Ambassador Yelchenko, who then National Press Club for the entire day of the event was Andriy Futey, president of the campaign trail. highlighted potential points of discussion discussion, participated by questioning the Ukrainian Congress Committee of The co-chair of the Congressional regarding Ukraine’s National Security various presenters and then offered the America (UCCA). Having recently returned Ukraine Caucus (CUC), Rep. Andy Harris Strategy before departing for a full day of closing words of the conference, drawing from Ukraine, Mr. Futey pointed out the (R-Md.), joined Ambassador Yelchenko at meetings and events. Ambassador on his previous position as Ukaine’s deputy sudden change of Ukraine’s Cabinet of Kyslytsya, visiting for the day from New minister of foreign affairs. Ministers that had preceded this confer- (Continued on page 5) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MARCH 15, 2020 No. 11 ANALYSIS Plans for waterway from Baltic to Black Sea Ukraine acts to prevent coronavirus spread Kyiv for analysis, an Iranian diplomat said. Tehran has also invited other interested via Ukraine, Belarus and Poland advance The Ukrainian government has decided countries to participate in reading the data to ban mass gatherings and to close schools from the black boxes, Farhard Parvaresh, and universities for three weeks in a bid to away from Russia. Since then, the project who heads Iran’s delegation at the U.N.’s by Paul Goble prevent the spread of the novel coronavi- has attracted new attention and made real Montreal-based International Civil Aviation Eurasia Daily Monitor rus. The government said in a statement on progress. In September 2019, the transpor- Organization, told Reuters on March 11. The March 11 that it was banning all mass During the Middle Ages, the waterways tation ministers of Ukraine and Belarus met Iranian military said it accidentally shot events with more than 200 expected partic- linking the Baltic and the Black seas were a and agreed on what needed to be done. A down the Ukrainian jet on January 8, killing ipants. Some sporting events might go far more important trade corridor than any month later, Belarus signed a contract with all 176 people on board. The victims includ- ahead with the agreement of the relevant land routes linking Europe with what was Beltonenergo for the construction of a port ed 82 Iranian citizens and 63 Canadians, international organizations, but without to become Russia. Twenty years ago, fol- on the Dnipro and the development of asso- many of them of Iranian origin. The shoot- spectators. The government also banned lowing the collapse of the Soviet Union, the ciated waterways. In December, Ukrainian ing occurred with Iran’s air-defense forces until June 1 the export of masks and other European Union called for developing this and Belarusian officials signed a broader on high alert following an Iranian ballistic- gear to ensure there are no shortages of older route to handle modern barge traffic agreement about the E-40 project. And at missile attack a few hours earlier on U.S. protective equipment. The statement did via Ukraine, Belarus and Poland. that time, they, along with Poland, began to forces in Iraq. The strikes came days after not say when the measures would come Those plans were celebrated in stamps search for the $20 billion in investments Iran’s most prominent military commander, jointly issued by Ukraine and Estonia in that will be needed to complete the entire into force. The coronavirus outbreak has Qasem Soleimani, was killed in a U.S. drone 2003; but to date, relatively little progress route (TASS, September 14, 2019). infected more than 117,000 people globally strike outside Baghdad. Iranian officials has followed. Now, these plans finally While that sum and the technical prob- and killed over 4,200. Ukraine’s only con- have for two months refused to hand over appear to be taking off, which could dra- lems of building canals in Belarus remain firmed coronavirus patient is a resident of the recording devices for deciphering. matically change the economies of Belarus daunting, enough progress has been made the southwestern region of Chernivtsi who (RFE/RL, based on reporting by Reuters) had recently traveled to Italy. Earlier in the and Ukraine, linking them more closely in the past four months that in mid-Febru- 298 empty chairs recall MH17 victims with Europe and thus giving them a greater ary 13 Russian analyst Aleksey Chichkin day, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko announced chance to escape from under Russian domi- admitted the program was now going for- that schools and universities in the Relatives of victims of Malaysia Airlines nance. ward. He nonetheless suggested there were Ukrainian capital would be closed until the Flight 17 (MH17) have set up 298 empty The EU christened the revived Ukraine– serious obstacles ahead given that some in end of March, as part of “preventive mea- chairs in front of the Russian Embassy in Belarus–Poland water route the “E-40 Ukraine and the EU remain skeptical about sures” against the spread of the novel coro- the Netherlands to protest the Kremlin’s Project” and designated it part of its Minsk’s ultimate orientation and are hesi- navirus. In a video message posted on his continued refusal to admit its role in shoot- Eastern Partnership program.