The Ukrainian Weekly, 2021

INSIDE: l Kobzarska Sitch bandura camp update – page 4 l Iskra Ukrainian Dance Academy holds in-person recital – page 8 l Ukraine national soccer team fan guide for Euro championship – page 9 THEPublished U by theKRAINIAN Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal Wnon-profit associationEEKLY Vol. LXXXIX No. 24 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JUNE 13, 2021 $2.00 In show of support, Biden invites Ukraine’s Zelenskyy frustrated over lack of support Zelenskyy to the White House from key allies in face of Russian aggression RFE/RL stop in Geneva for a face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Receives White House invitation for July U.S. President Joe Biden has invited June 16. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy The call comes amid some frustration in to visit the White House this summer in a Washington and Kyiv about the bilateral show of support for the Eastern European relationship. country. Washington has been dismayed by man- Mr. Biden extended the invitation during agement changes at Naftogaz, the a phone call with Mr. Zelenskyy on June 7, Ukrainian state-owned energy company at national-security adviser Jake Sullivan said the heart of the country’s largest corrup- during a press conference. It was the sec- tion scandals, as well as slow progress on ond call between the leaders since Mr. reform. Biden took office in January. Kyiv, on the other hand, has publicly In a tweet after the call, Mr. Zelenskyy expressed disappointment that Mr. Biden said he “looked forward” to the visit and chose to meet one-on-one with Mr. Putin discussing ways to “expand strategic coop- first and recently abandoned efforts to stop eration” between the United States and the completion of Nord Stream 2, a Ukraine. Kremlin-backed natural-gas pipeline to Mr. Zelenskyy has sought an Oval Office Germany that will deprive Ukraine of bil- meeting since coming to power more than lions of dollars in transit fees. two years ago. It is also peeved that Ukrainian officials An official visit to Washington could help have not been invited to the NATO summit the 43-year-old former comic’s stature at to be held on June 14 in Brussels. home – where his ratings have been slip- Ukraine is heavily dependent on U.S. ping – while also demonstrating U.S. sup- support to counter Russian aggression and Office of the president of Ukraine port for Ukraine in the face of Russian wants to join the Western military alliance, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks in Kyiv on June 6 at a weekly forum aggression, former U.S. Ambassador to something the Kremlin strongly opposes. that was devoted to the environment. Ukraine John Herbst said. Russia earlier this year amassed tens of “He wants it as a sign of respect but also thousands of troops and heavy weapons by Mark Raczkiewycz being shunned from the high-level summit because of its political value in Ukraine. A along its border with Ukraine and in the in Brussels at the headquarters of the meeting in Washington bolsters his image,” occupied territory of Crimea. KYIV – Ukrainian President Volodymyr North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). said Mr. Herbst, who is now at the Atlantic Kyiv called the mobilization an attempt Zelenskyy’s invitation to the White House As a country with whom Russia is wag- Council think tank. at intimidation amid stalled peace talks to in July comes as Kyiv is reeling from what it ing an undeclared bloody war since 2014 The call between the two leaders had end fighting between government forces says is not reciprocal support from its to the loss of some 14,000 lives, Mr. been planned in advance of the U.S. presi- Western partners, including from the U.S., dent’s trip to Europe that culminates with a (Continued on page 3) amid escalating Russian belligerence and (Continued on page 4) Governing body for soccer in Europe orders Ukraine to alter uniform day before Euro championship junction with “Glory to Ukraine,” according to a statement Outline of Ukrainian map sent to The Ukrainian Weekly. It allowed the remaining components to remain on the that angered Russia can stay national squad’s uniform for use in the Euro 2020 championship, which was originally scheduled to be held last year by Matthew Dubas but was moved to June 11-July 11 as a result of the ongoing and Mark Raczkiewycz COVID-19 pandemic. In totality, the jersey features the Ukrainian trident (try- PARSIPPANY, N.J. – Europe’s soccer governing body, zub) and a subtle map using embroidery motifs for the UEFA, ordered Ukraine on June 10 to change its men’s outline of Ukraine, including the Russia-occupied parts of national soccer team’s jersey based on a complaint from the easternmost Luhansk and Donetsk regions. On the Russia that came a day before the month-long quadrennial exterior, “Glory to Ukraine!” is printed, while the slogan tournament begins. “Glory to the Heroes!” can be found on the inside of the col- At issue were two slogans and a map of Ukraine embla- lar. zoned on the jersey that the country unveiled on June 6 The following day after the jersey’s unveiling, a Russian after which Russia’s foreign affairs ministry and several Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson criticized the members of parliament publicly protested. national team outfit as “the illusion of the impossible” Moscow had balked at Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula while characterizing the slogans as fascist. that it had forcibly seized in 2014, being included in the out- The slogan “Glory to Ukraine” can be found in revered line of Ukraine that was emblazoned on the official jersey, as Facebook/Andriy Pavlenko - Ukrainian Association of Football Ukrainian bard Taras Shevchenko’s writing and is traced to well as the slogans “Glory to Ukraine! Glory to the Heroes!” The patriotic slogans “Glory to Ukraine!” on the out- World War I when the country enjoyed a brief period of UEFA ordered Ukraine to remove the slogan “Glory to side (top) and “Glory to the Heroes!” on the inside col- the Heroes” because of its political connotations in con- lar of Ukraine’s Euro 2020 jerseys. (Continued on page 9) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JUNE 13, 2021 No. 24 NEWS ANALYSIS Crimea’s nuclear potential: EU court annuls decision on Yanukovych spokesman, Peter Stano, said the council “is making every effort to ensure that listings The General Court of the European meet all legal requirements as defined by a return to Soviet practices Union has annulled the bloc’s 2019 deci- the EU courts, taking into account the sion to extend asset freezes imposed on During the Cold War, Soviet sea-zone evolving case law.” Mr. Stano added that the by Maxim Starchak former Ukrainian President Viktor naval vessels – small missile ships, guard Yanukovychs remain on the sanctions list Eurasia Daily Monitor Yanukovych and his son Oleksandr over the ships and anti-submarine corvettes – could since the restrictive measures against them alleged embezzlement of Ukrainian state On April 12, amid escalating tensions all be equipped with nuclear weapons. were extended by a year in March. (RFE/ along the Ukrainian border, Ukrainian Taking into account the preservation of funds and assets. The Luxembourg-based RL) Defense Minister Andriy Taran expressed Russia’s tactical nuclear weapons (TNW) court ruled on June 9 that the European U.S., Germany working to mitigate NS2 concern that “Crimea’s infrastructure is and the absence of changes in Russian poli- Council “failed to demonstrate that the rights of the defense and the right to effec- being prepared for potentially storing cy regarding these weapons (see Eurasia U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken tive judicial protection were respected in nuclear weapons” (Radio Svoboda, April Daily Monitor, September 29, 2020, and says Washington is working with Germany the criminal proceedings” by the Ukrainian 14). Even though Mr. Taran did not supply January 28), the practice may well have to try to mitigate any adverse effects of the authorities. Despite the court ruling, a evidence for this claim, it is plausible to continued. completion of the Russian Nord Stream 2 spokesman for the bloc said that Mr. assert that such nuclear potential in occu- Looking at the current Black Sea Fleet in natural-gas pipeline. Mr. Blinken also indi- Yanukovych and his son “remain subject to pied Crimea certainly exists. Crimea, the 11th brigade of anti-submarine cated that more penalties could be forth- EU restrictive measures based on legal acts According to experts, Russia possesses ships in Sevastopol consists of five Project coming on those involved with the project, adopted in 2021 and an amended state- up to 2,000 nuclear warheads at present 1135/6 guard ships, which are armed with telling the Senate Appropriations ment of reasons that are not part of the (The Bulletin, March 15), some of which the dual-capable Kalibr cruise missile sys- Committee on June 8 that the United States challenge initiated in 2019.” Brussels may already be located in Crimea. tem. The brigade also includes the Moskva, has opportunities “to deal with those who imposed the measures against Ukraine’s Illustratively, in late 2016, “Object-100,” an the lead ship of the Project 1164 Atlant class provide insurance or other permits for the pro-Kremlin former president, family underground stationary complex for the of guided missile cruisers, carrying the pipeline to become operational.” In addi- members and close political allies shortly storage and combat use of two cruise mis- P-1000 Vulkan anti-submarine missile sys- tion, the waivers granted to the company after the collapse of his government in late sile divisions, was restored on the peninsu- tem.

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