INSIDE: l Cruiserweight Oleksandr Usyk makes history – page 5 l Soyuzivka’s 12th annual Ukrainian Cultural Festival – page 9 l Photo report: 2018 Ukrainian Cultural Festival – pages 10-11 THEPublished U by theKRAINIAN Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal W non-profit associationEEKLY Vol. LXXXVI No. 30 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JULY 29, 2018 $2.00 International development minister OSCE mandate further marred of Canada visits Ukraine’s war-torn east by alleged Russian spy scandal by Mark Raczkiewycz The “OSCE suspects” an official working at the “Russian Embassy in Ukraine who is KYIV – The mandate of the 57-state seconded to the OSCE mission for several international body charged with monitor- months,” The Daily Beast reported on July ing a truce in the Donbas war may have 22, citing a former European diplomat. been further compromised after allegations All Russian members of the OSCE SMM emerged that sensitive information about in Ukraine work for their country’s intelli- the Ukraine mission was passed to Russian gence agencies, Ukrainian Foreign Affairs intelligence. Minister Pavlo Klimkin alleged after the Hundreds of internal documents of the German report was aired at a news confer- Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) of the ence in Berlin. Organization for Security and Cooperation Iryna Herashchenko, deputy chair of the in Europe (OSCE) dating to autumn 2016 Verkhovna Rada and a member of the were handed over to Russia’s Federal Trilateral Contact Group that aims to find a Security Service, according to a July 16 diplomatic resolution to the Donbas war, report aired by German channel ARD. called on the OSCE to investigate the poten- The television outlet said it obtained tial data breach. Office of the Minister of International Development nearly 400 pages of the data. They include “We also appealed to the OSCE and its Canada’s Minister of International Development Marie-Claude Bibeau (right) and observation camera locations, pictures of representatives with a request that Vienna her team, including Ambassador to Ukraine Roman Waschuk and MP Borys military bases, internal correspondence, [where the OSCE is headquartered] conduct Wrzesnewskyj, meet with women from frontline village of Kurdiumivka, located 9 addresses of monitors, their personal hab- a thorough investigation into information kilometers from the line of contact in Ukraine’s east, to learn about their key chal- its and even blood types. about the possible theft of personal data of lenges and coping mechanisms. The OSCE’s Ukraine mission hasn’t con- OSCE SMM observers,” she said on Facebook. country’s war-torn eastern region. firmed the alleged data breach, saying that “Ukraine strongly objects to the fact that by Christopher Guly it “cannot comment or speculate on docu- Special to The Ukrainian Weekly Ms. Bibeau, who before entering politics the Russians who are present on the mis- three years ago worked for the Canadian ments of unknown origin” and without sion are engaged in espionage rather than OTTAWA – Since becoming Canada’s International Development Agency that was “proper verification.” the clearly defined mandate for observers.” minister of international development in folded into Canada’s Foreign Ministry in The international body added that it is As evidence has mounted over the years 2015, Marie-Claude Bibeau has led mis- 2013, has also never spent as much time in “concerned that alleged breaches may that the Donbas war is a covert Russian sions to 30 countries, but had never visited a country as minister as she did in Ukraine. carry a potential risk for its staff, compro- Ukraine until this month when she spent mising their privacy and security.” (Continued on page 5) five days, from July 18 to 23, mainly in the (Continued on page 17) U.S. reaffirms refusal to recognize NEWS ANALYSIS: Responses in Kyiv Russia’s ‘attempted annexation’ of Crimea to the Trump-Putin summit Donald Trump’s primary goal in meeting WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of State foundations upon which our shared by Bohdan Nahaylo Special to The Ukrainian Weekly Vladimir Putin, Mr. Portnikov argued, was Mike Pompeo, in a press statement security and safety rests. to provide a spectacle that would take the released on July 25, reiterated that the U.S. As we did in the Welles Declaration in KYIV – With the Trump-Putin summit in heat off him at home stemming from accu- “rejects Russia’s attempted annexation of 1940, the United States reaffirms as poli- Helsinki behind us, there was a general sations that he and his team colluded with Crimea and pledges to maintain this poli- cy its refusal to recognize the Kremlin’s sense of relief in the air in Kyiv that has the Russians and allowed their interference cy until Ukraine’s territorial integrity is claims of sovereignty over territory now given way to renewed anxieties as in the U.S. presidential elections. Even the restored.” Furthermore, he called on seized by force in contravention of inter- additional details fueling speculation have fact that on the eve of the summit 12 Russia “to end its occupation of Crimea.” national law. In concert with allies, part- emerged. While the U.S. president’s Russian intelligence officers were indicted The full text of the statement, titled ners and the international community, attempt to publicly ingratiate himself with for interference in the 2016 U.S. election “Crimea Declaration,” follows. the United States rejects Russia’s Moscow’s strongman, even by running did not deter Mr. Trump from pressing * * * attempted annexation of Crimea and ahead with this strategy. Russia, through its 2014 invasion of pledges to maintain this policy until down U.S. intelligence, and the country’s media and justice system, did not pass By “solidarizing” with Mr. Putin and Ukraine and its attempted annexation of Ukraine’s territorial integrity is restored. seeking his protection against the siege Crimea, sought to undermine a bedrock The United States calls on Russia to unnoticed and shocked many here, the ini- tial impression that there was no sell-out of from U.S. intelligence and media, Mr. Trump international principle shared by demo- respect the principles to which it has long humiliated his country and generated out- cratic states: that no country can change claimed to adhere and to end its occupa- Ukraine is what mattered. The general response was summed up rage all across the political spectrum, com- the borders of another by force. The tion of Crimea. As democratic states seek mented Mr. Portnikov. Ironically, the ill-con- by one of Ukraine’s leading journalists, states of the world, including Russia, to build a free, just, and prosperous ceived exercise badly backfired for the U.S. Vitaly Portnikov, in his commentary for agreed to this principle in the United world, we must uphold our commitment president, making everything connected Espreso TV. The summit produced a favor- Nations Charter, pledging to refrain from to the international principle of sovereign with Mr. Putin even more “toxic.” Thus, hav- able result for Ukraine because the out- the threat or use of force against the ter- equality and respect the territorial integ- ing set himself against his very own state ritorial integrity or political indepen- rity of other states. Through its actions, come could have been a lot worse. and raised its guard, the commentator dence of any state. This fundamental Russia has acted in a manner unworthy of Whatever the fears, clearly Ukraine was not argued, Mr. Trump will find it even more principle – which was reaffirmed in the a great nation and has chosen to isolate uppermost in the U.S. president’s mind and difficult to seek agreements with Mr. Putin Helsinki Final Act – constitutes one of the itself from the international community. hardly figured during the joint press con- ference given by the two leaders. (Continued on page 4) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JULY 29, 2018 No. 30 ANALYSIS Undisclosed agenda of Helsinki summit leads U.S. announces $200 M in security aid against Russian aggression.” (Office of Sen. Rob Portman) The United States will provide $200 mil- to speculation, worries in some quarters lion in additional security funding to U.S. on Ukraine’s energy reforms Ukraine. The U.S. Defense Department on by Pavel Felgenhauer to be bussed, together with families, to the The U.S. State Department on July 24 northwestern province of Idlib, after relin- July 20 announced it will provide the fund- Eurasia Daily Monitor issued a statement welcoming Ukraine’s quishing their heavy weapons. The U.S. ing for “training, equipment and advisory progress on energy reforms. Department Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir State Department has several times warned efforts to build the defensive capacity of spokesperson Heather Nauert stated: “The Putin seem to have established a good rap- Moscow and Damascus there “will be con- Ukraine’s forces.” The new funding will United States is pleased to note that the port during their summit in Helsinki on July sequences” if violations of the southern de- “support ongoing training programs and government of Ukraine has welcomed an 16. The Russian media enthusiastically quot- confliction zone continue. But to date, those operational needs,” the statement said. The important announcement made today ed Mr. Trump: “We got along well, which words have not been met with actions United States has provided a total of more related to reform of the Ukrainian energy truly bothered many haters who wanted to (Militarynews.ru, June 22). According to than $1 billion in security assistance to sector. The supervisory boards of Ukrainian see a boxing match. Big results will come!” Ambassador Antonov, in Helsinki Mr. Putin Ukraine since 2014, when neighboring state-owned Naftogaz and Main Gas (Interfax, July 18).