The Ukrainian Weekly, 2021

INSIDE: l Bishop Emeritus Losten celebrates 50th anniversary of episcopal consecration – page 4 l UMANA holds 39th Assembly of Delegates virtually, elects new officers – page 9 l Ukraine finishes third in Group C at Euro 2020, to face Sweden next – page 14 THEPublished U by theKRAINIAN Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal Wnon-profit associationEEKLY Vol. LXXXIX No. 26-27 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JUNE 27-JULY 4, 2021 $2.00 EU leaders met to discuss Ukraine sanctions Firtash as Zelenskyy continues strategy for relations with Russia fight against the country’s oligarchs Kuleba calls potential EU summit with Putin a “dangerous deviation from EU sanctions policy” Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty European Union leaders gathered in Brussels on June 24 for a two-day summit during which they were scheduled to discuss a new strategy to manage relations with Russia amid signs of a split with some members pushing for a meeting with President Vladimir Putin, and others opposed given their deep-seated distrust of Russia’s head of state. EU leaders were set to consider whether to seek a summit with Mr. Putin as part of the new strategy, a meeting that follows Presidential Office of Ukraine U.S. President Joe Biden’s summit with Mr. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses participants of the forum Putin on June 16. “Ukraine 30. Economy without Oligarchs.” Envoys for France and Germany put for- Andriy Dubchak, RadioSvoboda.org via RFE/RL ward a last-minute proposal to hold a sum- Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Dmyt by Roman Tymotsko nessmen Pavlo Fuks. The council also mit with Mr. Putin as a possible way to ro Kuleba previously criticized NATO’s extended sanctions imposed on a number repair ties that the bloc said are in a “nega- failure to invite Kyiv to its summit in KYIV – The National Security and of Ukrainian individuals and legal entities tive spiral.” June. Defense Council (NSDC) of Ukraine on June that were first sanctioned three years ago. Those measure were set to expire at the But some EU diplomats said there The EU and Russia are on opposing 18 announced sanctions against Dmytro end of June. should be an improvement in relations sides of several issues from matters involv- Firtash, a Ukrainian oligarch who has been “At the suggestion of the Security Service before any summit with the Russian leader, ing Ukraine and Belarus to human rights. indicted by the United States for corrup- of Ukraine (SBU), a decision was made to and numerous EU nations – particularly in They also accuse each other of meddling in tion. Mr. Firtash is currently living in Eastern Europe – are wary of talking to the Vienna and fighting extradition to the U.S. impose sanctions against Dmytro Firtash, Kremlin. (Continued on page 7) The NSDC also sanctioned Russian busi- Pavlo Fuks, Serhiy Chemezov and Mykhailo Shelkov,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. Oleksiy Danilov, the NSDC secretary, said a complete package of sanctions was British PM defends freedom of navigation imposed on Mr. Firtash because, according to the SBU, the businessman’s titanium after Black Sea incident with Russia companies supplied raw materials to Russian military enterprises. Mr. Danilov said Mr. Fuks was sanc- Says waters around Crimea are Ukrainian tioned because of numerous violations committed during the process of obtaining Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty plane dropped bombs in the path of the international law and the Russian charac- licenses for the development of more than British destroyer HMS Defender to force it terization is predictably inaccurate,” Mr. a dozen natural gas fields. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has to change course from the area near the Raab said. The NSDC also imposed sanctions insisted the U.K. Navy was “entirely right” Crimean city of Sevastopol. The Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry against 12 individuals who, according to to defend freedom of navigation following Britain’s Defense Ministry denied the said on June 24 that British Ambassador Ukraine’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, have an incident with Russia in the Black Sea, HMS Defender had been fired upon, say- Deborah Bronner was summoned and influenced criminal activity or are leaders while Moscow warned it was prepared to ing that Russia was carrying out a previ- warned in a demarche that Britain would of criminal organizations. fire on warships entering territorial ously announced “gunnery exercise” in be fully responsible for any consequences The NSDC also imposed sanctions on waters it claims around Ukraine’s Crimean the area. if a similar incident occurred again. four legal entities and six individuals who Peninsula. Russia seized Ukraine’s Crimea region Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman are affiliated with the Russian secret ser- Speaking at an army barracks on June in March 2014, sending in troops and Dmitry Peskov said that Russia was ready vice. According to the NSDC, these individ- 24 a day after the incident, Mr. Johnson staging a referendum denounced as ille- to consider all manner of responses to uals have either been directly involved in reiterated that Britain didn’t recognize gitimate by at least 100 countries after what he called “provocative actions.” the development of the Petya virus, used it Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea and Moscow-friendly Ukrainian President Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Sergei or organized cyberattacks on critical infra- said the Royal Navy destroyer was sailing Viktor Yanukovych was ousted amid a Ryabkov ratcheted up the rhetoric, saying structure in Ukraine. The individuals are “the shortest route between two points” wave of public protests. that Russia would use “all means,” includ- already on the U.S. sanctions list, and U.S. from Ukraine to Georgia. British Foreign Secretary Dominic ing diplomatic, political and military, to law enforcement bodies are prosecuting “It was illegal, these are Ukrainian Raab reiterated during a visit to Singapore defend what he claimed were Russia’s them for cyberattacks against the United waters, and it was entirely right to use that “no shots were fired” as the British borders. States. The Petya malware infected millions them to go from A to B,” Mr. Johnson said. ship was “conducting innocent passage “We may appeal to reason and demand of computers during the first year of its Russia claimed that its vessels on June through Ukrainian territorial waters.” release. 23 fired warning shots and a military “We were doing so in accordance with (Continued on page 11) (Continued on page 12) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, JUNE 27-JULY 4, 2021 No. 26-27 NEWS ANALYSIS Biden and Putin project optimism Contingency aid ready if Russia attacks Ukraine is nonsense. Just last week – in the run-up to the U.S.-Russia summit – we pro- The United States has prepared contin- vided a $150 million package of security after resolving practically nothing in Geneva gency military aid in the event of further assistance, including lethal assistance,” Ms. Russian military incursions into Ukraine, the The U.S. and Russian heads of state Psaki said in her statement. “We have also by Pavel Felgenhauer White House has said. White House spokes- decided to upgrade their diplomatic ties by prepared contingency funds in the event of a Eurasia Daily Monitor woman Jen Psaki said in a statement on June ordering the return of Ambassadors further Russian incursion into Ukraine,” she 18 that recent U.S. media reports that the added. “As President Biden told President United States President Joseph Biden Anatoly Antonov to Washington and John United States held back security assistance and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Sullivan to Moscow. Mr. Antonov was [Vladimir] Putin directly, we will stand to Ukraine were “nonsense.” Politico and unwavering in support for Ukraine’s sover- Putin, met in Geneva, Switzerland, on June recalled three months ago “for consulta- The Washington Post reported this week 16 for their first summit since Mr. Biden tions,” after Mr. Biden, in an ABC News pre- eignty and territorial integrity.” Mr. Biden that President Joe Biden’s administration set has said he seeks a relationship with Russia took office. Both countries have been stuck taped interview, was asked whether he con- aside a military aid package to Ukraine in a vicious spiral of diplomatic, military, siders Mr. Putin “a killer,” and the U.S. leader that is “stable and predictable,” a message he worth tens of millions of dollars that includ- sought to instill ahead of a summit with Mr. political and economic confrontation. Most replied, “Mmm hmm, I do” (see EDM, March ed lethal weapons. The potential package, predictions ahead of the Geneva summit 18). Washington refused to act in kind and Putin when the two leaders discussed wide- which was said to include arms and more ranging issues from cyberattacks and arms were, thus, restrained, downbeat or dismal, recall Ambassador Sullivan from Moscow, anti-tank missiles, had been drawn up in with both the Kremlin and the White House so the Russian authorities de facto expelled control to the conflict in Ukraine. (RFE/RL, response to a Russian troop and military with reporting by Politico and The warning the public not to expect too much. him on April 22, after “recommending” he hardware buildup near Ukraine’s borders in Washington Post) Initial low expectations allowed both presi- return to Washington for “consultations.” the spring. The military maneuvers caused dents and their teams to spin the summit Now, apparently, the “killer” incident has consternation in Washington and European Lawyer says allegations are ‘wrong’ results post factum as a significant success, been resolved (Interfax, June 16). capitals about Moscow’s intentions at a time with Mr. Putin talking of “glimmers of That issue proved relatively easy to tack- Ukraine’s controversial tycoon Dmytro of increased fighting in eastern Ukraine Firtash has denied the allegations behind hope” and Mr.

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