INSIDE: l Mixed feelings after Zelenskyy-Putin talks – page 3 l Holodomor exhibit, lecture in Naples, Florida – page 9 l Community: Kerhonkson, Chicago, Jenkintown – page 11 THEPublished U by theKRAINIAN Ukrainian National Association, Inc., celebrating W its 125th anniversaryEEKLY Vol. LXXXVII No. 50 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2019 $2.00 Road to peace in Ukraine: Normandy four take cautious step forward at summit in Paris After Normandy summit by Bohdan Nahaylo The statement below was released by the Ukrainian World Congress on KYIV – The results of the Normandy for- December 10. mat summit that brought together the lead- ers of Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany On Monday, December 9, leaders of on December 9 – for the first time in over Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany three years – have been greeted with cau- took part in the Normandy summit in tious optimism for having reactivated the Paris. The eyes of the global Ukrainian stalled negotiations based on the Minsk community have been fixed on this accords of 2014-2015 to end Russia’s war meeting, and the society has been in the Donbas. actively engaged in determining the Without giving way on fundamental demands of the agenda. The Ukrainian issues, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr World Congress (UWC) has been sup- Zelenskyy managed to secure agreement porting this peace process with a series on an exchange of all prisoners, a commit- of campaigns #StandwithUkraine ment to a general ceasefire and a follow-up #StopRussianAggression, and most meeting within four months. However, recently held rallies and meetings in many political issues related to the future support of Ukraine in Paris under the of eastern Ukrainian regions now con- leadership of Paul Grod, UWC President. trolled by joint Russian-separatist forces According to the common agreed remained unresolved. Presidential Office of Ukraine conclusions of the summit, the key The nervously awaited summit that took At the Normandy format summit in Paris (from left): President Volodymyr Zelenskyy outcomes included, in particular, the place in Paris was preceded by much spec- of Ukraine, President Emmanuel Macron of France, President Vladimir Putin of following measures to stabilize the sit- ulation and concern in Ukraine and beyond Russia and Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany. uation on the frontline of the Russian about what it might produce, and mass ral- war against Ukraine: lies throughout Ukraine warned against under way since September, after the fundamental issues, namely Ukraine’s inde- - “capitulation” to Russia. exchange of political prisoners between pendence and territorial integrity, the mentation of the ceasefire before the Once the meeting of the Normandy four Kyiv and Moscow had generated hopes that Kremlin’s interest in holding such a dia- end• ofa fullthe yearand 2019;comprehensive imple had concluded, the organizers of protests in the new Ukrainian president and Russia’s logue appeared to evaporate and Moscow Kyiv acknowledged that President President Vladimir Putin could kick-start set preconditions that would be difficult for of an updated demining plan; Zelenskyy had not crossed any “red lines” the moribund Minsk and Normandy format Mr. Zelenskyy to accept. • development and implementation and terminated their vigil outside his head- processes. With the Ukrainian leader But after Kyiv agreed to accept the con- areas, with the aim of disengaging quarters. affirming that he wanted peace, but not at • three additional disengagement Preparations for the summit had been any price, and that he would not yield on (Continued on page 4) (Continued on page 9) Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute receives Ukrainian Church’s highest award by Mariana Karapinka it was awarded for the first time to Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, the renowned arch- TORONTO – Patriarch Sviatoslav, primate bishop of Vienna. of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church With this order, the Synod of Bishops and (UGCC), on December 8 presented the high- the head of the UGCC – the largest Eastern est distinction awarded by the UGCC – the Catholic Church in the world – recognized Order of Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky – the Sheptytsky Institute’s long-standing to the Institute of Eastern Christian Studies work. The certificate accompanying the named after Metropolitan Andrey. medal notes that the Sheptytsky Institute The Sheptytsky Institute is an autono- has preserved and studied the legacy of the mous academic unit of the Faculty of righteous Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky, Theology of the University of St. Michael’s and the UGCC acknowledges its fruitful College in the University of Toronto. The scholarly activity, its education of clergy, and ceremony was held at the Ukrainian its active international, inter-religious and Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate inter-denominational endeavors. Conception in Philadelphia. A particular merit of the Sheptytsky The award was accepted on behalf of the Institute, noted by the Church’s leadership, institute by its founder and first director, has been sharing the treasures of Eastern Father Andriy Chirovsky, and its current Christian spirituality in the social and cul- director, Father Peter Galadza, along with tural context of North America, as it is the Father Andriy Onuferko, a former staff only university-level scholarly institution member. Also present for the ceremony operating under the aegis of the Ukrainian were two members of the Sheptytsky Teresa Siwak Greek-Catholic Church in North America. Institute Foundation, Dr. Andrew Browar Patriarch Sviatoslav presents the Order of Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky to (from “The Sheptytsky Institute, which for so and Taras Pidzamecky, of Chicago and left) Andrew Browar, Father Peter Galadza, Father Andriy Chirovsky, Father Andriy many years has furthered the legacy of Toronto, respectively. This was the second Onuferko and Taras Pidzamecky at Immaculate Conception Ukrainian Catholic time the award was presented. Last month Cathedral in Philadelphia. (Continued on page 15) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2019 No. 50 ANALYSIS Russia’s Black Sea dominance strategy: Sentsov registers for military service open “on the possible commitment of high treason by Poroshenko.” The agreement is Ukrainian filmmaker and former Kremlin the product of an all-night negotiating ses- a blend of military and civilian assets political prisoner Oleh Sentsov has regis- sion in the Belarusian capital between the tered for military service. In a Facebook behavior only ceased when a Turkish leaders of Germany, France, Russia and by Yuri Lapaiev post on December 10, Mr. Sentsov, 43, post- reconnaissance plane arrived close to the Ukraine in February 2015. It was supposed Eurasia Daily Monitor ed a picture of a military identification card to revive an earlier eponymous ceasefire Pereyaslav. Similarly, in July, Russian ships that says he is an army reservist. “Since I’m agreement that was brokered in 2014 after On November 14, during the Third entered an area closed by NATO for the Sea a resident of Kyiv, I went and registered for Russian reinforcements late that summer International Conference for Maritime Breeze 2019 exercises and engaged in military service. Now, I’m an army reserv- invaded eastern Ukraine in support of Security, in Odesa, Ukrainian Navy com- aggressive behavior. ist,” he said. “The military registration and Moscow-backed militants and pushed back mander Admiral Ihor Voronchenko said The Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait, enlistment offices are obviously dingy-look- Kyiv forces who were on the offensive and that a Russian Tu-22M3 (Backfire) had adjoining the northeastern sector of the ing, but the people inside are really nice. on the verge of successfully retaking lost been observed simulating the launch of a Black Sea, also regularly witness confronta- The same with our country: The people are territories. Suddenly, the combined missile strike on this coastal city tional activity by Russian forces. Notably, nice, but they are unable to build a normal Russian-separatist forces appeared poised (Dumskaya, November 14). Admiral Russian authorities have repeatedly used state.” Mr. Sentsov until September 7 had to swallow up more territory, so a hurried Voronchenko added that Russian bombers force to block maritime navigation through been serving a 20-year prison sentence on had made several similar attempts during the strait linking the Azov and Black seas, what international, Russian and Ukrainian truce was brokered between Ukraine, exercises on July 10, conducting a virtual or at least to force vessels to wait longer in rights groups said were trumped-up charg- Russia and the militants. The second Minsk airstrike 60 kilometers from Odesa. the queue to transit through. For example, es of “plotting terrorist acts” against Russia agreement calls for the withdrawal of The Ukrainian naval chief also stressed the average wait time for one ship in July of in Crimea, Ukraine’s peninsula that Moscow heavy weapons from the frontline, a pro- that the Russian Federation has dramatical- this year was 19 hours. In August, it had forcibly annexed in early 2014. He had cess that has been monitored by the ly increased its military presence in Crimea increased to 39 hours, and in September, to opposed and refused to recognize Moscow’s Organization for Security and Cooperation after having illegally annexed the peninsula 48.5 hours (Blackseanews.net, October 17). imposed rule on the Ukrainian territory. Mr. in Europe. Additional points stipulate an in 2014. For example, the number of war- That precipitated further economic losses Sentsov was incarcerated for more than five “all for all” exchange of prisoners, local ships stationed there grew from 34 to 49, for Ukraine’s Azov Sea ports of Berdyansk years and spent 145 days on hunger strike elections in eastern Ukraine and amnesty while the number of submarines increased and Mariupol, which, as of February 1, in 2018, demanding that Russia release all for combatants. The agreement contains from one to seven. Moreover, most of these 2019, had already reached $360 million Ukrainian political prisoners.