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THE INTERIM PRESIDENT of Ukraine is due to form a unity government today, in the wake of the toppling of Viktor Yanukovych following mass violence last week.
The pro-Russian leader was ousted at the weekend and in interim administration headed by Yanukovych long-term opponent Olexander Turchynov installed.
The US last night shopped just short of fully endorsing Turchynov as the country’s legitimate ruler ruler, but called for a technocratic government in Kiev to promote early elections.
White House spokesman Jay Carney noted that Yanukovych was “not actively leading the country at present” and that Washington could not confirm where he was.
Carney said that the White House had seen that the Ukrainian parliament had “lawfully elected its new speaker” and supported efforts to get the political situation under control and “ensuring that the institutions of government are working.”
Asked whether the United States therefore saw Turchynov as the legitimate leader of Ukraine, Carney simply repeated the phrase that Washington had seen he had been elected leader of parliament.
President Barack Obama’s spokesman said the United States was preoccupied with promoting a non-violent process in Ukraine that resulted in a multiparty technocratic government that could help move towards early elections.
He also stressed that the United States believed that Russian President Vladimir Putin, with whom Obama spoke on the crisis on Friday, had an interest in ensuring a peaceful transition of power in Kiev.
“There is no contradiction in Ukraine and Ukraine’s people deciding to move forward with further integration with Europe while Ukraine and the Ukrainian people maintain their strong historic cultural and economic ties to Russia.”“We believe that’s entirely appropriate.”
Russia’s prime minister Dmitry Medvedev had earlier branded Ukraine’s new leaders as mutineers, and said that western nations that thought otherwise were deluded.
An arrest warrant has been issued for Yanukovych, the last reported sighting of whom was in Crimea.
Includes reporting from AFP.
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If there is one thing worse than Russian interference in Ukraine it’s US interference. If trouble starts they and the Brits will blame everyone else.
But it was Ukraine’s elected representatives that voted to remove Yanukovych from power in a free and fair parliamentary vote in accordance with Ukrainian law.
Yes the US (and to a far lesser extent the EU) have been courting Ukraine in recent times, but both to a far lesser extent than Putin. The people of Ukraine have decided that the west makes a far more attractive boyfriend/girlfriend than Russia though.
America, fu*k yeh!
Hear we go the the tinfoil hat crowd are out early today !!!!. Maybe the US stired it all up. Is it dole day that your up early ?
^^ types this as he waits in line at the post office
Poor Ukraine is divided. Timoshenko will fly to Berlin to get pampered in Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. Her daughter, which has proven to be a true fighter for democracy in time when Kiev was in blood and violence, instead of standing with her allies on Maydan was celebrating her birthday with her boyfriend in expensive hotel in Rome…
After she returned to Kiev and went straight to Rada to celebrate her moms release from prison, cuz her ma was “political prisoner”.
Here is the link on youtube from UKRANIAN TV ( NOT RUSSIAN) telling that story.
Also heres the rough translation of the report in english for those who don’t speak Ukranian:
The hotel room registered to a guy Zsuzsa , Arthur Chechetkina . 414th – one of the best in the hotel, its balcony right above the entrance and overlooks the Piazza del Poppolo . Note that the couple checked into the hotel in the evening February 18 – the day of the bloody events of Kiev . On February 20 Ukrainians were shot for more than 50 years , in the Ukrainian capital Berkut and snipers shooting at unarmed men , women everywhere were moved up to the center on foot , carrying food , medicine and helped dismantle the barricades to the pavement .
In Rome at this time was torrential rain . The birthday girl woke up late, breakfast in general restaurant did not go , ordered food to the room where sat before lunch . In the afternoon, her parents and joined Chechetkina Man, which couple a few hours later and went to celebrate a birthday . Together, they walked out of the hotel De Rousse , the doorman called them a taxi. Despite 17 degree heat Eugene put on her coat with fur .
Tymoshenko’s daughter ‘s birthday was celebrated long – about half past nine in the evening back to the hotel , ordered a wine and food in the room.
The next morning , February 21 , Tymoshenko woke up early – around 8 am she, along with her boyfriend and his parents met over breakfast at the hotel. Ate Italian cheeses , sausages and biscuits . From morning newspapers refused.
Despite the proximity of Friday and the weekend, and Chechetkin Tymoshenko remained in Rome, and went to the airport , where happily embraced the reception area.
The next day, Eugene came to parliament , where thanked Maidan : ” Our family is sorry that for all the changes that have taken place , you had to pay the blood of humans , our heroes .” Then with a large bouquet of white roses in boyfriend went to meet his mother . As previously reported , the family Tymoshenko secretly met in a vast estate of her mother. The guards took the family members mobile phones.
Double standarts?
Pavel only pops up on this site to complain about Ukraine.
Are there not enough Russian sites to moan on?
@ Jeremy Usbourne – I have family in Ukraine. Do u? The fact that I have family in Rivne (Ukrainian: Рівне) also known as Rovno (Russian: Ровно; Polish: Równe) is a historic city in western Ukraine and the historical region of Volhynia. Gives me right to complain, moan and whatever else u wanna say.
@Pavel Shipilov. You are reduced to telling us that the daughter of Timoshenko spent a night in an hotel in Rome eating sausages (ahem). Perhaps the millions of protestors all over Ukraine (not just in the west and not just in Kiev) is the real story here. But it doesnt suit your pro-russian agenda so you ignore all that.
And you probably made up the Rome story too like you make everything else up. (In fairness you are in good company for delusional commentary on The Journal).
Yeah, I made that all up. I was in Rome in january and made the footage there, then I followed Timoshenko daughter and her boyfriend undercover. Sat under their table and slept under their bed. All was made up in Kremlin and orchestrated by Putin personally, then we both went kicking and bashing Pussy Riots. I have also was working in Sochi, for RT. I was everywhere and I made all up:)))
Love the banter on a Tuesday morning cheers si haha
Pavel. The people of Ukraine get to have their say in May. They can decide who gets to lead them and what direction they want to go West or East. So instead of pissing and moaning why don’t you wait until then and see what the result is.
@ Pavel Shipilov, you just cant stop inventing stuff can you :-)
@ Simon Burke – Anything for u. The point I was trying to make here by bringing information from different sources is that unfortunately in democratic countries there is a lack of information about “democratic” fighters for bright european future in eastern europe. Timoshenko is a thief and the thief shud be behind the bars. Not in the state of the art Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin.
The Pandora Box was opened in Ukraine. Very likely the country will be divided. It means CIVIL WAR. I wud hate to see that in Ukraine, the blood has already was spilled.
I think your own comment – “in fairness you are in good company for delusional commentary on The Journal” you can address to yourself. I m not delusional as I can view, listen, compare and decide for myself what is right and what is wrong.
I do strongly believe that here in Western Europe there are TONS of russophobes, thinking that Russia is a mother of all evil.
Why there is such a hate?
Because most of these people are not capable of thinking for themselves. Whatever the US tells them has to be true.
@Conor Farrell people like you are as guilty as the people you accuse. Anything the US (or any western government) says you assume has to be false. Sheeple!!! (isn’t that what your ilk accuse other people of)
Apologies Simon. Hopefully they find them WMDs buried somewhere in Iraq soon or they offer conclusive proof Assad used chemical weapons on his own people. You should only believe what you can prove and not someone elses opinion that only exists to further their own goals.
@ Paval Shipilov you might well be right, western european people could seriously dislike Putin and his government. To claim then that there are russophobes is childish nonsense. But its all beside the point. You are using the situation in Ukraine to defend Russia’s behaviour no matter what. But people are not stupid. They can recognise a popular uprising when they see it.
Where are all the counter demonstrations demanding the reinstatement of the pro Putin government? No doubt you will claim its all happening but the evil western media is not showing it to us…..And we are all sheep blah blah. And if only we would look at some nutters youtube video our eyes would be open. Its the same nonsense you tin foil hat brigade peddle time and again on The Journal. Although the sausage eating daughter was a refreshing change!!
@ Conor Farrell. Absolutely the WMD was a stitch up. Amazing how Assad decided to give up all his chemical weapons without a shot being fired. Great victory for the west. And he did it because he knows full well his regime used them (either sanctioned or a loose cannon commander on the ground).
But in your little world any time the west gets something wrong thats proof positive everything they do is wrong and everything is rivals does is correct.
Simon in your little world is it ok to attack and insult someone because they don’t share your little world view? You are an ignorant little man.
@Conor. I was attacking your silly world view. You are the one with the tantrum and personal insults.
On the contrary Connor. It’s usually you lot on the left that attack anyone that does not hold the same views that they do. Instead of accepting others have a different point of view you lot on the left revert to name calling and personal attacks. It’s very very rare that you see those of us with opposite views to theirs making any form of personal attack or lowering ourselves to name calling.
At least spell my name correctly you clown.
My point exactly.
Mick I have read some of your previous comments on other articles. I’m well aware of your partisan fascist points of view. Apart from that, you seem like a nice chap.
Conor, you calling somebody fascist says nothing about them but speaks volumes about you.
Conor on both your replies to me you have reinforced my point about you and your buddies on the left. When you don’t have a valid argument then insult and name call.
I said you seem like a nice chap. How is that an insult?
And I quote “your partisan Facist points of view” as such you are accusing me of being a Facist.
I never said you fully understood the gravity of your comments. Therfore I was not calling you a fascist, merely an apologist.
Conor I suggest you read your own comments.
@ Nelly Bergman –
I think some people shud stop fooling themselves that Timoshenko is clean, she was the ally of Pavlo Lazarenko back in the 1995 onwards and was the head of The United Energy Systems of Ukraine (UESU) was established in 1989 by Yulia Tymoshenko as a family cooperative in Dnipropetrovsk. In 1991, it was set up by Yulia Tymoshenko, her husband Olexandr Tymoshenko, and Olexandr Gravetsas as the Ukrainian Petrol Company, which sold gasoline to farmers in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.
It had 6 billion dollars revenue in 1996!
In 1995, the company was reorganized into the United Energy Systems of Ukraine.[2] Pavlo Lazarenko partly owned the company.[3] After his appointment in September 1995 as First Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine, Lazarenko allocated gas quota to private companies.[3] He gave priority to Itera and UESU.[3][4]
In 1997, the company became head of a consortium that was responsible for Russian natural-gas supplies to Ukraine.[5][6] In 1996 and 1997, UESU was the biggest gas trading company in Ukraine and it had branched out to other industries.[3] Early in 1997, it controlled several banks, had stakes in metallurgy and machine building companies and in two airports and participated in Bulgarian and Turkish pipelines and controlled several local and national newspapers.[4][7] It controlled 80% of Ukraine’s natural gas supply and accounted for an estimated eights of Ukraine’s GDP.[7]
After Yulia Tymoshenko’s election into the parliament of Ukraine in December 1996, she resigned as president of UESU and this post was given to her father-in-law Hennady Tymoshenko.[4] In July 1997, Lazarenko was forced to resign as Prime Minister.[4] After that UESU came under scrutiny of government officials which lead to several charges of dumping in September 1997.[4] At the end of 1997, UESU was ousted from the natural gas market of Ukraine. In 1999 a new national energy company Naftohaz Ukrainy was given a monopoly on natural gas deliveries to state organisations and households – an estimated 85 per cent of the market.[8]
Yulia Tymoshenko’s ties to Lazarenko, who was arrested in 1999 and convicted in the U.S. on charges of corruption and money laundering, prompted a series of investigations, which in turn led to a series of scandals from 2000 to 2004.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Energy_Systems_of_Ukraine
i am not sure why Tymoshenko is being considered a candidate
- she was in the government already and had a chance to kick start the reforms. no known record of success there, instead there is a trail of embezzlement.
- The Gilded Loo Yanukovich got elected thanks to Orange gov failure to reform (granted there are strong russian influences there)
Millionaires fighting millionaires by the hands of pleb.
Loss of lives is tragic though, medieval. Hope it was not in vain…
The european union should have stayed out of it as well as the yanks its gona be another country ruined by outside interference .the people of ukraine should be given time to sort out the state of their own country and not be forced to choose by anyside russian or western they basically have a gun pointed to their heads from both sides just leave them be .
have your say