U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will arrive in Kyiv for a two-day visit on May 5, Department Spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement released on Friday.
“The Secretary will travel to Kyiv, Ukraine, May 5-6, where he will meet with President [Volodymyr] Zelensky, Foreign Minister [Dmytro] Kuleba, other officials and representatives of Ukrainian civil society to reaffirm unwavering U.S. support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russia’s ongoing aggression,” the spokesperson said.
“He will also encourage continued progress on Ukraine’s institutional reform agenda, particularly anti-corruption action, which is key to securing Ukraine’s democratic institutions, economic prosperity, and Euro-Atlantic future,” the spokesperson said.
Earlier, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba said that during a meeting with Blinken he plans to discuss the assistance that the United States can provide to Ukraine in the reform process, as well as a number of economic issues, especially in the energy sector.
The U.S. Department of Defense announced a new $125 million package for Ukraine’s Security Assistance Initiative that includes training, equipment and advisory efforts to help Ukraine’s forces preserve the country’s territorial integrity, secure its borders, and improve interoperability with NATO.
“The USAI package includes two additional armed Mark VI patrol boats to enhance Ukraine’s capacity to patrol and defend its territorial waters. To date, the U.S. has committed a total of eight Mark VI patrol boats,” the Defense Department said in a press release on Monday.
The Pentagon said that this action reaffirms the U.S. commitment to providing defensive lethal weapons to enable Ukraine to more effectively defend itself against Russian aggression.
“The package also includes capabilities to enhance the lethality, command and control, and situational awareness of Ukraine’s forces through the provision of additional counter-artillery radars and tactical equipment; continued support for a satellite imagery and analysis capability; and equipment to support military medical treatment and combat evacuation procedures,” the department said.
The Pentagon also said that the remaining $150 million in fiscal year 2021 USAI funds appropriated by Congress will be provided when the Defence Department, in coordination with the Department of State certifies that Ukraine has made sufficient progress on key defense reforms this year, as required by the National Defense Authorization Act.
“The Department encourages Ukraine to continue to enact reforms that strengthen civilian control of the military, promote increased transparency and accountability in defense industry and procurement, and modernize its defense sector in other key areas in line with NATO principles and standards,” the Defense Department said.
Since 2014, the United States has committed more than $2 billion in security assistance to Ukraine.
Nova Poshta Global, part of the Nova Poshta group of companies, has created an additional hub for international shipments in Lviv: it launched charter flights to Lviv airport and opened the second central sorting station.
According to Nova Poshta, the first charter flight from the United States flew to Lviv in early December. On board were more than 15,000 items of the NP Shopping service with a total weight of over 30 tonnes. Nova Posta Global plans to operate flights from the United States regularly, twice a week: one flight to Lviv and one to Kyiv.
In addition, the company plans to carry out charter flights from China both to Lviv and Kyiv. In particular, on December 6, a flight with departures from the Chinese online store AliExpress, on board of which there were 60,000 parcels with a total weight of 20 tonnes, already arrived at Boryspil International Airport.
“Soon we expect the arrival of two more flights, which will deliver about 20 more tonnes of cargo,” the company said.
Previously, the company’s flights with international departures arrived only at Boryspil airport, and went through customs clearance and sorting at the central station in Kyiv.
Since the beginning of this year, Nova Poshta Global has more than doubled its volumes, delivering 5.7 million shipments: an increase that has put additional strain on the sorting station.
At the end of the fourth five-year period, the United States International Trade Commission (USITC) will revise anti-dumping restrictions on the supply of Certain Cut-to-length Carbon Steel Plate to the American market from Ukraine, Russia and China.
According to the USITC report in the Federal Register bulletin, the start of the review is set for November 2, the deadline for responses from participants in the review procedure is December 2, 2020.
During the revision procedure, USITC will determine the possibility of abolishing anti-dumping duties on these products from China, as well as ending the suspension of the investigation on this type of rental from the Russian Federation and Ukraine – to what extent this may lead to the continuation or renewal of damage to local manufacturers of these products in the United States.
Former U.S. Department of State Special Representative for Ukraine, Kurt Volker, has become an independent member of the board of directors of BGS Rail, which operates in Ukraine, since September 1, U.S.-government funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has reported.
According to it, BGS Rail is registered in Ukraine. Avia Solutions Group expects Volker’s participation to strengthen the company’s presence in the market.
“By using his vast experience gained in previous positions, we believe that his arrival to the company will further expand Avia Solutions Group’s global reach and strengthen BGS Rail’s position as one of the market’s leading service providers,” the group’s statement reads.
It is noted that Avia Solutions also has in its disposal a comment made by Volker, who points to the opportunity to strengthen the Ukrainian economy in his new work.
“By working with Avia Solutions Group in its development of BGS Rail, I see an opportunity to strengthen Ukraine’s economy, build world-class services, and create jobs for Ukrainian citizens. This goes hand-in-hand with Avia Solutions Group’s global strategy of building world-class services and market position,” he said.
Volker served as Special Representative of the U.S. Department of State for Ukraine in 2017-2019.
The Cabinet of Ministers at a meeting on May 27 approved a memorandum with Louisiana Natural Gas Exports on possible LNG supplies from the United States to Ukraine and the development of gas infrastructure with Poland. “The Ministry of Energy and Environment Protection has worked out a draft memorandum of cooperation between Louisiana Natural Gas Exports and the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine on facilitating gas supplies to Ukraine and improving gas infrastructure, which provides for exploring the possibility of diversifying natural gas supply routes by ensuring long-term supplies of liquefied natural gas and developing cross-border gas infrastructure in Ukraine and the EU,” Olha Buslavets, the acting Minister of Energy and Environment Protection, said.
According to data released by MP Oleksiy Honcharenko (the European Solidarity faction) on Telegram, the document provides for an annual LNG supply of about 5.5 billion cubic meters, and its price will be determined in accordance with the prices on the American gas exchange Henry Hub.
The memorandum, in particular, provides for the construction of a new gas pipeline between the gas hub Hermanowice (Poland) and the Bilche-Volytsko UGS facility. Project funding may include support of certain U.S. and European government agencies.
Final agreements may include a long-term agreement for the supply of LNG from the United States to Ukraine, an agreement on gas storage in Ukrainian underground gas storage facilities, an agreement on the construction and operation of necessary infrastructure between Poland and Ukraine.
