United States President Joseph Biden has ordered the allocation of financial assistance to Ukraine in the amount of $60 million from the Pentagon for defense, according to the White House website.
This is reported in the Memorandum signed by Biden on August 27.
“By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby delegate to the Secretary of State the authority to direct the drawdown of up to $60 million in defense articles and services of the Department of Defense, and military education and training, to provide assistance to Ukraine and to make the determinations required under such section to direct such a drawdown,” the president said in the memorandum.
Ukraine in January-June 2021 increased imports of coal and anthracite by 17.6% compared to the same period in 2020, to 10.145 million tonnes.
According to the State Customs Service, coal was imported for $984.046 million, which is 4.1% more than in January-June 2020 ($945.346 million).
Coal came from the Russian Federation for $587.543 million (a share in imports – 59.71%), the United States – for $221.273 million (22.49%), Kazakhstan – for $114.96 million (11.68%), other countries – for $60.27 million (6.12%).
Coal exports by Ukraine for the six months of 2021 amounted to 204 tonnes for $25,000, in particular to Hungary – for $11,000, Belarus – for $7,000, Bulgaria – for $7,000. In the same period last year, no export was carried out.
Ukraine will receive a part of the vaccines from the United States through the COVAX program, which will be transferred as part of the U.S. plans to purchase and transport 500 million doses of Pfizer and BioNTech vaccines, the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine press service said. “About a month ago President [Joe] Biden announced that he will purchase another 500 million additional doses of Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines to contribute to Covax, which is the facility that is sharing these vaccines around the world, including with Ukraine,” the embassy said in the statement.
As noted, the USAID agency located in Ukraine will set up distribution networks and “cold chain” networks that allow the vaccine to be fully ready to go.
“The United States is the largest global contributor to the Covax Facility. We have given over $4 billion to that facility to help distribute vaccines around the world,” the embassy’s press office said.
At the same time, the U.S. government plans to continue to cooperate with Ukraine and other countries to reduce the level of coronavirus (COVID-19) disease in the world.
The Russian-American summit in Geneva on June 16 will last five hours, according to the protocol program.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s arrival at the Villa La Grande and a joint photo session with United States President Joe Biden and Swiss President Guy Parmelin are scheduled for 1:00 p.m. local time, according to documents released by the Kremlin press service ahead of the event.
The conversation between the U.S. and Russian presidents on the ground floor in a library is due to begin at 1:15 p.m.
The Russian-U.S. talks in an expanded format are schedule to begin at 2:30 p.m.
These talks will resume after a break at 4:15 p.m.
The Russian president’s press conference is due to begin at 6:00 p.m.
The United States announced that it will provide $155 million in additional development funding to Ukraine through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to improve the lives of the Ukrainian people, the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine said on Tuesday.
“The additional resources will be used to address key development challenges in Ukraine, including: support economic growth and improve health of Ukrainians some $34 million; enhance anti-corruption efforts some $14 million; counter Russian aggression some $63 million; strengthen democracy and governance some $44 million,” the embassy said in the statement.
The first article provides support of Ukraine’s recovery from coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic by improving essential health services; improvement of transparency and expansion of economic opportunities in energy, agriculture and finance to increase investor confidence, attract investment and improve economic investment in the agrarian sector.
Enhancing anti-corruption measures includes strengthening reforms and safeguard anti-corruption institutions to counter entrenched interests and ensure all of Ukraine’s resources benefit the Ukrainian people; reducing corrupt practices in the health sector and facilitate Ukraine’s purchases of vital medicines to reduce informal payments by patients and provide access to less expensive, quality medicines; supporting the continued development of online e-government platforms that simplify access to services and streamline how Ukrainians receive their pensions, unemployment benefits, and more.
Countering Russian aggression are planned to be used to human rights and ensure access to justice for the Ukrainians affected by Kremlin-backed aggression in the Crimea and Donbas; reduce Ukraine’s energy and economic dependence on Russia by advancing connections to Europe’s energy grid and strengthening businesses in the East; expand citizen access to high-quality, unbiased information to counter malign influence and disinformation, support European integration, and strengthen democratic processes.
Strengthening democracy and governance involves expanding judicial reform; strengthening consolidated communities and expand quality service provision to their residents to advance Ukraine’s decentralization reform efforts; encouraging youth leadership and innovation.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has announced sanctions against oligarch and former Ukrainian official Ihor Kolomoisky due to his involvement in major corruption.
“This designation is made under Section 7031(c) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2020. In addition to Ihor Kolomoisky, I am publicly designating the following members of Ihor Kolomoisky’s immediate family: his wife, Iryna Kolomoiska, his daughter, Andzelika Kolomoiska, and his son, Israel Zvi Kolomoisky. This action renders Ihor Kolomoisky and each of these members of his immediate family ineligible for entry into the United States,” Blinken said in a statement released by on the website of the U.S. Department of State on Friday.
Blinken said that in his official status as the head of Dnipropetrovsk region of Ukraine from 2014 to 2015, Kolomoisky was involved in corrupt acts that undermined rule of law and the Ukrainian public’s faith in their government’s democratic institutions and public processes, including using his political influence and official power for his personal benefit.
“While this designation is based on acts during his time in office, I also want to express concern about Kolomoisky’s current and ongoing efforts to undermine Ukraine’s democratic processes and institutions, which pose a serious threat to its future,” the secretary of state said.
“This designation reaffirms the U.S. commitment to supporting political, economic, and justice sector reforms that are key to Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic path. The United States continues to stand with all Ukrainians whose work drives reforms forward. The Department will continue to use authorities like this to promote accountability for corrupt actors in this region and globally,” Blinken said.
Aforementioned Section 7031 of the Department of state, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Appropriations Act gives the Secretary of State the power to deny entry to the United States of foreign government officials and their immediate family members, in respect of whom there is reliable information that they are involved in significant corruption (including related to the extraction of natural resources) or in gross violation of human rights.
An exception may be entry into the United States if it will contribute to the achievement of important goals of the U.S. law enforcement agencies or occurs within the UN Headquarters Agreement.
