The hottest issues in Ukrainian society last year were fighting COVID-19 and attacking corruption infrastructure, with its partial leveling present sometimes.

November provided an abundance of alarming indicators for Ukraine. Against the backdrop of rising coronavirus cases there is also a threat of financial crisis, while the spread of corruption is adding oil to the flame of the crisis clearly seen on the horizon. 

While inside Ukraine October was marked by some political turbulence, in the international arena the situation was quite stable, if not favorable. It seems that Europe is not as tired of Ukraine as Moscow would like it to be.

Money, budget and economic cooperation are the main focus points of September. It would seem that the budgeting process is neglected, while EBRD forecasts regarding Ukraine are not hopeless. However, there is a risk of reforms rolling back, and a risk of disrupting programs of Ukraine’s international financial partners.

Local elections are to take place in Ukraine this fall. Even though the official campaign is yet to be launched, its preparation already promises a hot political season.

The last month before the political summer break brought some significant developments. The head of Ukraine’s National Bank resigned  which brought about stirring up the currency market. Meanwhile, the attempts to make amendments to the legislation on education spawned tensions in the hot language issue.

This summer brought Ukraine not only the long-awaited heat but also quite hot news and developments. Domestic policy news includes failed government policy, prolongation of the so-called adaptive quarantine under late July and persecution of opposition political leaders.

(Українська) Первый год президентства В. Зеленского позволяет оценить его внешнюю политику в разных направлениях. Хотя год 2019-й и стал для президента периодом адаптации, было сделано достаточно много заявлений и действий, которые позволяют провести определенную оценку его планов в странах Восточного партнерства.

May 2020 saw some positive and negative developments in Ukraine. On one hand, two high-profile international scandals with longtime allies, the United States and Georgia, broke. On the other hand, the issues of financial support from the IMF and the EU were settled.

Since late 2019 there has been a tendency of lower crude oil prices on the global market. However, on March 9 at London Intercontinental Exchange Brent Crude Futures – North Sea – Wave went down $12 to $35.45/barrel. Brent lost 25,5%.

Coronavirus and the economic crisis accompanying it are increasingly affecting Ukrainian politics and economics. Amid the lack of resources, the struggle between political groups is escalating.

For Ukraine, the first three months of 2020 were filled with extraordinary and sometimes tragic events, disasters, and the echo of past tragedies both on the domestic political front and in the international arena.

As expected, electing president Zelensky, forming a monomajority in the parliament of Ukraine and keeping a turbo regime of taking decisions – all of the above set a high bar. Ukrainian citizens count on success. Yet October brought some unconventional and in some way even controversial developments.

For the observers of the dynamics of Ukraine-EU Association Agreement implementation, it is important to see how the new team in power plans to move ahead in this sphere. Important indicators include programs and appointments on European integration

The focus is on the parliament, the new government and its first steps – both inside and outside of Ukraine. The new leaders managed to make several huge achievements. First and foremost, the release of Kremlin prisoners and further economic development.

The lack of power monopoly made Ukraine to stand out during all the years of independence. Presidents had to seek compromise with rebellious parliaments, taking into account interests of big business owners and searching for an approach to regional elites.

Summer 2019 proved to be quite intense when it came to politics in Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy significantly strengthened his political positions.  First Zelenskyy demonstrated phenomenal results winning the presidency, then pro-presidential political party “Servant of the People” followed up successfully winning snap parliamentary elections

Several important events took place in May in Brussels and other capitals of the EU and partner states, aimed at summarizing and celebrating 10 years of the Eastern Partnership. In fact, the list of public and non-public reflections on these got close to a hundred by 2019. Is it worth then looking at them so closely?

There was no peace and quiet following recent presidential elections in Ukraine. Political summer promises to be boiling hot. Vododymyr Zelensky and his team wish to follow up their spring success with early elections and government change.

Ukraine’s second round of elections took place on April, 21 with a well-known showman and comic Vladimir Zelensky winning the presidency. The winner managed to secure 73% of votes while his main opponent, Ukraine’s incumbent president Poroshenko only got 25%.

Early 2019 marked a series of important developments in harmonization of digital markets for the Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries.

The April election in Ukraine overshadowed many important events. The parliament adopted a law regulating the status and the use of the Ukrainian language, while the risk of abolishing the nationalization of PrivatBank could hit the economy. Russia was not inactive either as it impeded the shipments of Russian oil products

EU countries are closely monitoring migration trends, and in the event of a breach of several conditions the visa-free regime for Eastern Partnership countries may be suspended.

Just like in the past two months, the presidential election dominated domestic politics in Ukraine in March. The results of the election will define Ukraine’s domestic and foreign policy agenda for the years to come. The election turbulence (with the first round on March 31) has become quite threatening in this context.

The judicial reform in Ukraine, which began after the Revolution of Dignity, or the Maidan Revolution, is the most comprehensive in the history of modern Ukraine, and it is for a reason.  

Looming elections frequently intensify political processes quite dramatically in any country. Ukraine was not an exception. The last winter month was full of significant political events, radical statements and resonant discussions. The society is facing a difficult choice and fighting for electorate is getting more acute.

Public administration reform is key for Ukraine as all other transformations in the country hinge on it. Implementing any reform before civil service functions effectively seems unthinkable.

A new political season has started in Ukraine after the New Year and Christmas lull. The question of power will dominate this season as the official presidential election campaign kicks off in Ukraine

The Annual Assembly of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum took place in Tbilisi in December 2018. Despite the fact that this event is annual and is rather routine for the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum, this time was different in terms of both its format and content.

Gender equality and anti-discrimination campaign remain on the EU’s agenda. Equality between men and women is one of the key values for the EU and for its Eastern Partnership policy. How is Ukraine fulfilling the gender-oriented provisions of the Association Agreement and of the 20 Deliverables for 2020 working document?

December was a success in improving economic performance and cooperating with international financial institutions. It brought Ukraine a long-expected unification of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, showing that Kyiv can count on the international partners.

It would be easy to say that the whole situation in the Kerch Strait was just an overreaction of the Russian coastal guard, if not details of the attack and consequences of events.

Агрессия России на Азовском море, введение на части украинской территории военного положения, международная реакция на очередную эскалацию российско-украинской войны стали наиболее резонансными событиями ноября, которые сказались на внутренней и внешней политике Украины.

Ukraine is inexorably drawing closer to presidential and Verkhovna Rada elections in 2019 and that means hot issues have come to the fore in politics in order to grab voter attention. This past month, language, religion and the war on corruption were the focus of domestic policy.

On October 15, 2018, the Foreign Ministers of EU and Eastern Partnership (EaP) member-states met in Luxembourg. The agenda included a discussion of progress in achieving the 20 Deliverables for 2020 that were officially approved at the EaP Summit in Brussels in November 2017.

The European Union has clearly defined security priorities according to which it aims to develop its cooperation with the Eastern Partnership countries. However, the question remains whether these priorities are also the onces vital for stability and security in the region and partner states and to what extent.

In September Ukraine’s movement away from Moscow accelerated noticeably. The bilateral Friendship Treaty between the two countries is terminated, there is a prospect of defining the European vector of foreign policy in the Constitution of Ukraine, and the power of Moscow patriarchate is getting weaker.

In order to move to practical productive actions in all spheres of digital harmonization in Ukraine a pool of strategic documents should be developed

The Russian side rejected the initiative to meet to discuss the exchange of prisoners

Although there were no fundamental changes and breakthroughs, Ukraine was granted with a “candidate” status, with the Alliance leaders recognizing Kyiv’s desire to become a NATO member in the future

The EU is trying to preserve the format of cooperation for six countries and to keep three states that have already signed the Association Agreements in it

A Joint Staff Working Document  “20 deliverables for 2020” has become yet another attempt to specify the vectors for the EaP development

In the first half of 2018, Ukraine’s domestic policy got a pronounced pre-election tint. At the same time, foreign policy showed the positive dynamics in the relations with the EU, Germany in particular

The 5th Eastern Partnership (EaP) summit in Brussels on 24 November, 2017.

November was marked by the “anti-corruption scandals”

The Crimean Tatar leaders and Mejlis representatives, who had been illegally detained in the occupied Crimea, were released and flown to Turkey.

«Breakthrough” at the Poland–Ukraine border: current opposition shows its readiness for the radical measures for the early elections

Ukrainian, Moldovan and Georgian share in the EU’s foreign trade is still insignificant

Ukraine – EU Summit ended with no common statement

The meeting of President Poroshenko with U.S. President Donald Trump is already a positive result

The document on visa liberalization with the EU for Ukrainians was signed

The West put a blind eye on the fact that the Russian Federation never accepted the domination of the Western liberal democratic values and their influence on the world order

“Ukraine vs. Russia” at the International Court of Justice

The arrest of the Head of the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine became one of the first high-profile corruption cases.

After a relative lull in January, February for Ukraine was rich with various events. Most of them had a unifying topic, namely the situation in Donbas and certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions

The Ukrainian side outlined clear red lines regarding the solution of the conflict with Russia

We are building a bridge between the Eastern Partnership countries —the intellectual one.

Despite the political instability, Ukraine continued advancing on the path of reforms