U.S. Imposes New Sanctions on Putin Allies

ATP - WASHINGTON—The Obama administration slapped fresh sanctions on Ukrainian and Russian businessmen and politicians close to President Vladimir Putin, a move that was designed to show support for Kiev but could undercut U.S. efforts to cooperate with Moscow on ending the Syrian war.

The Treasury Department on Tuesday said the penalties were aimed at forcing Russia to comply with diplomatic agreements designed to stabilize Ukraine and force Russian troops out of Crimea, which the Kremlin formally annexed last year.

The timing of the sanctions highlights the complicated ties between the two powers. While opposing Russia's aggression in Ukraine, the administration has worked to secure Moscow's cooperation in the fight against the Islamic State extremist group and in efforts to end the Syrian conflict.

Ukraine Refuses to Repay All Debt to Russia

Ukraine's government said that it will not repay any debt owed to Russia, which could trigger an international court case and jeopardize its IMF "lifeline."

ATP - Ukraine has officially declined to repay Russia its $3 billion loan, due on December 20, effectively defaulting on its foreign debt.

Although the Ukrainian Finance Ministry announced that it would not repay the debt on Thursday, Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk reiterated the announcement on Friday, calling the inability to pay a "moratorium."

Other than the eventual court case against Ukraine, the deal may jeopardize the International Monetary Fund's bailout program for Ukraine, which requires the borrower country to reach a deal "in good faith."

NATO Chief Misunderstood Putin on Russian Volunteers as Military in Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Jens Stoltenberg misunderstood Russian President Vladimir Putin’s statement by assuming that Russian “volunteers” located in eastern Ukraine meant “members of the military.

ATP - NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg misunderstood Russian President Vladimir Putin’s statement by assuming that Russian “volunteers” located in eastern Ukraine meant “members of the military,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday.

“There was a war going on and people went there to fight, to shoot, and to participate in combat…that’s the military sphere,” Peskov told journalists in response of what the Russian president had in mind when he was speaking about military issues during his annual press conference on December 17.

When journalists asked Peskov to be more precise of what Putin was speaking about when discussing the military in eastern Ukraine that he meant Russian volunteers had been there and not regular military troops, Peskov said, “Yes.”

PUTIN’S WAR IN UKRAINE SLOWLY RUMBLES ON

ATP - The warning is consistent with previous ones concerning the Ukraine conflict, reflecting continued uncertainty about the fate of the fragile cease-fire, which, despite a marked reduction of fighting since September, hasn’t taken hold fully.

“There have been multiple casualties due to land mines in areas previously controlled by separatists, and separatist leaders have made statements indicating their desire to push the front line to the administrative borders of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts,” the State Department warned, referring to the two separatist-controlled territories.

The statement continued: “Individuals, including U.S. citizens, have been threatened, detained, or kidnapped for hours or days after being stopped at separatist checkpoints.”

Packed within the warning, however, is a piece of good news: The cities of Kharkiv and Odessa (Ukraine’s second and fourth largest cities, respectively) were taken off the State Department’s latest advisory. A July travel warning included the two cities.

In an emailed statement to the Daily Signal, the State Department said it had “eliminated language urging citizens to exercise extreme vigilance in Odessa and Kharkiv” after “ongoing assessments of the security situation in those areas.”

Russian support for Syrian government and Ukrainian separatists top agenda

ATP - Russian support for the government in Syria and separatist rebels in Ukraine topped the agenda Tuesday as Secretary of State John F. Kerry sat down with Russia’s foreign minister in advance of talks with President Vladimir Putin.

As Kerry and Sergei Lavrov settled on opposite sides of a table in an opulent conference room in Russia’s foreign ministry, Kerry reiterated the U.S. position that the primary threat comes from the Islamic State fighters both Washington and Moscow consider terrorists, not the anti-government fighters Russia has been bombing heavily.

“These are the worst of terrorists,” Kerry said. “They attack culture, history, and all decency. And they leave no choice but for civilized nations to stand together, and to fight and push back, and destroy them.”