Zelensky scored a double-digit lead over Poroshenko in the first ballot, reflecting widespread anti-establishment sentiment and dissatisfaction with Ukraine’s political class.
In a televised address Sunday, Ukraine’s Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk announced he would step down Tuesday, marking the end of a two-month-long political crisis.
The abrupt resignation of Ukraine’s respected minister of economy and trade, his refusal to “serve as a cover-up for covert corruption,” has triggered political crisis and an onslaught of recriminations about inept governance. More resignations may follow, and the crisis comes during a treacherous period as the West and Russia battle for influence over the country of 45 million. “Notably, the crisis demonstrates the surprising feebleness of Western efforts to improve governance, cut corruption, and foster economic growth,” writes Chris Miller, associate director of the Grand Strategy Program at Yale. “It also exposes a critical weakness in the West’s strategy to confront Russia in the post-Soviet space.” Transparency International ranks Ukraine 130 on corruption out 167 countries. Miller warns that the quest for good governance could take years. In the meantime, political and economic crises mark the country as a major front in the ongoing hostilities between Russia and the West.
The government of Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk survived a no-confidence vote on Tuesday though a majority of lawmakers harshly criticized its work.
In recent years, a consensus has arisen that endemic corruption is not only immoral in itself, but can undermine most everything that governments do to provide for the security and welfare of its citizens. A global consensus is emerging: corruption shouldn’t be tolerated anymore, and international cooperation is vital to getting rid of it.
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden assured Ukraine Monday of continuing U.S. support and announced the release of an additional $190 million in U.S. aid to help support reforms.
Four exit polls from Ukraine’s local elections released Monday indicated the governing coalition would retain its dominant position in the west and center of the country
MOSCOW— Moscow proposed Wednesday that both Ukraine and the pro-Russian rebels pull heavy weapons back to a previously agreed-upon division line to help reduce hostilities, but said nothing about the rebels surrendering any territory they gained by v...
Government troops and Russian-backed separatists largely suspended hostilities in east Ukraine on Tuesday, raising hopes of a lasting peaceful settlement in a conflict that has raged for seven months and claimed thousands of lives.