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MOSCOW, March 15. /TASS/. The president of the Middle East Institute, Yevgeny Satanovsky, believes that the Ukrainian authorities have lost the ability to keep the situation in the country under control. He made a statement to this effect on Wednesday at a TASS news conference devoted to the presentation of his book titled Dialogues, co-authored with Israeli political scientist, former chief of the bureau for relations with Jews in the CIS and Eastern Europe Nativ, Yakov Kedmi.

"As far as Ukraine is concerned, I believe that it has fallen apart already but it has not yet developed the awareness it has broken up," Satanovsky said. "The government is unable to enforce law and order even in the capital. What kind of kind of country is that? Its an ex-country."

Among the main problems the Ukrainian authorities are unable to cope with Satanovsky mentioned "private armies, governors insubordination and the governments inability to put under control ordinary gangs or gangs professing some ideology."

For his part, Kedmi pointed to the grave crime situation in Ukraine and predicted that it would be turning worse.

"Those who will find themselves in Ukraines near future will feel nostalgic about the current situation," he warns. "What will happen next I do not know. Ukraines future can be seen in the current events on the border between Ukraine, on the one hand, and the Donetsk and Lugansk republics, on the other. And the events in Kievs streets in front of Russian banks and the crime situation in Kiev will soon be a sweet past in contrast to Ukraines near future."

In other media

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TASS: World - Ukraine's current authorities unable to prevent ... - TASS

Deutsche Welle

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Eurovision drama: Ukraine vs. Russia, Round 2 - Deutsche Welle

Overview

Since the end of January the conflict escalated again, including close to checkpoints triggering a decrease of traffic through the contact line in the first two weeks of February. Some 547,000 individual and 92,700 vehicle crossings were recorded in February and 586,000 individual and 99,800 vehicle crossings in January roughly a 15-17% decrease compared to December. Between January and February, Mariinka checkpoint, which was subject to numerous shelling, saw the biggest drop of around 20% of individual crossings and 23% of vehicle crossings. In addition, reports indicate that at least seven civilians died of a health condition while waiting in a queue at the checkpoints since the beginning of the year.

Since 1 March, the five operating checkpoints operations were extended by 2.5 hours (from 7:00 am to 6:30 pm) while efforts by humanitarian partners to facilitate safe crossing continue. UNHCR provided equipment (computers, furniture and heating tents) to the checkpoint Novotroitske (GCA) to speed up bureaucratic processing of documents for people moving across the line. The agency will provide similar equipment at Marinka and Maiorsk. Damage of the foot bridge at Stanytsia Luhanska checkpoint continues unaddressed despite months-long discussions and humanitarians readiness to assist with repairs. Crossing is only possible on foot while the dilapidated bridge is slippery and dangerous, resulting in regular injuries among pedestrians. Civilians, mostly elderly, crossing the checkpoint in Stanytsia Luhanska complain about rude behaviour among the law enforcement personnel. This highlighted the need for training on the preferential crossing and attitude towards civilians. According to Donetsk Oblast Civil-Military Administration (DOMCA), the Novotroitske checkpoint is to be relocated 5 km towards to contact line by 28 May 2017 on the ground of enhanced security in nine villages as stated by GCA.

The transport blockade by a group of veterans since 25 January shut down three out of four railway crossing points, primarily affecting the delivery from NGCA to GCA of anthracite coal used by the thermal power plants to produce electricity. In response, the Ukrainian Government declared a state of emergency in the energy market initially from 15 February to 17 March. The blockade later expanded to disrupt road connections, including the Lysychansk - Zolote motorway and along the Kurakhove-Marinka highway, which could affect humanitarian cargo delivery. Additional checkpoints were also installed near the crossing point Novotroitske. The economic impact of the blockade is likely to affect some 1.5 million ordinary Ukrainians, with at least half a million of jobs at risk and potentially a 30 percent increase of electricity and other utility costs, according to the Minister of Social Policy.

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Ukraine: Checkpoints - Humanitarian Snapshot (as of 14 March 2017) - Reliefweb

Ukraine imposed a cargo ban on traffic with the separatist east of the country on Wednesday.

It marks a victory for protesters who, for weeks, have mounted barricades, to try to stop trains carrying coal and other goods from getting though.

President Petro Poroshenko asked for the ban to be implemented, in something of a U-turn.

The government in Kyiv had previously sent in troops to try to thwart the blockade by military veterans, MPs and other activists, amid fears over the economic fallout.

Now though officials say the suspension will remain until rebels hand back control of a number of Ukraine-registered businesses and comply with the 2015 Minsk peace agreement.

Pro-Russia separatists had warned they would seize assets in areas they control unless the Ukrainian government ended the rail blockade.

Moscow has said the rebels move to take control of the companies on its territory was partly understandable because the blockade had put the separatists in an even more difficult situation.

The steps made by the administrations of these regions, can be understood to a degree, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists earlier this month.

The cargo ban and rebel retaliation have highlighted the mutual economic dependence between the two sides, despite years of military conflict that have left more than 10,000 people dead.

Separatists say local industrial firms are suffering, while Ukraine has said the country could be hit by rolling blackouts and lost foreign export income of up to $2 billion.

with Reuters

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Ukraine slaps cargo ban on traffic with separatist east - euronews

U.S. President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will meet in Washington on March 14, with the future of NATO and the conflict in Ukraine among the key topics.

White House officials said Trump will also seek Merkel's views on Russian President Vladimir Putin during their first face-to-face meeting at the White House.

Merkel had a strong relationship with Trump's predecessor, Barack Obama, who called the German chancellor his "closest international partner."

Trump, on the other hand, once accused Merkel of "ruining Germany" by allowing in a large number of refugees, assailed Germany on trade issues, and called Democratic rival Hillary Clinton "America's Angela Merkel."

White House press secretary Sean Spicer did not address those issues, saying only there was "a lot of excitement on both sides of the ocean for this trip.

White House officials said Trump would press Germany on the need for NATO members to increase their defense spending -- something Germany has generally resisted.

They are also expected to discuss a common strategy on Ukraine.

The United States and other Western powers have imposed economic sanctions on Russia after its illegal annexation of Ukraine's Crimea Peninsula and for its support of separatists in eastern Ukraine.

Trump has expressed desires for better relations with Putin, something that has caused U.S. allies to question his commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty, along with his support for NATO.

White House officials said the U.S. leader wanted to hear Merkel's views on her interactions with Putin.

For her part, Merkel said on March 11 that she was coming to Washington not only as the German chancellor but as a representative of the European Union.

"I will, of course, point out that for us, our country and our membership in the European Union are two sides of the same coin," Merkel said in Brussels before her departure.

A Merkel spokeswoman said the meeting would be an opportunity for "an exchange of bilateral and international topics, and transatlantic ties, as we have always stressed, are very important."

Juergen Hardt, the German government's coordinator for transatlantic relations, told the dpa news agency that the building of trust would be Merkels main goal for the visit.

"Most important is that she succeeds in making clear that differences of opinion can be spoken on the basis of partnership, but not out of confrontation," he said.

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Trump, Merkel To Discuss NATO, Ukraine, Putin During Washington Meeting - RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty