Ukraine President Poroshenko Under Western Pressure To Form A New Government And Institute Reforms

Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko (R) and U.S. Vice President Joe Biden walk into a hall before a news conference in Kiev, November 21, 2014. Credit: REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko

Ukraine Leader, Under Pressure From West, Pledges New Government Soon -- Reuters

(Reuters) - Ukraine will take the first steps this week towards forming a new government, President Petro Poroshenko said on Monday, seeking to assuage concern among his Western allies that the delay is holding up reform and imperiling Western assistance.

The U.S. and other Western governments are criticizing Kiev's tardiness in putting together a government following October elections - with suspicions that the delay is due to rivalry between Poroshenko and Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk over control of key portfolios.

"We hope that the process (of forming a government) will begin this week," Poroshenko said at a news conference with visiting Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite, apparently referring to the first session of the new parliament on Thursday.

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Update: Political Pressure Mounts on Ukraine's Poroshenko -- VOA

My Comment: The currency/economy has imploded. Civil war rages in the east. Relations with Russia are rock bottom with Russia now actively supporting the insurrection in the east. I give him one year .... and if the situation does not improve .... pressure from the West will be the least of his concerns.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko Will Demand The Withdrawal Of Pro-Russian Separatists Forces When He Meets Putin Next Week

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko chairs a meeting in Kiev July 17, 2014. Credit: REUTERS/Mykola Lazarenko/Pool

Ukraine's Poroshenko Talks Tough Ahead Of Meetings With Merkel, Putin -- Reuters

(Reuters) - Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said on Thursday he would call on Russian President Vladimir Putin to rein in pro-Russian separatists when the two men meet next week and told the Kremlin chief he had "a strong country, a strong army" behind him.

Poroshenko spoke as government forces, despite taking heavy losses themselves, thrust deeper into rebel-held territory in Ukraine's Russian-speaking east and kept the separatists whom they have battled since April on the back foot.

The Ukrainian battlefield successes, after a faltering start in April when government forces were humiliated, have alarmed some Western governments who fear they could box Putin dangerously into a corner with no way out to save face.

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My Comment: When such a high-level meeting takes place between two leaders, the aides of both countries would have met beforehand to discuss and outline what will be agreed upon, what will be ignored, and what will be said at the final declaration. In this case .... nothing has been done (at least publicly). I suspect that this is the reason why German Chancellor Angela Merkel is arriving in Kiev tomorrow .... she knows what Putin wants (they have been talking for weeks) .... and she will also outline the European position on what needs to be done to resolve this crisis. The key question that needs to be answered is ... what will Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko do? My prediction .... he will just take Merkel's remarks under advisement .... and we still continue the military campaign that has now completely devastated the eastern part of the country.