Home › Opinion › What did 30 June 2020 mean for Ukraine's neighbourhood?
What did 30 June 2020 mean for Ukraine's neighbourhood?
Summary
A look back at three stories that framed the regional agenda in the last days of June 2020: a ministerial appointment in Kyiv, Libya's sanctions appeal and Europe's border plans.
What was on the agenda around 30 June 2020? For Ukraine and its neighbours, three reports from the preceding days stood out.
In Kyiv, Serhiy Shkarlet was chosen as Ukraine's education minister on 25 June 2020. Reports at the time described him as a man previously caught plagiarising and known for a fondness for expensive cars. Those descriptions framed the appointment from the start.
In Libya, the internationally recognised Government of National Accord called on 27 June 2020 for the United States and the European Union to impose sanctions on individuals and mercenaries. The appeal followed a statement by the National Oil Corporation that Russian mercenaries and other foreign actors had forced their way into the Sharara oilfield. The Wagner Group was named in connection with the reports.
In Brussels, ambassadors of EU member states met on 24 June 2020 to draw up criteria for reopening the bloc's external borders to travellers on 1 July. European Commission guidance said that non-EU countries whose COVID-19 situation was comparable to or better than the EU average would make the safe list. The measures considered were new infections, the trend in infections, and testing and tracing. Reciprocity and links to the EU would also count. Under those rules, travellers from countries such as Brazil, Russia and the United States could be barred.
Taken together, the reports show a region dealing with domestic appointments, conflict abroad involving Russian mercenaries, and the pandemic's effect on movement across Europe's borders.
