Ukraine Votes in New Govt, Tentative Ceasefire Reached

PM Warns Country Needs 'Radical Reforms'

The Ukrainian parliament has voted in a new government today, endorsing the cabinet of Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, and also announced a new tentative ceasefire with eastern rebels.

Though several Ukrainian officials downplayed the chances of the ceasefire holding, it seems that Ukraine’s struggling economy is not up for a major resumption of hostilities.

Yatsenyuk talked up the country being “drained by war,” though its economy was already on the brink of collapse before the eastern rebellion broke out. Still, he aimed to blame “Russian military aggression” for the losses.

At the same time, Yatsenyuk talked of the need for “radical changes and reforms” to get the country back in financial order, including reducing the number of different forms of taxation.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.