Ukraine-The Interim President of Ukraine, Turchynov, spoke to the Ukrainian Parliament today

Ukraine – Developments (Local): (25.02.2014 – Kiev) specifying that consultations for the establishment of a new Cabinet will continue until Thursday 27.02.2014 (UPI); in his speech, Turchynov underlined that separatism represents a serious threats in regions with a large resident ethnic Russian population (Crimea for example), after the ousting of President Yanukovych, and that consultations with the national security apparatus is currently under-way.  The new interim Government will remain in place until the next general elections, planned for May 25^th, 2014. Among the possible candidates, Julia Tymoshenko has denied her availability to become Prime Minister in the Interim Government, and did not officially confirm her intention to run for the Presidency; Dobkin, the President of the Kharkiv Oblast (a regional district of Ukraine bordering with Russia - map) and supporter of Yanukovych, is considered a potential Presidential candidate for the pro-Russian electorate.– Developments (International): The Ukrainian Parliament also voted today (25.02.2014 – Kiev) to indict former President Yanukovych at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague – although Ukraine is not a signatory party to the ICC convention – together with former Interior Minister Zacharchenko and former Prosecutor General Victor Pshonka, all accused of mass-murder. President Yanukovych has not been found yet. The Russian Foreign Minister, Lavrov, released a note to the press today (25.02.2014 – Moscow) confirming the Russian “non-intervention stance” in Ukraine, blaming the Interim Government for completing an armed mutiny of the Ukrainian State, and blaming Europe for interfering with the local policy of an independent State, by proposing a trade pact based on a “either with us or against us approach” (referring to the proposed Eastern Parnership of the EU, clashing with Russia’s custom union with former CSI states). Media and official sources speculate on the fact that Ukraine may face a financial collapse – both the EU and the USA have officially offered help, while the Russian offer for a $15bn loan remains locked by the current political scenario, which is not considered positive by Moscow. Negotiations continue, while the EU Foreign Affairs Representative, Ashton, has already reached Kiev yesterday for talks with the Interim President, urging him to include Yanukovych supporters in the process to avoid further accruements of the situation; the US Deputy Secretary of State, William Burns, is due to arrive in Kiev today for a two-days negotiation session with the members of the Interim Ukrainian Government, attended by both US and EU officials.