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UNIAN sat down with Myron Spolsky, one of the leaders of the Ukrainian scouting organization Plast, an entrepreneur who once moved from Canada to Ukraine and observed how the Ukrainian state and society have been changing over the years of independence.

The decision by the European Parliament on visa liberalization for Ukraine should give impetus to changes inside the country. Prime Minister Groysman is preparing to present his annual report and answer whether he is fit to continue to lead the government. Yulia Tymoshenko has elegantly changed her point of view. NBU chief Valeria Gontareva announced resignation.

The EP's decision on visa liberalization for Ukraine has positive consequences for millions of Ukrainians. The prime ministers of the Baltic States during their Kyiv visit actively demonstrated they understood Ukrainian problems. Donald Trump has created unexpected challenges for the Russian leadership. The Normandy Four is increasingly turning into a phone talks format for several “Threes.”

The European Parliament approved a visa-free travel for Ukrainians; the International Monetary Fund voiced a new set of tasks for Kyiv and granted Ukraine the fourth bailout tranche worth $1 billion, followed by another EUR 600 million that came from the European Commission; while the NBU chief confirmed her intention to resign – these are the key economic news of the outgoing week.

The issue of e-declarations of assets income declaration stood out at the president’s meeting with representatives of Ukrainian NGOs and a Cabinet meeting as well. A so-called ceasefire in Donbas was thwarted, without really coming into effect. Provocations in Lutsk and Lviv region are aimed at inflicting damage to Ukraine’s image on the international arena. The prime minister and the prosecutor general take turns convincing the public they are not going to leave office anytime soon.

A shell fired from a grenade launcher at the Polish Consulate General in Lutsk has become a new link in the chain of provocations directed against the development of Ukrainian-Polish relations. The Congress of the European People's Party addressed the Ukrainian issue. GUAM member states will try to revive the organization by creating a free trade area.

The High Court of Justice in London in the case regarding Russia’s claim over the so-called "Yanukovych debt" ruled not in Ukraine’s favor, Russian Sberbank announced the sale of its Ukrainian subsidiary, while regional gas distribution companies controlled by Dmytro Firtash will be able to earn an additional UAH 7.7 billion due to the latest decision of the NEURC – these are this week’s main economic news.

The murder of exiled former Russian MP Denis Voronenkov was not the first death with a political tinge in modern Ukraine, but yet it was too resonant. Legislators and the president are balancing between the search for mutual understanding and poorly concealed hostility. Europe’s largest munitions depot in Balaklia caught fire, drawing increased attention. Volodymyr Groysman is in search of new incarnations aiming to table a successful annual report on his achievements.

Pavlo Klimkin sees no military solution to the conflict in Donbas, being convinced that confidence in Russia has seriously decreased worldwide. The murder of exiled Russian MP Denis Voronenkov in the very heart of Kyiv and the decision to ban Russian Eurovision entrant Julia Samoilova from entering Ukraine launched another round of hysteria in Russia. Alexander Lukashenko curiously combines his vow not to allow the Ukrainian scenario of protests in his country and his readiness to intensify political dialogue with Kyiv. Pedro Agramunt has taught a lesson in cynicism.

Last week, the Ukrainian authorities assessed the consequences of the trade blockade of the occupied Donbas for the economy; the IMF announced it would appoint a new date for the next Exec Board meeting on the allocation of another tranche to Ukraine; and the government boosted its efforts to fix Ukrainian roads.

This story is a reflection of Russian reality. An eight-minute interview with Zakhar Sarapulov, a post-graduate student at the History Faculty of Moscow State University, who flew a Ukrainian flag on the third anniversary of Crimea annexation, shows the real state of affairs in Russia.

The shift in the vector of the assessment of Donbas trade blockade will see more developments. An attempt to give the floor to law enforcers allegedly injured during a bout with MP Volodymyr Parasiuk at a roadblock caused a scandal in the Verkhovna Rada. Political parties show optimism, which is in no way comparable with their actual influence on the situation in Ukraine. Roman Nasirov got bailed out for UAH 100 million (nearly $3.7 million), deposited by his wife.

Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman a visit to Turkey. The EU does not intend to recognize Crimea as part of Russia. The NSDC move to suspend movement of goods across the contact line in Donbas saw harsh reactions in Berlin and Paris. Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin opened a public park in Warsaw, named after a Ukrainian dissident poet Vasyl Stus.

Ukraine has officially banned the movement of goods across the contact line in the zone of the Anti-Terrorist Operation, imposed sanctions against the subsidiaries of Russian state banks, and is now waiting for the next tranche from the IMF as well as a EUR 600 million macro-financial assistance from the European Union - these are the main economic news of the outgoing week.

Russian energy monopoly Gazprom has lost its long-standing dispute with the European Commission. The company has undertaken to fulfill the conditions put forward by the EU – it will give up all the preferences in the European markets and change the pricing. The fact that Gazprom has recognized violations on its part is in fact a huge trump card for Ukraine.

Principal Deputy Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine Alexander Hug sat down with UNIAN to explain, why he met with militant leaders Zakharchenko and Plotnitsky in Luhansk, who and why hinders the monitors’ work at the contact line, and about the lack of response to the SMM reports.

Taking into custody of Roman Nasirov had no considerable impact on Ukrainian politicians. Ukraine this week was balancing between the International Women's Day and Taras Shevchenko’s birthday. Samopomich continues to study the mechanisms of Ukrainian politics.

Ukraine has voiced its position in its suit against Russia lodged with the International Court of Justice. Pavlo Klimkin in Washington and Paris sought mutual understanding with his colleagues. Poland under the leadership of "Law and Justice" Party opposed itself to the European Union and Donald Tusk.

Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine Hugues Mingarelli in an interview with UNIAN talked about the role of political will of Ukrainian officials in the process of Ukraine’s rapprochement with the EU, the need to tackle illegal trading along the contact line in Donbas, the term when local elections should take place in certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, and how visa liberalization should work for Ukrainians.

The IMF will decide on the fate of the next bailout tranche for our country on March 20; Sberbank of Russia in Ukraine is facing sanctions; the headquarters of the ATO zone blockade has put forward an ultimatum; operations of the Odesa Portside Chemical Plant have been resumed - these are the main economic news of the outgoing week.