What did 12 January 2021 reveal about Ukraine's foreign ties?
A visit from Moldova's president and US sanctions on Ukrainian figures framed the diplomatic agenda on 12 January 2021.
What did Ukraine's diplomatic agenda look like on 12 January 2021? It combined a welcome from a neighbour with the fallout from a sanctions announcement made a day earlier.
On 12 January 2021, Moldovan President Maia Sandu arrived in Ukraine for her first foreign visit as president. Both countries said they were willing to join the Three Seas Initiative and the European Union.
The visit came a day after the US Treasury Department introduced sanctions on 11 January 2021 against seven Ukrainian politicians, among them Oleksandr Dubinsky, Kostiantyn Kulyk and Oleksandr Onyshchenko. Four media outlets were also targeted: Era-Media, Only News, NabuLeaks and Skeptik. The Treasury cited interference in the US presidential election and participation in a Russian foreign influence network.
Taken together, the two developments showed Kyiv dealing with partners on different fronts: a shared European aspiration with Chisinau, and a sanctions decision from Washington aimed at Ukrainian individuals and outlets.
