The US government imposes a visa ban on visiting Ukrainian officials

The US government has imposed a blanket ‘visa ban’ on some 20 senior officials from Ukraine citing the reason that they represent the regime and establishment that is responsible for a violent crackdown against a segment of population who the US said were peaceful protestors. Ukraine as a country has been facing severe and serious unrest, with the government there facing violent protests and dissent from its civilian population. Only recently, the Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, has called for a ‘truce’ agreement amid the deadly street clashes. These street clashes and unrest have sparked fears of ‘civil war’ in this former Soviet republic with a population of 46 million people. The severe unrest there termed as ‘civil war’-like conditions by concerned observers, has caused serious concern among world leaders and particularly among its neighbouring nations.

Ukraine’s civil war-like conditions are actually violent clashes between civilian protesters and their leaders on one side and government law enforcement agencies including the police, on the other. But, the situation has been made worse because the country’s president, Mr. Yanukovych, is seeking the help of the country’s military to put down the unrest among the civilian population and the opposition from them to his government. Now, at present, the US and the Europe are seeking to intervene and bring about a solution to the unrest and a worsening situation, that could actually lead to a civil war.

The background to the present deep crisis goes back to the time during late November, last year, after Mr Yanukovych refused and rejected a long expected deal with the European Union. Instead, he sought and agreed to a $ 15bn (£ 900m) bailout from Russia. The US and the EU are in favour of Ukraine cooperating with them and forging more ties with them than with Russia. But, it appears that some segments among the civilian population based in some regions of the country and the Ukraine’s establishment seek more ties with Russia, while some other sections of the population based in some other regions there are against associating more closely with Russia.

All in all, it is a crisis involving the establishment, with some major sections of the populace opposing it, differences, dissent, etc. based on regional loyalties, outside interference (from the EU, Russia and the USA), etc.