Canada signals it will reengage with Russia despite Ukraine
OTTAWA, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Canada will seek closer relations with Russia despite deep tensions over Moscow's actions in Ukraine, new Liberal Foreign Minister Stephane Dion signaled on Thursday, marking a major policy shift.
Last October the Liberals defeated the Conservatives, who had cut most high-level ties with Moscow and slapped sanctions on Russian firms, officials and business executives in response to the actions of Russian-backed militants in Ukraine.
"If we don't engage with Russia we don't help Ukraine (and) we don't help Canada's interests," Dion told a foreign policy forum. Canada and Russia both have competing interests in the Arctic, home to potentially vast reserves of oil and gas.
Dion said the United States, which has also imposed punitive measures on Russia, was dealing directly with Moscow on a number of international issues. It would be irresponsible for the two nations not to have such contacts, he said.
"So something that is irresponsible for the United States would also be irresponsible for Canada, don't you think? So that is the approach we will have when building a foreign policy," he said.
Canada, Dion added, would maintain the sanctions on Russia for as long as necessary and remained a strong ally of Ukraine. He plans to visit Kiev next week.
Bill Calls For Speedy Citizenship For Foreigners Serving In Ukrainian Forces
Lawmakers in Kyiv have approved draft legislation simplifying the process for foreigners to obtain Ukrainian citizenship if they have served in Ukraine's army.
The bill, adopted by the parliament on January 28, says foreign nationals in the Ukrainian Army are eligible to obtain Ukrainian citizenship in three years instead of the normal five years.
They also are not required to obtain a residence permit before applying for the citizenship.
The bill must be signed by President Petro Poroshenko to become law.
In November, Poroshenko signed a law that made it legal for foreigners to serve in Ukraine's military.
Many volunteers from other countries have joined Ukraine's armed forces and volunteer brigades since early 2014 when conflict broke out between government forces and Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Based on reporting by UNIAN and Interfax
We are now closing the live blog for today. Until we resume again tomorrow morning, you can keep up with all our other Ukraine coverage here.
Foreign-Denominated Mortgage Holders Protest At Russian Banks
By RFE/RL's Russian Service
Russians with mortgages denominated in a foreign currency are continuing to protest at their banks to demand the loans be restructured following the collapse of Russia's ruble currency.
Dozens of mortgage holders on January 28 gathered at several banks in Moscow and St. Petersburg, repeating the kind of protests staged at Russian banks in recent days.
At some demonstrations, mortgage holders have called for the return to Ukraine of the Russian-annexed region of Crimea -- shouting "We can't afford it."
Russia's ruble currency has been hit hard by falling global oil prices and international sanctions imposed against Russia in response to the Kremlin's annexation of Crimea and Moscow's support for pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.
That has made the cost of repaying foreign-denominated loans skyrocket.
Russia's currency fell on foreign exchange markets on January 21 to more than 85 rubles for one U.S. dollar before clawing back to about 76 rubles per dollar on January 28.