The head of the German Foreign Ministry believes that the diplomatic efforts of France and Germany were instrumental in prevention of a war in Europe.

At the same time the progress in the implementation of the Minsk Agreements is comparable to a snail's pace. According to the press service of the Foreign Ministry of Germany, this was stated by the German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on the eve of the twelfth meeting of the Normandy Four.

Steinmeier fears that the work on the …

The Polish company Orlen has entered into a contract to receive oil from Saudi Arabia, provoking anxiety among Russian oil companies, as reported by Radio Poland. It is the first contract of its kind in Eastern Europe and may be followed by more. This can call into question the positions of traditional suppliers from Russia, headed by Rosneft.

The head of Rosneft, Igor Sechin, has been afraid of this scenario since October of last year, the edition notes. He warned that the reduction of prices …

In the course of consultations in Kiev, heads of the consular services of Ukraine and China have agreed on a number of steps to simplify a mutual travel regime for the citizens of the two countries.

According to the Facebook post of the Department of Consular Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, the ministry held top-level consular talks with China. The event was attended by the representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Internal Affairs, the …

Germany plans to increase the size of its armed forces for the first time since 1990 due to tensions with Russia. “The Bundeswehr is expected to recruit an additional 14,300 troops over the next seven years; 4,400 civilian staff will be recruited as well,” Ursula von der Leyen, the German Minister of Defense, said on Tuesday.

According to her, the expansion of the German army is necessary, owing to the current situation of increased tensions with Russia due to the conflict in Ukraine and also …

The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs hired the U.S. law firm Covington & Burling for $3.676 million to the protect Ukraine's interests in the international arbitration dispute with Russia over the annexation of the Crimea. The company has a reputation for successfully protecting clients' interests at various levels against the Russian Federation.

The contract with Covington & Burling was signed on May 5th. The term of the provision of legal services lasts until December 31, 2016.

In …

The US’s European missile defense system will be officially declared operational on Thursday, despite Russia’s objections, Reuters reported.

The announcement will come almost a decade after Washington first proposed such a system.

US and NATO officials will gather in Deveselu, Romania for the inauguration of the missile defense site, the construction of which was finished in 2015.

Construction of a second site in Poland is slated to begin on May 13th, and is due to be completed in 2018. …

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko postponed his visit to Great Britain which was planned for May 11-12th, as reported by the press service of the President.

"A working visit by Petro Poroshenko to Great Britain which was scheduled for May 11-12th, was postponed due to the election of a new Prosecutor General and failure to adopt laws necessary for the continuation of cooperation with the IMF," the statement of the press service read on Tuesday evening.

According to the statement, the …

NATO announced that the Alliance’s Military Committee will convene a meeting at the level of Defense Chiefs in Brussels on May 18th. Ukrainian and Georgian delegates will attend the meeting as partners of NATO in order to coordinate security and defense with the Alliance.

In particular, the Georgian delegation will discuss the progress of defense reforms and the country’s further cooperation with NATO.

Representatives of Ukraine will address the security situation in the country. Reform in …