At this stage, Finland does not consider the prospect of joining the North Atlantic alliance, President Sauli Niinisto said in an interview with Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. According to him, Moscow "made it clear" that if Finland joins NATO, it will "see it as an enemy."

"The Russians made it clear that when they look at us across the border, they see Finnish people." If we join NATO, they will see us as enemies. That is their position, "explained Niinisto. He added that joining the …

On the evening of September 17, Russian air traffic control systems at Khmeimim airbase lost communication with the military aircraft IL-20, carrying 14 soldiers, reports RIA Novosti with reference to the Russian Ministry of Defense.

The Defense Ministry indicated that the plane disappeared from radar screens at around 23:00 Moscow time during an Israeli air force attack on Syrian targets in the province of Latakia, which occurred on Monday evening. The ministry stated that four Israeli F-16 …

Ukraine’s decision not to renew the Friendship and Cooperation Treaty with Russia is justified, said US State Department Special Representative for Ukraine Kurt Volker during the 15th annual YES Summit organized by the Pinchuk Foundation.

“Russia invaded Ukraine. The reality is that this treaty means nothing,” Volker said.

When asked about the negotiation process on the Donbas, Volker confirmed that Russia’s position has not changed. Russia insists that the peacekeeping contingent should only …

The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine continues to record violations of human rights in the Crimea and notes that there have been no improvements on the peninsula over that last 10 months, stated in an interview with Zerkalo Nedeli, Fiona Frazer, the head of the UN human rights mission in Ukraine.

The mission prepared its second report on the situation in the Crimea. This time they documented violations during the period from September 13, 2017 to June 30, 2018.

"The situation …

Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the Russian president, said during a broadcast of Russia 1 TV channel that the negotiations between Moscow and Tokyo on the peace treaty will continue,  RIA Novosti reports.

Peskov stressed that neither side has refused to continue negotiations to reach a consensus. He explained that each side has their own “limits” and nuances in their approaches. “But, strategically, Abe and Putin confirmed their intention to work on the conclusion of a peace treaty,” he …

Cypriot banks froze the accounts of Russians on the US’s Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN) sanction list, but the account owners were also permitted to transfer funds to their own accounts in Russia, reports Russian RBC news agency, citing Costas Demetriades, Managing Director of the Cypriot consulting firm B2B Lateral Thinking Solutions, and confirmed by Paragon Advice Group partner Alexander Zakharov. “As far as I know, unlike Switzerland, the Cypriot banks released the …

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s proposed peace treaty with Japan would be impossible without settling the territorial dispute, said Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during the pre-election debates.

The Prime Minister recalled that Tokyo’s position regarding the status of the South Kurils, what he called the “northern territories,” remains unchanged and he personally stated this during the meeting with Putin. “I expressed our position to Russian President Vladimir Putin. First, we should …

The Mere-Siil (Sea Urchin) 2018 naval exercises, the largest in the history of Estonia began in Tallinn’s Mine Harbor. According to the press service of the Estonian Defense Forces Command, the activities of the naval command structures will be worked out and the reservists will undergo training during these exercises.

Navy Commander Captain Yuri Saska explained that navy training on such a large scale had not been conducted for twenty-five years. He said that it would start with gathering and …