Contents tagged with USA

  • Russia and the US blame each other for incident in the Mediterranean Sea

    The American and Russia navies have accused each other of performing unsafe maneuvers in the Mediterranean Sea. The incident involved the USS Gravely and a Russian Neustrashimyy-class frigate, the Yaroslav Mudry, Reuters reported.

    The Russian Ministry of Defense said that the commander and crew of the USS Gravely were in “gross violation” of international maritime agreements. The MoD stated that the USS Gravely approached the Yaroslav Mudry at a distance of 60-70 meters on the port side and …

  • Ukrainian-American Rapid Trident 2016 exercises begin in the Lviv region

    The Ukrainian-American Rapid Trident 2016 military exercises have begun at the International Peacekeeping and Security Center of the Hetman Petro Sahaidachnyi National Army Academy in the Lviv region.

    More than 1,800 soldiers from 14 countries are participating in the exercise, which will last until July 8th.

    According to the US Army in Europe's website, "Rapid Trident is a regional command post exercise and field training exercise focused on peacekeeping and stability operations to ensure a …

  • Nuland met with Surkov in Moscow to discuss the Donbas

    U.S. Assistant Secretary of State, Victoria Nuland and Russian presidential aide Vladislav Surkov discussed the Ukrainian question in Moscow. According to the U.S. Embassy, the talks were mainly dedicated to security issues in the Donbas. "The discussions were very detailed, thorough and constructive".

    "Negotiators focused on the subject of maintaining security in the framework of the Minsk Agreements, implementation of the ceasefire, withdrawal of the heavy weaponry and ensuring an unimpeded …

  • Kerry: Brexit decision will not affect common agenda in Ukraine

    US Secretary of State John Kerry stated that the UK’s decision to leave the European Union will not affect the overall common agenda that the US shares in Europe on the issue of Ukraine, according to a press release issued by the State Department.

    Following a phone conversation with British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, Kerry stated “the British are in no way departing from the principles and values that undergird the Transatlantic Partnership or from the important role the U.K. plays in …

  • Michael McFaul: Putin is the main winner in the Brexit vote

    Former US Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul wrote on Twitter that the main winner of Brexit is Russian President Vladimir Putin.

    “Shocked by Brexit vote! Losers: EU, UK, US, those that believe in utility of a strong, united, democratic Europe. Winners: Putin,” McFaul tweeted.

    The former Ambassador also congratulated the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin and the head of the Duma Committee on International Affairs, Alexei Pushkov, saying it was …

  • US considers reinstating Committee for Surveillance of Russian Intelligence

    The FBI will monitor the movement of Russian diplomats in the U.S.A.

    The U.S. Congress is considering reviving the committee that worked during the ‘Cold War’ to monitor the actions of Russian spies, as reported by BuzzFeed.

    The main task of the group will be identifying Russian spies and possible crimes related to them as well as the investigation of financial institutions working for Russian interests. Moreover, it is assumed that the FBI will monitor the movement of Russian diplomats in …

  • Media: Russia may deploy nuclear-capable missiles to Kaliningrad by 2019

    Russia may deploy additional nuclear-capable missiles to its Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad by 2019 in response to the US’s missile shield in Eastern Europe, Reuters reported, citing sources close to the Russian military.

    The sources also noted that such missile installations may be put in the Crimea as well.

    According to Mikhail Barabanov, a senior research fellow at the Moscow-based Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies (CAST), which advises the Russian Ministry of Defense, said …

  • Nuland met with Poroshenko and Klimkin in Kiev

    Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland and National Security Council Senior Directors Charles Kupchan and Celeste Wallander met with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin, and other senior Ukrainian officials on Wednesday, June 22 in Kiev, as stated in a press release issued by the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine.  

    According to the Embassy, the diplomats met “to discuss Ukraine's reform agenda and implementation of the Minsk …

  • US Assistant Secretary of State: Our patience with Russia is not endless

    Russia has violated an important agreement with the United States, signed back in the years of the Cold War. That is why Washington, in addition to diplomatic measures, reserves the right to respond with military action as well, said U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control, Frank A. Rose.

    At the same time, he said that NATO's anti-missile defense system designed to combat threats emanating from beyond the Euro-Atlantic space cannot threaten Russian ballistic missile capacity.

    "I …

  • U.S Senate Committee on Foreign Relations calls on Europe to extend sanctions against Russia

    The U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations addressed the President of the European Council with a call on the EC to extend sanctions against Russia because of its military aggression in Ukraine. The Committee’s leadership office circulated the text of the document on Monday, Ukrinform reported.

    “We write to call on the European Council to extend sanctions of EU against Russia this month. According to the SMM OSCE reports, at least 112 Ukrainian servicemen were killed and more than 700 were …