• Germany promises Russia that sanctions will remain until Crimea is returned

    The anti-Russian sanctions will be maintained until the reason they were introduced is eliminated. A statement to this effect was made by German Minister of Economic Affairs and Energy Peter Altmeier in an interview with the German radio station Deutschlandfunk.

    He drew attention to the fact that the sanction pressure on Russia was initiated following the Kremlin’s decision to annex the Crimean peninsula.

    “After the annexation of Crimea, we Europeans introduced sanctions together with the US. …

  • German Economic Minister visits Kyiv

    On Sunday, May 13, the German Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy, Peter Altmaier arrived for a scheduled state visit in Kyiv. He immediately held a meeting with representatives of German business in Ukraine, dpa news reports.

    At a press conference in Berlin that took place just before his departure to Kyiv, Altmaier stated that he intended to call on the authorities of Ukraine and Russia to create a "common energy policy concept." According to the Minister, the purpose of the …

  • US strategic drone conducts surveillance over Ukrainian-Russian border and Donbas

    On Sunday morning, May 13, the U.S. Air Force RQ-4B-30 Global Hawk conducted a surveillance flight along the Ukrainian-Russian border, as well as along the contact line in the Donbas, as reported by PlaneRadar online service which tracks the movement of the aircraft.

    It took off from NATO’s Naval Air Station Sigonella in Italy. Around 7:15 am, the drone entered Ukrainian airspace, conducted surveillance of the Kharkiv region, and flew several times along the Ukrainian-Russian border. By 10:18 …

  • Ukrainian Church accuses Russia of interfering in its 'church affairs'

    The sacred synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC KP) has accused Russia of attempting to interfere in its process of acquiring autocephaly – recognition from the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.

    “We are aware of numerous facts of political and state interference by Russia and the pro-Kremlin political forces in Ukraine with the aim of obstructing the recognition process,” says a post published on the UOC KP website.

    According to the Ukrainian church, …

  • Estonia: Russian fleet trying press NATO out of Baltic Sea

    Russia is trying to press NATO ships out of the Baltic Sea, said Estonian Defense Minister Jüri Luik.

    “This is happening in international waters. It is a violation of the good tone rules of seafaring. An active arming of the region is taking place. It is happening absolutely without reason and is evidence of the increase in aggression in our region,” he said.

    According to the minister, the Russian Navy is attempting to influence NATO through frequent flights over ships at low altitudes and …