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The EU extends embargo on arms exports to Belarus
The Council of the European Union officially extended the sanctions against Belarus for arms sales and exports of goods that could be used for internal repression. It also extended an entry ban to four people.
As stated in the decision published on February 23 on the website of the EU Council, which was adopted the day before, the sanctions were extended for another year, until February 28, 2019.
"These measures include an embargo on the supply of weapons, a ban on the export of means that …
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Sweden plans to double its defense budget and army size due to Russian aggression
Sweden intends to increase the strength of the Armed Forces by 2035 from current levels of 50,000 troops to future levels of 120,000 troops, as noted in a new report on national defense strategy submitted by the Swedish Armed Forces, reports The Local.
The document assumes that the overall defense budget will increase from today's 53 billion kronor ($6.5 billion) per annum to about 115 billion kronor ($14 billion) per annum by 2035.
The document, called a "prospective study", is formally …
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Macron and Merkel sent appeal to Putin over situation in eastern Ghouta
French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel sent a joint letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin requesting the approval of a UN Security Council resolution on a truce in Syria, reported Le Figaro, citing the Élysée Palace.
In the letter, the leaders of France and Germany asked Putin to support the draft resolution, which calls for a cessation of hostilities for a period of 30 days in order to deliver humanitarian aid to Eastern Ghouta, as well as to evacuate the …
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US Department of the Treasury preparing new sanctions against Russia
At a briefing in the White House, Steven Mnuchin, US Secretary of the Treasury said that the US Department of the Treasury will introduce new sanctions against Russia in the coming weeks.
"We are working on Russia sanctions. I can assure you that is in the process. I will be back here [at this White House] within the next several weeks to talk about that," he said.
US Treasury Secretary also stressed that the Department is actively working with the FBI on sanctions against individual …
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Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs bans entry to 49 persons named in 'Magnitsky list'
The Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has banned 49 persons named in the Magnitsky list from entering the country, as announced by Edgars Rinkēvičs, Latvian Minister for Foreign Affairs, on his Twitter feed.
"Pursuant [to the] resolution of [the] Saeima (Parliament of Latvia), and based on Immigration law, I have banned 49 individuals from entering the territory of the Republic of Latvia, sending [a] clear signal that rule of law and human rights matter," Rinkēvičs wrote.
In early February, …