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US State Department has not received an invitation to participate in negotiations on Syria in Astana
The U.S. government stated that they have not yet received an official invitation to participate in the Syrian negotiations to be held in Astana, which will take place on January 23, as stated by State Department spokesman Mark Toner when responding to the question regarding the role of the USA in these negotiations.
"I don’t know whether we will have our role in negotiations. Ask the organizers, Russia and Turkey. We have not been invited,” he said. "We support any negotiations which attempt …
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German intelligence: Russia seeks to spoil relations between the EU and the US
Russia is using manipulation in an effort to sow discord between the U.S. and Europe and to spoil the close EU-US cooperation, as stated in a joint report by the Federal Intelligence Service of Germany (BND) and the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution of the German government, Der Spiegel reports.
According to the newspaper, German intelligence agencies were tasked by the Chancellor to investigate the activities of the Russian security services after a cyber-attack on the …
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Denmark to increase military spending due to 'Russian threat'
Denmark is planning to increase military spending due to Russia’s deployment of anti-ballistic missile systems in the Kaliningrad region, which is considered by the Danish Government as potential threat, as stated on Friday by the head of the Defense Ministry of the Kingdom, Claus Hjort Frederiksen.
"We can see today that the Russians are deploying new missiles in Kaliningrad which can reach Copenhagen. Of course, it is a serious threat,” the Minister said in an interview with the local …
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German regulator reduced Gazprom's access to the OPAL system
The German energy regulator, Bundesnetzagentur, has reduced the limit of use of the OPAL gas pipeline for Russian Gazprom to the same level that was installed before, to 50%. As stated in the press-service of the company on Facebook, "The German regulator reduced the limit for Gazprom to use the OPAL pipeline to its former 50% but the actual amount of this reduction has not yet affected the actual volumes."
In late October, the European Commission allowed Gazprom to increase its pumping gas …
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Berlin invites Russian minister to attend G20 agriculture meeting in Germany despite sanctions
Through a series of diplomatic maneuvers, the German government hopes to circumvent the EU’s travel ban for Russian Minister of Agriculture Aleksandr Tkachov, the DPA news agency reported.
Tkachov is on the list of Russians who are subject to sanctions and is thus prohibited from entering the EU due to Russia’s annexation of the Crimea in 2014. However, according to the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND) the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs plans to host the Russian minister on January 22. …