• Steinmeir: It is too early to lift sanctions on Russia

    German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said in an interview with Stuttgarter Nachrichten that it is too early to cancel the EU sanctions against Russia.

    "Sanctions are not our final purpose. Our aim is not to maintain sanctions but to resolve the conflict in Ukraine," he stressed.

    We consciously connect them with progress towards the implementation of the Minsk Agreements. If there is tangible progress, we will be able to think about easing the sanctions," the German Minister said.

    " …

  • Russia has not provided NATO with evidence to support its accusations against Ukraine

    Russia has not provided any evidence of its allegations of Ukrainian sabotage in the Crimea. This was reported to Deutsche Welle on the 11th of August by an official NATO representative in response to comments made by the Federal Security Service.

    “We are closely, and with concern, following the increasing tension between Russia and Ukraine,” the report says. “We are satisfied with the strong condemnation of terrorism by Ukraine in all its manifestations and forms. We note that Ukraine has …

  • Russian MFA: The US does not want to exchange prisoners Bout and Yaroshenko

    The Russian Foreign Ministry Commissioner for Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law, Konstantin Dolgov, stated that the USA has no desire to exchange Russian convicts Viktor Bout and Konstantin Yaroshenko.

    According to Dolgov, whatever the outcome, Russia will continue to work towards protecting protect Bout’s and Yaroshenko’s legal rights. “We have not yet seen any clear, genuine indications of American authorities’ wiliness to probe deeply into the matter,” Ria Novosti quotes him as …

  • Germany says lifting sanctions on Russia will not be possible anytime soon

    Germany has no plans of lifting sanctions against Russia in the near future, as stated by the German Commissioner for Cooperation with Russia, Gernot Erler, reports Deutsche Welle.

    The situation in eastern Ukraine is being taken into consideration in Germany. According to Erler, violations of the truce and ceasefire agreement are recorded almost every day during the last few weeks. All this led to numerous casualties on both sides, said Erler.

    It is also reported that all 28 EU member …

  • Latvia receives air defense radar systems from the US

    Two more Sentinel mobile tactical air defense radars were delivered to Latvia, according to the Ministry of Defense of the Republic. These are able to detect low-flying targets including helicopters, missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles.

    According to BaltNews, the first radar was delivered to Latvia in June. The total cost of the project is about $22.7 million that includes four Sentinel radars, HMMWV vehicles and trailers, as well as operator and maintenance training.

    Sentinel radars are …