• Merkel: Sanctions against Russia will be lifted when Ukraine gains control over its borders

    Sanctions against Russia will be lifter only after Ukraine gains full control over its borders, as stated by German Chancellor Angela Merkel during the Congress of the Christian Democratic Union,  Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung rerported.

    “I am convinced that Russia is slowly moving towards integration into the common European economic zone from Vladivostok to Lisbon,” Merkel said.

    “At the same time, despite the aspirations of the EU to accept Russia into the common European economy, we …

  • Ukraine and NATO held joint seminar on defense industry reform

    For the first time Ukraine and NATO held a joint seminar on defense industry reform, during which the transformation of the domestic military-industrial complex and the possibility of Ukraine's cooperation with the Alliance were discussed, as reported by the press service for Ukroboronprom.

    The seminar was held on June 1st at the Hetman Petro Sahaidachnyi National Army Academy. The event was attended by the members of the NATO International Staff, representatives of Ukroboronprom, the …

  • Merkel's advisor: It's too early to lift sanctions on Russia

    The discussion surrounding the cancellation of EU sanctions against Russia is premature, as stated by the German Chancellor's foreign policy advisor, Christoph Heusgen, Deutsche Welle reports. "If the current situation stays the same, I see no reason for sanctions not to be extended for another six months," Heusgen said.

    He indicated that the removal of restrictive measures on Russia is connected to the implementation of the Minsk Agreements. At the same time, according to Heusgen, the Minsk …

  • NATO exercises begin in the Baltic Sea

    The Naval exercise, BALTOPS 2016, led by NATO started on June 3rd in the southern part of the Baltic Sea near the coasts of Sweden, Denmark and Poland, Delfi.lt reports. BALTOPS (Baltic Operations) exercises have been carried out since 1971. In 2016, training will be held from June 3rd to the 18th. They began on Friday in the Estonian waters of the Baltic Sea.

    A total of 50 ships from 18 NATO nations and alliance partners will take part in the maneuvers, as well as 60 aircraft, helicopters and …

  • Russia will not supply offensive weapons to Iran

    Russia will not supply offensive weapons to Iran despite Tehran’s interest in purchasing Russian tanks and fighter jets, the CEO of Rostec Corporation, Sergey Chemezov, stated during an interview with Kommersant.

    According to him, sanctions, which were imposed by the UN Security Council, prohibit the of supply such weapons to Iran. At the same time, Chemezov reported that supplies of armaments that aren’t subject to these restrictions, such as air defense systems, will continue.  

    In …