The European Union decided to reduce its financial assistance to Turkey which it provides as part of the EU candidate support program, Deutsche Welle reports.

During the discussion of the budget plan for 2018 on Saturday, November 18, it was decided that the amount of funds allocated to Ankara would be reduced by 105 million euros compared to the first draft of the budget, which was drawn up by the European Commission. Another 70 million euros are under consideration. They will be paid only if …

US military assistance will be provided to Kyiv, subject to progress in key reforms of the Ukrainian defense sector, including the introduction of civilian control over the military, stated Republican Senator Rob Portman, reports Voice of America.

Portman explained what kind of assistance to Ukraine is embodied in the bill. According to him, it is the first time that defense assistance to Ukraine can be granted for strengthening protection at sea. It envisages the provision of air and coastal …

NATO’s doors are open to Ukraine, but the decision to allow Ukraine to join will be made by all 29 members of the alliance, NATO General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg said during the Halifax International Security Forum, Interfax Ukraine reports.

“The doors of NATO are open, and the best evidence of this is the fact that the number of NATO members has nearly doubled since the end of the Cold War. Secondly, we also gained a new member this year. Montenegro joined us in spring, bringing NATO’s …

Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov has spoken of issues in the exchange of prisoners between Ukraine and the two unrecognized republics, the Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) and Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR).  "There are many problems that complicate the exchange itself," TASS reports.

 “The leaders of the unrecognized republics, [while] agreeing in general with this initiative (by Medvedchuk), noted that all details of the exchange with Kyiv still need to be agreed upon. And …

Syrian Army regained control of the town of Abu Kamal, which was previously capture by ISIS, Russian media reports with reference to sources in Syrian Army.

Syria government news agency SANA also reported a victory in Abu Kemal, stating that "the Syrian army and its allies liberated the last area of the city, which was under the control of the ISIS".

The town of Abu Kemal, which was the last stronghold of ISIS in Syria, has passed several times over the past few weeks from one side to another. …

The United Shipbuilding Corporation or USC, a Russian company engaged in building, repair and maintenance of submarines, is under financial pressure to complete the construction of Knyaz Oleg, the fifth of the Borei-class nuclear-powered missile submarines, USC President Aleksey Rakhmanov said in an interview with RIA Novosti.

“It all depends on whether we will find sufficient funding to fill a gap in the financing. Hopefully, we will stay on the schedule,” Rakhmanov said when asked when Knyaz …

According to Deputy Minister for Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons Yuriy Hrymchak, Russian troops will leave the Donbas in spring of next year, Espresso.TV reports.

"This is information that I personally, I emphasize, received from several sources who are in Moscow and behind the 'curb'. I was even given the exact date when this will happen. The [date range] is March-April 2018," said Hrymchak.

He did not, however, mention the names of the individuals who …

On November 18, Russian President Vladimir Putin took part in the opening of a monument to Russian Tsar Alexander III on the grounds of the Livadia Palace in Yalta, Russian news agencies reported.

According to media reports, the following officals attended the ceremony: the Plenipotentiary of the Russian president to the Southern Federal District, Vladimir Ustinov; the Kremlin-controlled head of the Crimea, Sergey Aksyonov; the Russian Governor of Sevastopol, Dmitry Ovsyannikov; the …