The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has advised Belarus to abolish the so-called "tax on parasitism".

Based on the outcomes of the Fund's mission in Minsk, the IMF also proposed that the Belarusian authorities abolish the target for the monthly salary, which should be reached by the end of 2017. Instead, the IMF recommends for Belarus "to allow enterprises to adjust their salaries based on labor productivity."

The head of the IMF mission, Peter Dolman, also reported on the suspension of …

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland barred entry into the country for the Director of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance, Volodymyr Viatrovych, as reported by dziennik.pl.

A few days ago, the head of the Polish Foreign Ministry, Witold Waszczykowski announced that Poland had begun the procedure for imposing a ban on entry on an official who blocked the exhumation of Polish victims killed in Volhynia.

The Polish edition confirms that the ban was precisely for Viatrovych. …

Chief of the Cabinet of the President of Poland, Krzysztof Szczerski, agreed to Ukraine’s proposal to hold a meeting of the Consultative Committee of the President of Poland and Ukraine in the near future, as reported by Polskie Radio.

It was noted that Poland is ready to accept the Ukrainian delegation "to clarify the state of Polish-Ukrainian relations." According to the presidential office, it will be "one more opportunity, after visits to Ukraine by the First Deputy Prime Minister, Piotr …

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has spoken out against the severance of diplomatic ties with Russia.

Ivan Vinnyk, an MP from the Petro Poroshenko Bloc (PPB), announced this on Wednesday evening during a broadcast of television channel Pryamoy, which aired after a PPB faction meeting attended by Poroshenko.

"The President does not support the idea of ​​severing diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation. The idea that I proposed to the Committee remains on the Committee's …

Speaking at a press conference in Brussels after a meeting of defense ministers of NATO member countries, the head of the Pentagon, James Mattis, said that Russia has violated the terms of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF).

“The bottom line is – you have to have respect for other nation’s security when you make agreements, and we have a firm belief that the Russians have violated the INF and our effort is to bring Russia back into compliance,” said Mattis.

He also stressed …

Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that a doping scandal involving Russian athletes is a ploy by those who accuse Moscow of attempts to influence elections in the United States. According to Putin, this is retaliation from his enemies timed for the run-up to the March elections in Russia.

The accusation that Russian officials support doping athletes at the state level is an attempt to stage a smear campaign before the upcoming presidential elections, Putin said at his visit to the …

The draft of the US defense budget for the 2018 fiscal year assumes that $350 million will be allocated to provide security assistance to Ukraine. The details of the document approved by the Senate and House of Representatives Armed Services Committees are posted on the Senate Committee’s website.

"The NDAA ( National Defense Authorization Act) authorizes $350 million to provide security assistance to Ukraine, including defensive lethal assistance. The legislation restricts half of these funds …

The German concern Siemens is taking part in tenders to supply the gas turbines for energy facilities in Russia, despite the situation with the delivery of turbines to sanctioned Crimea, Russian Deputy Energy Minister Andrei Cherezov told the press, TASS reports.

“Several companies are now holding large tenders with the same turbines, and Siemens is taking part in these tenders,” the deputy energy minister said. According to him, Siemens has even “shown interest” in the tender to supply …