Local elections in the territories of the Donbas, which are not under Ukrainian control, are possible only after “full de-occupation, settlement of all security issues and compliance with OSCE standards”, said the head of the Presidential Administration Andriy Yermak on the air of the program "Freedom of Speech with Savik Shuster".

Responding to the question of the presenter whether the Ukrainian Parliament is going to make changes to the decree on local elections in Ukraine, which, according …

On Friday, September 18, Cyprus for the second time blocked the sanctions of the European Union against Belarus, vetoing the draft punitive measures at the meeting of the Committee of Permanent Representatives of the EU countries in Brussels, reports Deutsche Welle.

Cyprus explained that its opposition to the sanctions against Belarus is because it wants the EU to enforce the punitive measures against Turkey, which conducts gas exploration in the disputed waters in the eastern Mediterranean. …

The EU's relations with Russia in connection with the construction of the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline are unlikely to improve in the future. Therefore, the approach to this project should be changed, said the head of the European Commission (EC) Ursula von der Leyen, reports the newspaper Les Echos.

"Russia's behavior has not improved and even tends to worsen. Our hope for further progress with this pipeline is fading," she explained.

Therefore, the attitude towards Nord Stream 2, which used …

The current president of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko announced the closure of the borders with Lithuania and Poland, as well as the "strengthening of borders" with Ukraine, RIA Novosti reports.

"We don't know what they're going to throw at us next. We understand that there are few tricks left in their arsenal before they begin a hot war. I have to work with the Russian President and the Minister of Defense to rebuild the common defense of the union state for the last few days," Lukashenko …

The investigative team of the Polish National Prosecutor's Office appealed to the District Court of Warsaw with a request for the temporary arrest of three Russian air traffic controllers who were working at Smolensk airport when the plane carrying Polish President Lech Kaczynski crashed in 2010, a spokeswoman for Poland’s National Prosecutor's Office, told Polskie Radio.

"The investigation team of the Prosecutor General's Office appealed to the district court of the Warsaw-Mokotow district …

The Court of Justice of the European Union in Luxembourg rejected the appeal and upheld the sanctions against Rosneft for violating Ukraine's territorial integrity.

"The Court of Justice upholds the judgment of the General Court dismissing an action brought against the restrictive measures imposed on Russian oil companies that are members of the Rosneft group in the context of the Ukraine crisis. By its judgment today, the Court of Justice dismisses the companies’ appeal in its entirety," the …

The German government offered the United States a billion-dollar deal in exchange for lifting sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 project. Berlin has expressed readiness to invest up to 1 billion euros in the construction of two terminals for American liquefied natural gas, reported Die Zeit, citing sources. "In exchange, the United States will allow the smooth completion and operation of Nord Stream 2," said a letter from German Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister Olaf Scholz sent on August 7 …

Today, September 16, a Russian military delegation headed by Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu arrived in the capital of Belarus, reported the press service of the Belarusian Ministry of Defense.

It is noted that the working visit is carried out "to discuss the bilateral military cooperation between Belarus and Russia."

On September 14, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko met with Russian President Putin in Sochi.

On September 15, Russian paratroopers arrived in Belarus. Units of …