The Chairman of the National Bank of Ukraine Yakiv Smolii submitted his resignation to the President of Ukraine.

Smolii attributed his decision to "systematic political pressure" on the central bank for a long time.

"This makes it impossible for me to effectively fulfill my duties as head of the National Bank and to interact with other government agencies. With my resignation, I want to warn against further attempts to undermine the institutional foundations of the central bank in Ukraine," …

The head of the Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, has proposed appointing Vladimir Putin for a presidential term "for life."

"I have always said that we should elect Vladimir Putin as a president for life. Who can replace him today? There is no such political leader on a global scale. We should be proud of it," Kadyrov said during a meeting of the country's operational headquarters to fight the coronavirus.

Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the Russian President, has already commented on …

Washington's plans to impose new extraterritorial sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline do not meet Germany's legal framework, stated German Chancellor Angela Merkel, answering questions from Bundestag deputies on Wednesday, July 1. According to Merkel, it would be right to complete this project, although construction is difficult.

"We are acting in this vein," the head of the German government stressed. It also pointed out that Nord Stream 2 was an "economic project with a political …

According to Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Vasyl Bodnar, there is an increased military threat from Russia. "First, there is an increase in military buildup on the eastern border of Ukraine, and secondly, there is a significant increase in the number of Russian troops in Crimea," Interfax-Ukraine quotes Vasyl Bodnar as saying.

He added that "it is necessary to be mentally prepared for the fact that Russia does not think twice when using its armed forces to achieve its political or …

Russia has notified the UN that it is stopping cooperation through the deconfliction system in Syria, reports TASS with reference to the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock.

During the meeting of the UN Security Council on Syria, Lowcock said that on June 23, Russia notified the UN that it is stopping participation in the humanitarian deconfliction mechanism.

Lowcock promised to discuss the issue with representatives of Russia and …

The European Union has extended economic sanctions against Russia for another 6 months in connection with the situation in eastern Ukraine, said the Council of the European Union in a statement.

The decision was taken after the latest assessment of the state of implementation of the Minsk agreements, which require Russia to hand over control of the border in the Donbas region to Kyiv.

During a video conference on June 19, EU leaders stated that the agreements concluded in 2015 remain …

The Russian authorities understand the reasons for the situation with the Belgazprombank case and the arrest of its former head Viktor Babariko, said President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko during a meeting with the government in the Minsk region.

"On June 24 (during my visit to Moscow), I noticed that when we ctracked down on this gas industry bank, they understood everything," said Lukashenko, whose speech was broadcast by the Belarus-1 TV channel.

According to Lukashenko, the Belarusian …

Russia faces political and legal consequences over organizing a vote in the annexed Crimea and Sevastopol on amendments to the Russian constitution, Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Vasyl Bodnar said in an interview with the Interfax-Ukraine news agency.

"The organization of voting in the occupied territory of the Ukrainian Crimea, as well as the organization of voting of persons who illegally received Russian passports, will have political and legal consequences for Russia. The international …