According to sources in the Pentagon and Lockheed Martin, Turkey will receive its first F-35 Joint Strike fighter this week, despite objections from Congress.  

Lockheed Martin, which manufactures the F-35 fighters, will hold a ceremony in Fort Worth, Texas in honor of the new fighters destined for Turkey, a company spokesman said.

The National Defense Authorization Act, passed by both chambers of Congress, contains restrictions on Turkey’s participation in the F-35 program.

U.S. lawmakers …

Ukrainian director Oleg Sentsov, who has been convicted by Russia of "terrorism," will not ask Russian President Vladimir Putin for clemency which will allow him to be exchanged for Russian prisoners in Ukraine, wrote First Vice Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Iryna Herashchenko on her personal Facebook page.

“Putin's Press Secretary [Dmitry] Peskov states that [Oleg] Sentsov ‘must take care of his pardon himself,’ hinting that Oleg should have appealed to the Russian president with such a …

During the Ukraine-EU Summit on July 9, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko plans to discuss Russia’s military presence in the Black and Azov Seas with EU leaders, which is a cause of concern for Ukraine.  

“We look forward to a firm position of the EU regarding new Russian challenges for security in the Black and Azov Seas,” Poroshenko wrote on Facebook page. “We will discuss this issue with the EU leaders at the summit on July 9.”

On Monday, the Secretary of the National Security and …

Following a Higher State Council meeting of the Union State, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko signed a joint statement, the Kremlin’s press-service reports.  

“Following the meeting of the Higher State Council of the Union State, leaders of both countries adopted a joint statement in which they confirmed their common desire to strengthen and expand the strategic partnership between Russia and Belarus,” the statement reads.

As part of this …

Section 1233 of the bill for the US defense budget for 2019 as approved by the Senate proposes the allocation of $200 million to cover “the continuation of initiatives to support Ukraine in the sphere of security," Ukrinform reports.

The bill does acknowledge the need "to maintain strong support of Ukraine in the sphere of security, including the provision of lethal assistance of defensive nature, and at the same time to facilitate the necessary institutional reforms in the field of defense." …

International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde has welcomed the establishment of a High Anti-Corruption Court in Ukraine, as noted in a statement by the Managing Director of the IMF following a telephone conversation with the Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.

“I am very encouraged by the adoption of the law on the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) by the Ukrainian parliament, which is an important step forward in the authorities’ fight against corruption. The new law …

Russia will give a "harsh response" to the United States if Washington’s decision to create a military space force violates the treaty on the prohibition of weapons in outer space, Viktor Bondarev, chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Defense and former head of the Aerospace Force (VKS) stated, RIA Novosti reported.

"If the US withdraws from the 1967 treaty banning nuclear weapons in outer space, then we and other states will give a tough response aimed at ensuring global security," …

Iran will not hold negotiations with U.S. President Donald Trump after his decision to withdraw from the nuclear deal with the country, said official government representative Mohammad Bagher Nobakht.

Commenting on the request of several Iranian politicians to begin negotiations with the U.S., Nobakht stressed that there is no logic in this, but he did not rule out a dialogue with other countries.

“We never negotiate when it comes to national security issues, but dialogue remains one of the …