• Ukraine and Moldova pledge further military cooperation

    During a meeting in Odessa, Minister of Defense of Ukraine Stepan Poltorak and Minister of Defense of Moldova Eugen Sturza agreed on further cooperation of the two countries in the area of defense, as reported on the website of the Ministry of Defense.

    “First of all, it involves conducting joint exercises both bilaterally and in cooperation with NATO and individual allies, developing cooperation at the headquarters level for the types of armed forces of the two powers, joint actions in the …

  • Head of DPR Zakharchenko agrees to deploy peacekeepers in the Donbas on Russia’s terms

    The head of the DPR, Alexander Zakharchenko is ready to consider the deployment of a UN peacekeeping mission to the Donbas on terms previously voiced by the Russian authorities.

    "If this is conducted within the format voiced by Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, my position does not change. I am ready to consider and submit to the People's Council a proposal to ensure the security of the OSCE mission and to put the OSCE patrols, which will be protected by the UN, on the line of demarcation with us. …

  • Poland wants to be a mediator in the US-EU conflict

    The Polish government intends to take the position of an intermediary between the European Union and the United States in the conflict that erupted after the G7 summit over trade tariffs, said Prime Minister of Poland Mateusz Moravetsky in an interview with Gazeta Polska.

    "Everybody probably noticed that today, the paths taken by the EU and the United States began to diverge and now [the situation] depends on whether Poland [can mediate] the two sides or remain in the uncomfortable position of …

  • US introduces sanctions against Russian companies with FSB links

    The US Treasury Department has imposed new sanctions against three Russian citizens and five Russian enterprises suspected of involvement in "malicious cyber-enabled activities."

    "One of the designated entities is controlled by and has provided material and technological support to Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), while two others have provided the FSB with material and technological support," a US Treasury statement, released on June 11, stated.

    The press release noted examples of …

  • Estonia: over the past week NATO Air Forces escorted Russian warplanes 12 times over the Baltic Sea

    Estonia's Ministry of Defense reported that over the last week, NATO fighters had scrambled eight times to identify and escort Russian military aircraft.

    According to the BNS agency, this time, a total of 12 aircraft of the Russian Federation were intercepted in international airspace over the Baltic Sea.

    The latest incident was recorded on June 9, when the NATO air police accompanied Russian planes on three different occasions: an Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft, an An-26 freighter and a Su-24 …

  • European Parliament may call for boycott of World Cup in Russia

    Deputies of the European Parliament are going to introduce a resolution, related to human rights in Russia, for a diplomatic boycott of the World Cup by officials of EU countries. The tournament will soon start in Moscow.This was reported by Rikard Jozwiak, Brussels correspondent for Radio Liberty.

    “The European Parliament is likely to call for a diplomatic boycott of the 2018 World Cup in a resolution on human rights in Russia that is set to pass on 14 June,” the reporter wrote on Twitter. He …

  • Belarus and China agree on mutual visa-free travel

    Belarus and China signed an agreement on a visa-free regime for the holders of ordinary passports, Belarusian news agency BelTA reports.

    The agreement was signed following the talks of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko with Chinese President Xi Jinping. On behalf of Belarus, the document was signed by Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei.

    Earlier in May, the Prime Minister of Belarus Andrei Kobyakov had noted that Belarus would become one of the first countries in …

  • Construction of the first gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia has begun

    Construction of the Finnish-Estonian gas pipeline “The Baltic Connector” began in the Finnish city of Inkoo, Yle reports. The Connector is the first gas pipeline in Finland. It will run along the bottom of the Sea and work to reduce dependency on Russian gas supplies.

    The pipeline’s construction is set to be completed in 2020. However, during that time, the Finnish market will be open to competition.

    Construction of the pipeline costs 250 million euro. The European Union will allocate 75% of …

  • European Parliament may adopt resolution on human rights situation in Russia

    According to Ukrainian human rights activist Maria Tomak ,the European Parliament will debate a resolution on the human rights situation in Russia, particularly regarding the case of Oleg Sentsov, a Ukrainian film director from the Crimea.  

    “On Thursday [June 14], there will be a vote on the document. The idea and initiative for the resolution lays with European Deputy Rebecca Harms, for whom the topic of Ukraine has been a priority for a long time and who has closely monitored the situation …

  • Putin: US withdrawal from Iran nuclear agreement will destabilize the whole region

    Washington’s withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action will have a negative impact on the stability of the region, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated.  

    “Of course, our countries are worried about what is now going on around the Iranian nuclear program,” Putin stated at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit. “The US withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action can destabilize the situation.”  

    According to Putin, Moscow advocates strict implementation of the …