The European Union doubts the economical necessity of Gazprom’s Nord Stream II project, as stated by the European Commissioner for Energy, Maroš Šefčovič, during the Ukrainian Energy Forum, as reported by a European Pravda correspondent.

“It is a private project which provides for the expansion of Russian gas transit through the Baltic Sea. However, why does the European Union need the additional gas transit capacity if the current gas transportation system is only running at 50% capacity? …

A scenario where sanctions against Russia will be ‘eternal’ is contrary to the basic economic interests of the countries of the European Union, said Russia's Permanent Representative to the EU, Vladimir Chizhov.

Russia's permanent representative to the EU, Vladimir Chizhov, expressed hope that sanctions against the Russian Federation will be lifted in the summer 2016.

"I think at some point, the sanctions will be simply lifted, hopefully in the summer.  To expect a solution that would allow …

According to Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Pavlo Klimkin, Russia is violating the rights of the Crimean Tatars.

This was stated by Klimkin during his speech on Tuesday, March 1st at the 31st session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva, as reported by Evropeiskaya Pravda.

According to him, Russia, as an occupying power, carries out large-scale human rights violations on the Peninsula, especially in regards to the indigenous population- the Crimean Tatars.

“They carry out a …

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine stated that more than 2,600 Ukrainian servicemen have been killed and more than 9,000 wounded since the beginning of Russian aggression in February 2014.

“On 20th of February 2014, the Russian Federation initiated armed aggression against Ukraine, having occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol. Today, this aggression is under way in Donbas. Since the start of Russian aggression, more than 2,600 Ukrainian servicemen have been killed and …

Speaking at a hearing of the US Senate’s Armed Services Committee, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander for Europe, General Philip Breedlove, said that he had recently recommended that the US provide Ukraine with lethal weapons.

On Tuesday, March 1st, Breedlove stated that Europe is facing a "resurgent, aggressive Russia" that is seeking to reestablish a leading role on the world stage.

"Russia has chosen to be an adversary and poses a long-term existential threat to the United States and to our …

The Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers has abolished the income tax placed on charitable assistance to Ukrainian veterans and their families.  They also expanded the list of goods and services which may be considered as charitable aid.

This is now stated in government decree No. 112.

“The Cabinet has abolished the personal income tax levied on charitable aid.  They have also lifted restrictions on the monetary amount of charitable assistance to veterans and their families,” the decree states. …

According to the Deputy Finance Minister of Ukraine, Artem Chevalier, Ukraine and the IMF have not yet agreed on the updated version of the memorandum on cooperation.  This memorandum would detail the provision of new loans for Ukraine.

After a press conference in Kiev, Chevalier said that “we do not have the updated version of the memorandum yet”.

He also did not give a possible date for resuming Ukraine’s cooperation with the fund.  In response to a question about the nature of the possible …

In 2016 and 2017, the Russian Defense Ministry plans to replace 330 military bases and warehouses with 24 transshipment and logistics complexes.  One of these complexes will be located in Crimea, and five will be situated near the border with Ukraine.

The Russian newspaper, Kommersant, published a map showing the planned complexes.

The Ministry of Defense has said that these plans will reduce the spending of the military department by almost half, which would be 14.8 billion rubles.  They …