Former US Ambassador to Russia: New U.S. Secretary of State could expedite lifting of sanctions on Russia
The former United States Ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul, criticized the decision of the President-elect of the United States to nominate the Chief Executive Officer of the Exxon Mobile Corporation, Rex Tillerson, to the post of United States Secretary of State. McFaul expressed his concerns in Twitter.“Rex Tillerson did a fantastic job for shareholders of Exxon Mobile Corporation. I am not sure that the same skills will contribute to the work of U.S. Secretary of State,” McFaul wrote. He …
Merkel: Sanctions against Russia should be extended
Before her meeting with French President François Holland in Berlin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that the EU's economic sanctions against Russia should be extended, Reuters reports.
According to her, the sanctions should be extended due to a lack of progress in the implementation of the Minsk agreements.
"Although we would have wished for a better progress in the implementation of the agreement, the lack of it is what causes the need to extend sanctions against Russia," Merkel said. …
Russian Consulate General in Istanbul was taken under heavy guard because of anti-Russian rallies
The Russian Consulate General in Istanbul was taken under heavy guard due to anti-Russian protests in front of the embassy, as reported by Russia's TASS news agency on December 13th.
"Over the past twenty-four hours, three protests in connection with the situation in Aleppo were held in front of the Consulate General of Russia in Istanbul. Up to 250 people participated in the largest gathering. Police officers cordoned our Consulate General during and after these events," Sergey Losev, the …
Ukrainian MoD's website was hacked
The website of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense was down on Tuesday due to a cyber attack.
This was reported by the Ministry of Defense press service, Radio Liberty reports.
No additional details were provided by the Ministry of Defense.
"The Security Service of Ukraine claims that the malicious software used in the attack on the website of the State Treasury and the Ministry of Finance on December 6th is the same as the one used in last year's incident that caused a blackout and left hundreds …
Kremlin declines to comment on reports that Japan would allow US military presence on Kuril Islands
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on reports that Tokyo would allow the U.S. to establish military bases on the Kuril Islands if Japan gains sovereignty over the contested islands, TASS reported.
“I would not in any way comment on the information that has appeared today in a Japanese media outlet because this refers to the content of the confidential talk between the secretaries of the Security Councils of Russia and Japan. We do not disclose the content of such meetings, all …