The president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, stated in an interview with the French regional newspaper Quest-France that he considers it necessary to maintain sanctions against Russia.

“If we point Russia to the fact that sanctions against it will be maintained, this country will understand such language and draw necessary conclusions. However, if we demonstrate that there is a possibility of lifting sanctions, Russia will definitely benefit from it,” Juncker stated. The …

Russian President Vladimir Putin's aide Vladislav Surkov promotes the idea of issuing Russian passports to the inhabitants of the separatist republics in eastern Ukraine, according to Alexander Khodakovsky, the former Security Minister of the so-called Donetsk People's Republic.

Khodakovsky said, "According to my information – and it is accurate information – most people in Russia are not concerned with the provision of Russian passports to residents of the DPR. And I know for sure that as …

The U.S. Congress intends to allocate $350 million in the next fiscal year for military assistance to Ukraine. This amount has already been incorporated into the draft defense budget, as reported to TASS on Tuesday by a representative of the Armed Services Committee.

"$350 million has been allocated for Ukraine. These funds could be used to provide military assistance," he said. At the same time, the representative of the committee stated that the decision on how to use these funds will be …

The Press Secretary for Russian President Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Peskov, stated that the Kremlin is concerned about the trend towards restricted freedom of expression due to the adoption of the resolution regarding certain Russian media outlets and intends to take measures in response.

“Of course, the trend towards attacks against the media, which are in fact, restrictions of press freedom, and freedom of expression, is a cause for deep concern. It contradicts the common understanding of …

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that "nobody is thinking" about the OSCE police mission in the Donbas, and "the question is no longer relevant."

"The question is no longer relevant, such a need does not exist. Today [at a meeting of foreign ministers of the Norman Four in Minsk] nobody talked about it. No paramilitary missions of the OSCE or any other organization, about which Kyiv is periodically talking, nobody thinks about them," Lavrov said.

Yesterday, the foreign ministers …