Contents tagged with Russia

  • Bulgarian President: Russia is trying to destroy the foundations of the EU

    Russia is trying to destroy the foundations of the European Union, as stated by the President of Bulgaria, Rosen Plevneliev, on Wednesday, June 8th speaking in the European Parliament, EurActiv reports.

    According to him, the crisis in Ukraine shows that Russia "does not support the principles of international order. The Kremlin is trying to destabilize the situation in the EU. He tries to destroy and bring down the foundations of the European Union, such as unity, solidarity and the rule of …

  • Financial Times: EU sanctions against the Kremlin will be extended for another six months

    European Union (EU) countries, who support sanctions against Russia, have postponed discussions about their demands until the EU leaders summit in December. This was reported by the Financial Times, citing sources in Brussels.

    In addition, and despite signs of some bloc countries softening their attitudes, the EU intends to extend sanctions against Russia for another six months.

    The newspaper reports that diplomats fear that this extension may, over the next two weeks, trigger disputes …

  • Pentagon: Russia would be able to capture Riga or Tallinn in 60 hours

    The Pentagon has agreed with analysts’ views that Russia could capture Riga or Tallinn in less than three days. This was reported by the Weekly Standard.

    The Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Michael Carpenter, has agreed with a report of RAND research center which states that Russian troops would be able to seize the city of Riga in 60 hours or less.

    “NATO would have a few options for further action, of which none are good. These options include an offensive action, which is associated …

  • Russia holds military exercises in the Black Sea

    The Russian Federation is conducting military exercises aimed at the conditional destruction of NATO ships in the Black Sea, as announced by a representative of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s Main Intelligence Directorate during a briefing on Thursday, June 9th, as reported by RBC-Ukraine.

    "The Russian Federation continues activities to increase the ability of the aerospace forces to conduct large-scale offensive operations in the Black Sea region," Skibitsky said. He added that the purpose …

  • Russian Foreign Ministry: The presence of US warships in the Black Sea will lead to retaliation

    The head of the Russian Foreign Ministry's European Cooperation Department, Andrey Kelin, said that the presence of US warships in the Black Sea will lead to retaliation, RIA Novosti reported.

    "From time to time, US vessels enter the Black Sea. Obviously, we do not appreciate it and, undoubtedly, this will lead to retaliatory measures," Andrei Kelin told the Russian state-run news agency.

    On June 6th, a US Naval destroyer, the USS Porter, entered the Black Sea to conduct exercises with …

  • European Commission President to meet with Putin in Russia

    European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin next week during an economic forum in St. Petersburg, as reported by Reuters with reference to an EU spokeswoman.

    Juncker will attend the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on Thursday and Friday of next week and will hold his first meeting with Putin since November of 2014.

    The EC President has called for further cooperation with Russia and said in October that the EU’s stance towards …

  • Kiev calls on France to refrain from easing sanctions on Russia

    The call of the French Senate to gradually ease the sanctions against the Russian Federation may indicate that its senators have not understood the depth of Russia’s violation of international law. This information was mentioned in the comment of the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs concerning the resolution of the French Parliament on June 8th.

    “We understand that this document is declarative and non-binding. At the same time, we should note that respect for sovereignty and territorial …

  • Report on crimes in the Donbas region was presented in the Polish Sejm

    On Wednesday, a report about Russian crimes in Donbas in 2014 was presented in the Lower House of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland. The report was based on over 60 interviews of prisoners, conducted by Ukrainian and Polish volunteers. UKRINFORM reports that the document was presented by the Deputy Head of the Sejm Commission for Foreign Affairs and one of the initiators of its creation, Małgorzata Gosiewska.

    "I hope that criminals will be punished as the war crimes have no statute of …

  • Germany will support the Nord Stream II project under three conditions

    Germany will support the Nord Stream II gas pipeline project on three conditions, Bloomberg reports, quoting Minister of Economy and Energy of Germany Sigmar Gabriel. Gabriel made the statement in anticipation of a meeting with a member of the European Commission for Energy, Miguel Arias Cañete.

    "Germany has set three conditions for the project to happen. Nord Stream must meet the requirements of the law, does not threaten the transit of gas through Ukraine, and will not limit gas supplies to …

  • US Admiral: Aircraft carrier was transferred to the Mediterranean to send a message to Moscow

    The USS Harry Truman aircraft carrier was transferred from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea as a warning to Moscow, according to an article published in the Wall Street Journal that cited Rear Admiral Bret Batchelder.

    As the Admiral explained, the redeployment of the aircraft carrier is meant to demonstrate that the US, in partnership with its NATO allies, is committed to “maintaining the balance of forces in the Mediterranean”.

    “It is a demonstration of capability. That’s for sure. …