Contents tagged with USA

  • US authorities allow Coursera company to return to Crimea

    The U.S. Government officially allowed the world’s largest online learning platform, Coursera, to resume its work in the annexed territories of Crimea and Sevastopol, despite the sanctions, as reported by Kommersant on Tuesday, citing the Russian partners of the Higher School of Economics (a University which cooperates with Coursera).

    It became possible after obtaining a special license from the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control.

    According to the newspaper, …

  • John Kerry to visit Kiev before NATO summit

    United States Secretary of State John Kerry will visit Kiev on the 7th of July before the start of the NATO Summit, Interfax-Ukraine reported, citing sources in diplomatic circles. The Ambassador of Ukraine to the United States, Valeriy Chaly, also confirmed Kerry’s visit. However, Chaly didn’t provide the exact date of the visit.

    “I think that Kerry will discuss the coordination of actions before NATO Summit in Warsaw. Ukraine and the USA hold common positions that will allow us to agree on …

  • US to help reform Ukrainian customs

    Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman has discussed the launch of a needs-assessment mission in connection with the reform of the Ukrainian Customs Service during a meeting with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection delegation, as reported by the governmental press service on Wednesday.

    Eleven experts from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection have arrived in Kyiv at the PM’s invitation to prepare for the reform of the Ukrainian Customs Service.

    The needs-assessment mission will work …

  • FBI to help Ukraine's Anti-Corruption Bureau in the fight against corruption of high-ranking officials

    The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) has a long history of cooperation with U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation. A new memorandum was released concerning crimes connected with international money-laundering and asset recovery.

    The Director of NABU, Artem Sytnyk, and the Acting Deputy Assistant Director of the FBI, Mathew Moon, signed a Memorandum of Understanding, reported the U.S. Embassy in Kiev.

    According to the memorandum, the FBI and NABU will work together to …

  • The US stated that Brexit will not affect sanctions on Russia

    White House Deputy Press Secretary Eric Schultz stated that the UK's decision to leave the European Union is unlikely to affect the sanctions policy of the West against Russia. According to him, Washington will start work on the extension of restrictive measures soon.

    “Since the Ukrainian crisis, the USA, EU and the remaining G7 have cooperated closely on the issue of sanctions that have already affected the Russian economy … Obviously, US representatives will start working on this issue in …

  • Russia and the US blame each other for incident in the Mediterranean Sea

    The American and Russia navies have accused each other of performing unsafe maneuvers in the Mediterranean Sea. The incident involved the USS Gravely and a Russian Neustrashimyy-class frigate, the Yaroslav Mudry, Reuters reported.

    The Russian Ministry of Defense said that the commander and crew of the USS Gravely were in “gross violation” of international maritime agreements. The MoD stated that the USS Gravely approached the Yaroslav Mudry at a distance of 60-70 meters on the port side and …

  • Ukrainian-American Rapid Trident 2016 exercises begin in the Lviv region

    The Ukrainian-American Rapid Trident 2016 military exercises have begun at the International Peacekeeping and Security Center of the Hetman Petro Sahaidachnyi National Army Academy in the Lviv region.

    More than 1,800 soldiers from 14 countries are participating in the exercise, which will last until July 8th.

    According to the US Army in Europe's website, "Rapid Trident is a regional command post exercise and field training exercise focused on peacekeeping and stability operations to ensure a …

  • Nuland met with Surkov in Moscow to discuss the Donbas

    U.S. Assistant Secretary of State, Victoria Nuland and Russian presidential aide Vladislav Surkov discussed the Ukrainian question in Moscow. According to the U.S. Embassy, the talks were mainly dedicated to security issues in the Donbas. "The discussions were very detailed, thorough and constructive".

    "Negotiators focused on the subject of maintaining security in the framework of the Minsk Agreements, implementation of the ceasefire, withdrawal of the heavy weaponry and ensuring an unimpeded …

  • Kerry: Brexit decision will not affect common agenda in Ukraine

    US Secretary of State John Kerry stated that the UK’s decision to leave the European Union will not affect the overall common agenda that the US shares in Europe on the issue of Ukraine, according to a press release issued by the State Department.

    Following a phone conversation with British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, Kerry stated “the British are in no way departing from the principles and values that undergird the Transatlantic Partnership or from the important role the U.K. plays in …

  • Michael McFaul: Putin is the main winner in the Brexit vote

    Former US Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul wrote on Twitter that the main winner of Brexit is Russian President Vladimir Putin.

    “Shocked by Brexit vote! Losers: EU, UK, US, those that believe in utility of a strong, united, democratic Europe. Winners: Putin,” McFaul tweeted.

    The former Ambassador also congratulated the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin and the head of the Duma Committee on International Affairs, Alexei Pushkov, saying it was …