Contents tagged with USA

  • White House officially nominates Yovanovitch as next Ambassador to Ukraine

    The White House has announced the official nomination of Marie Yovanovitch for the post of the United States Ambassador in Kiev, replacing Geoffrey R. Pyatt, who has been appointed as ambassador to Greece.  

    Since 2012, Yovanovitch has held the position of Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau for European and Asian Affairs. As Assistant Secretary she was responsible for bilateral relations with the countries of Scandinavia, the Baltic States and Central Europe. Previously, she …

  • The Pentagon: Russia has established a military base near Palmyra, Syria

    The Pentagon stated that Russia has established a military base in the vicinity of Palmyra, Syria, despite Vladimir Putin’s announcement in March that the majority of Russian troops would be withdrawn from the war-torn country, Rosbalt reported.

     "It seems that they [Russia] created a kind of forward operating base, which gives them a base for a longer presence,” US Colonel Steve Warren stated during a videoconference from Baghdad.

    According to him, Russia has not, in fact, reduced its troop …

  • Ukraine and US to sign agreement on mutual assistance between Customs Administrations

    On the 23rd of May 2016, Ukraine and the US will sign an inter-governmental agreement on mutual assistance between Customs Administrations, according to the Minister of Finance of Ukraine, Oleksandr Danylyuk.

    “I have just initialed a draft agreement between the governments of Ukraine and the US on mutual assistance between Customs Administrations. Tomorrow, I will submit a draft order on approval of the agreement to the Cabinet of Ministers. The signing of the approved agreement is scheduled …

  • US Deputy Defense Secretary: Putin's threats over missile defense shield are problematic

    As was stated by the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense, Robert Work, the Pentagon is concerned about statements made by Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding threats against Russia due to the placement of U.S. ABM systems, The Wall Street Journal reports.

    “We would like to ask Russia to think about what they are saying, because we intend to cooperate with them wherever possible. However, such threats are highly problematic and of serious concern to us,” Work said.

    On the 13th of May, Work …

  • Putin says new US missile defense installation in Romania violates Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty

    Russian President Vladimir Putin stated from his residence, Bocharov Ruchei, that the deployment of United States National Missile Defense systems in Romania violates the INF treaty.

    "It is a clear violation of arms treaties because launchers which will be deployed in Poland once the radar station is completed in Romania, can be used for the deployment of short and intermediate-range missiles," Putin said on Friday in Sochi at the end of a meeting on military issues.

    He noted that the re- …

  • U.S. Congressman proposes creating federal agency to counter Russian and Chinese propaganda

    U.S. Congressman Adam Kinzinger proposed to create a new federal agency to fight "Chinese and Russian propaganda," the Washington Examiner reported. His proposed bill would create a holistic government approach to combat the numerous instruments of propaganda used by Russia and China.

    "Russia continues to spew its disinformation and false narratives undermining the United States and its interests in places like Ukraine, and causes instability,” Kinzinger believes.

    He is confident that the …

  • US to provide Ukraine with $1 billion in loan guarantees

    Poroshenko and Biden have agreed on the provision of the third loan installment in the amount of $1 billion to Ukraine. The agreement will be signed in the near future.

    On the 13th of May, the President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, and the Vice President of the United States, Joe Biden, agreed to the provision of the third tranche of a loan in the amount of $1 billion to Kiev, the press service of the Ukrainian President reported. Poroshenko informed Biden on the progress made towards …

  • US demands that separatists allow OSCE access to weapons storage facilities

    The US representative to the OSCE, Daniel Baer, called for the immediate withdrawal of heavy weapons from the territories controlled by separatists in eastern Ukraine.

    At a meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna, the representative said that the OSCE observers reported no decrease in the arsenal of heavy weapons in Luhansk, "including tanks, howitzers, armored vehicles and anti-aircraft surface-to-air systems," Ukrinform reported.

    According to the OSCE mission in eastern Ukraine, …

  • Construction of new US missile defense installation begins in Poland

    Construction of a new US missile defense base has begun in the Polish village of Redzikowo.

    The ground breaking ceremony was attended by Polish President Andrzej Duda, Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz, Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski, and US Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work, Evropeyskaya Pravda reported with reference to TVN 24.

    On Thursday, the US’s European missile defense system in Romania was officially declared operational.

    According to Washington, the missile defense …

  • Ukraine still expects to issue Eurobonds under U.S. guarantees

    The Minister of Finance of Ukraine, Oleksandr Danylyuk, during an interview with journalists on the sidelines of the annual meeting of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), stated that Ukraine is still planning to issue Eurobonds under U.S. guarantees. However, the exact entrance dates to the borrowing market are unknown.

    “Firstly, we should receive guarantees. We have it in our plans,” Danylyuk said.

    In April, Danylyuk said that Ukraine expects to return to the markets …