Contents tagged with USA

  • Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov warns Pompeo against sanctions for Skripals poisoning

    Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have recently spoken over the phone at the latter’s initiative, the Russian foreign policy department reported on Tuesday. 

    The officials discussed two main topics. 

    The first was the possible imposition of new sanctions on Russia due to the poisoning of former GRU agent Sergey Skripal and his daughter Yulia in the UK. Lavrov warned that this would cause further deterioration in the two countries’ relations and …

  • US Secretary of State urges Hungary to support Ukraine

    On Monday, February 11, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo began his Central European tour of Hungary, Slovakia and Poland. At the joint press-conference with the Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, Pompeo spoke about the need to support Ukraine, Voice of America reported.

    "Today I spoke with the foreign minister about the urgent importance of supporting Ukraine in its quest for sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he said. "Hungarians know all too well from their history that an …

  • Russia warns of gas supply problems to Europe if Nord Stream 2 is stopped

    The Russian Foreign Ministry warned the EU against hindering the Nord Stream 2 project, stated Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Alexander Pankin in an interview with RIA Novosti. 

    Pankin stated that if obstacles are created to force Russia to pump gas through Ukraine “on their terms, their tariffs and their legal uncertainties, then this would not work”. He pointed to possible difficulties that European consumers could have if Russia and Ukraine fail to reach an agreement on gas transit and “ …

  • NATO may consider deploying missiles in Czech Republic in response to Russia's violation of INF treaty

    The Czech Minister of Defense Lubomir Metnar stated that he does not rule out the possibility that NATO might soon return to discussions about deploying missiles on the territory of the Czech Republic. 

    In his opinion, the issue will be discussed in six months, when a decision will be made regarding the termination of the Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missile treaty (INF) between the USA and Russia. 

    “It is possible that after the treaty ends, the security situation will deteriorate. I …

  • Kremlin claims head of NASA plans to visit Russia

    RIA Novosti reported, citing the official representative of the Russian state corporation Roscosmos, Vladimir Ustimenko that the head of NASA, Jim Bridenstine is indeed planning to come to Russia for talks with the head of Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin. 

    “The invitation… for Bridenstine to come to Russia for further negotiations was announced by... [the head of Roscosmos] Rogozin during the teleconference. The American side intends to accept it but the time of the visit has not yet been agreed on,” …

  • Stoltenberg: NATO will not eliminate nuclear weapons unless Russia and China do so

    The North Atlantic Alliance will not eliminate nuclear weapons if Russia and China do not do it, stated NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in the commentary to the German edition of the Morgen Post.

    "NATO’s goal is a world without nuclear weapons. But the world will not become safer if NATO loses all of its nuclear weapons, while Russia, China and other countries continue to maintain or expand their nuclear arsenals," said Stoltenberg.

    In addition, he called on Germany and other partners …

  • German newspaper discloses locations of Russian 9M729 cruise missiles

    Russia has deployed 9M729 cruise missiles in the locations that previously have not been reported. On February 10, the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung, citing western intelligence sources, wrote that the missile divisions are located near Mozdok in North Ossetia, and in Shuya town near Moscow, reports the Russian service Radio Liberty.

    Previously reported cruise missiles installations are located at the Kapustin Yar Russian rocket launch and development site in southern …

  • US Congress prepares to deal new blow to Russian economy

    The lull in sanctions which Russia enjoyed during US Congress’s interim elections and government shutdown is now coming to an end.

    After the four-month break, Congress is once again discussing new measures that can be taken against Russia. The possibilities range from a ban on investments in Russian government debt to a complete disconnection of Russian government banks from the global dollar transaction system.

    Congress’s first hearings following its elections will be held on 12 February in …

  • USA deploys more than a dozen combat helicopters in Latvia

    As part of Operation Atlantic Resolve, thirteen UH-60 Black Hawk and HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters have been deployed  in Latvia to strengthen security in the region, reported the Latvian Defense Ministry. The helicopters were deployed at a National Armed Forces airbase in Lielvārde. 

    Also, about 150 US military serving in the 3rd Battalion of the First Aviation Brigade have arrived in the country for 9 months rotation. The US personnel will maintain the helicopters and will train the Latvians …

  • US ambassadors to Europe warn of dangers of Nord Stream 2 pipeline

    American diplomats are urging European countries to revise their Gas Directive and to adopt amendments that would extend the EU’s regulations to companies from third countries, including the Nord Stream 2 project. The US ambassadors to Germany, Denmark and the EU, Richard Grenell, Carla Sands and Gordon Sondland, wrote about this in an opinion article for Deutsche Welle.

    “The EU should revise the Third Energy Package's Gas Directive so that the bloc's laws also apply to projects like Nord …