Contents tagged with Russia

  • Biden speaks to Ukrainian Parliament

    Kyiv, December 8, 2015

    In his passionate speach to Ukrainian parliament U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden urged Ukraine to seize the opportunity to become a truly democratic nation that removes the blight of corruption. He also directly accused Moscow of sending troops to fight with pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine and trying to hide that action from the Russian public and the world. Mr. Biden assured Ukraine of the U.S. continuous support as long as it stayed on the democratic path. …

  • Syrian opposition groups to meet at conference in Saudi Arabia

    Reuters reported that different groups of the Syrian opposition will meet on December 8th in Saudi Arabia in order to agree upon a common position before the upcoming international negotiations on Syria in New York. The various Islamist and Salafist organizations received invitations from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to attend the conference, which is to be held from the 8th to the 10th of December.

    However, the report didn’t specify if the Jaysh al-Islam (Army of Islam) will take part in the …

  • Turkey and Ukraine in talks on tank modernization

    As tensions between Moscow and Ankara continue to rise, Turkey has turned to Ukraine looking for cooperation in military programs.As reported by Defense News, Turkey's Aselsan and Ukraine's Ukroboronprom have started negotiations on a deal for tank modernization programs.This comes at a time when both countries find themselves at odds with Kremlin.The Turkish government signed a contract with Aselsan at the end of November for a weapons system, known as the Akkor, which protects against anti- …

  • Russian military satellite fails to launch

    As reported by RIA Novosti, one of two military satellites, launched from the Russian Plesetsk Cosmodrome in the Arkhangelsk region, failed to separate from the booster rocket. The satellite was created to scan the Earth's oceans and weather systems from space, and to spot submarines. It took a decade to develop.

    An investigation has been opened and early indications suggest there was a problem with the satellite's attachment to the upper-stage rocket, which did not open up in time.

    The …

  • Turkey slams Russia’s missile ‘provocation’ in Bosphorus

    As reported by Hurriyet Daily News of Turkey, a Russian warship passing through Bosphorus en route to the Mediterranean on Dec. 6 brought an angry reaction from Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu. A russian soldier was seen in footage of the boat holding a ground-to-air missile in the shooting position. “This is provocation, this is a harassing passage,” Çavuşoğlu told reporters on Dec. 6 in his hometown Antalya.“The Russian warplanes’ violation of our airspace and the passing of the …

  • Turkey’s officials express their views on the return of Crimea

    The Ambassador of Turkey, Yönet Tezel, stated in his interview to the Ukrainian News that Ukraine should not make any derogations from legal positions in order to return Crimea. Tezel continued to say that this problem can’t be solved by military means. It’s necessary to find a solution to this conflict through dialogue.

    “Under conditions, when there are conflicts almost everywhere in the world, military solutions aren’t viable,” Tezel said. He added that Turkey has no intention to change its …

  • Return of Crimea and destabilisation of Caucasus could be Turkish response to Russia

    Ukrainian political scientist and Director of the Institute of Global Strategies, Vadim Karasev, believes that during the friction with Russia, Turkey could raise the issue of the return of the Crimea to Ukraine on the international level. Moreover, Turkey could also support subversive underground movements in the Caucasus.

    “The Russo-Turkish confrontation has mostly taken place on the information level. The conflict has hybrid nature,” Karasev stated. The expert believes that the conflict …

  • Top U.S. official to discuss terrorism financing in Europe

    As reported by The Wall Street Journal, Adam Szubin, acting U.S. undersecretary of Treasury for terrorism and financial intelligence will visit Italy, Germany and the U.K next week to discuss U.S.-European counter-terrorism finance with government officials, think tanks and business, legal and compliance leaders.The discussions will include joint efforts against Islamic State and enforcement of sanctions on Russia for its destabilizing actions in Ukraine.Mr. Szubin will also outline ongoing U.S. …