President Petro Poroshenko has said that Ukraine is ready to resume gas purchases from Russia.

"What has happened in the past two years? We are energetically independent. They [Russia] are knocking: can you take our gas? No, we are all right. If it is cheap and honest, not corrupt, [then] please," he said during a working trip to the Odessa region, writes Interfax-Ukraine.

At the same time, Poroshenko stressed that, with respect for the above-mentioned conditions, the Ukrainian authorities …

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the deployment of Aegis Ashore ground-based anti-ballistic missile defense systems in Japan would negatively affect relations between Moscow and Tokyo, TASS reports.

According to Zakharova, this decision by Tokyo causes "deep regret and major concerns."

"We see this move by Japan as running counter to efforts to ensure peace and stability in the region," she went on. "Such actions by Tokyo are directly at variance with the …

In Sevastopol, on December 28, more than 40 ship crews from the Russian Black Sea Fleet practiced preparation for an extended naval, the use of weapons and technical equipment, as reported by the press service of the Southern Military District of Russia.

"The crews are training to work for the survivability of the ship when berthing at the pier, practicing counter-sabotage and anti-aircraft defense," the report said. The training tasks include daily organization of service; routine and rest of …