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US expands Crimea-related sanctions against Russia
The US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced on January 29 that it would be imposing new sanctions on eight individuals and one company in response to Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine and its annexation of the Crimean peninsula.
The announcement was published on the US Treasury Department’s website.
“The treasury’s action, taken in close coordination with our international allies and partners, reiterates our unwavering support for restoring free and fair democratic …
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Bulgaria to cut Russian gas purchases by half
Bulgaria, which imports nearly all of the gas it consumes from Russia, intends to obtain 50% of its gas from other sources by the end of the year, said Bulgarian Energy Minister Temenuzhka Petkova, as cited by the Energy Ministry’s press service.
“As for natural gas, our country will continue working to diversify our sources and routes for the country,” said the minister. She added that “by the end of the year, 50% of the country’s consumption of natural gas will be diversified”, Interfax …
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Russia offended by Zelensky’s statement that Soviet Union was responsible for WWII
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s statement that the Soviet Union was responsible for the start of World War II has elicited a significant response in Russia.
The Kremlin described his statement as “offensive”, TASS reports.
“We categorically do not agree with this statement. In this statement, the president of Ukraine is aligning himself with the extremely erroneous, in our opinion, perspective of the Polish leadership, and is aligning himself with a perspective which is offensive to …
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Erdogan accuses Russia of violating Syria agreements
Russia is not fulfilling its obligations in Syria which are part of the agreements reached in Sochi and Astana, stated Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as cited by the news agency Anadolu.
In particular, Erdogan accused the Russian military of striking residential areas in the Idlib de-escalation zone.
Erdogan stressed that Turkey's "patience is running out" and urged Russia to reconsider its strategy.
"If the strikes are not stopped, Ankara will take all necessary steps. Turkey does …
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Dutch MPs stage boycott of Russia
Dutch MPs have refused to travel to Russia after the country denied entry to one of their colleagues, reports NOS.nl.
Sjoerd Sjoerdsma, a member of the Democrats 66 party known for his criticism of the Kremlin regime, was denied entry to Russia.
In solidarity with Sjoerdsma, members of the Foreign Affairs Committee decided to cancel their visit to Russia, which was slated for February. The committee was unanimously of the opinion that Russia has no right to interfere with the composition of …