• Berlin: Kiev must continue to Pursue Reforms

    Against the backdrop of accusations of corruption in Ukraine, the Government of Germany warned the authorities in Kiev that a deviation from the initial course of reforms would have consequences. “The scandal surrounding the resignation of the Minister of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine, Aivaras Abromavičius should be a wake-up call for Kiev,” a representative of the German Foreign Ministry said on the 15th of February.

    “We insist that the Ukrainian leadership, Ukrainian Parliament, …

  • Russia to supply Iran with S-300 surface-to-air missile systems

    According to the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Deputy of the Second Department on Asia, Zamir Kabulov, Russia will begin to supply Iran with S-300 surface-to-air missiles (SAM), as resported by RIA Novosti. Tehran is also interested in purchasing improved S-400 SAMs; however, the parties haven’t begun negotiations on this issue yet.

    Russia and Iran signed a contract for the supply of S-300’s, worth approximately $900 million in 2007. The President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, signed a decree in …

  • Poland asks US for Help with Investigation into Plane Crash that Killed President Kaczynski in 2010

    Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski said that on Monday, during his visit to the U.S., he will ask for Washington's help with the investigation into the Smolensk disaster that killed Polish President Lech Kaczynski in 2010.

    "We'll ask whether the U.S. has any data that could be useful in the investigation of the crash... Perhaps their satellites recorded something at the moment of the disaster, or whether U.S. intelligence has received information which could be important," as quoted …

  • Finland concerned about possible influx of refugees to Russia

    The President of Finland, Sauli Niinistö, has said that Russia could face the same influx of refugees that Turkey is witnessing.  This was reported by Interfax on the 14th of February, with reference to a statement made by Niinistö in the Finnish edition of MTV News during the Munich Security Conference.

    "If Turkey closes its border, or its running stream is under control, the uncontrollable wave of people will move somewhere else," Niinistö said.  "In this sense, Russia could become the next …

  • NATO Secretary General Concerned over Russia's Nuclear Arsenal

    The Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, Jens Stoltenberg, expressed concern about Russia’s possession of nuclear weapons. According to Stoltenberg, the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, has threatened to use them. He stated in an interview with Bild on the 14th of February that Russian troops routinely conduct training exercises related to the deployment of nuclear weapons.

    Stoltenberg has made it clear that NATO will not quietly observe nuclear …