The United States is promising up to $60 million in military aid to Ukraine in advance of a White House meeting on Wednesday between President Joe Biden and his counterpart in Kyiv, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The Biden administration said in a notification to Congress that the aid package for Ukraine was …
Read More »Russia calls on US to release Afghan central bank reserves
Russia on Monday called on the United States to release Afghan central bank reserves that Washington blocked after the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul earlier this month. “If our Western colleagues are actually worried about the fate of the Afghan people, then we must not create additional problems for them by …
Read More »Estonia denies visa to Russian diplomat in a tit-for-tat response
Estonia denied visa to a Russian diplomat in response to the expulsion of an Estonian diplomat from Russia in early August, the Estonian Foreign Ministry said on Monday. The Estonian diplomat was expelled after Estonia threw out a Russian diplomat, the statement said. The Russian had been expelled in response …
Read More »China will soon surpass Russia as a nuclear threat –senior US military official
China, in the midst of a rapid nuclear weapons buildup, will soon surpass Russia as the United States’ top nuclear threat, a senior U.S. military official said on Friday, warning that the two countries have no mechanisms to avert miscommunication. U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General Thomas Bussiere, the deputy commander …
Read More »Russia deplores state of relations with EU
The Russian foreign minister says the current state of the relations between Russia and the European Union (EU) is “deplorable,” regretting the fact that the bloc’s policy is aimed at restraining Moscow. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made the remark at a joint press conference with his Austrian counterpart, Alexander Schallenberg, …
Read More »Russia records highest daily COVID-19 toll ever as delta variant spreads
Russia on Thursday recorded its highest daily coronavirus death toll as the country struggles with the aggressive delta variant and slowing vaccination rates. A government tally reported 820 fatalities over the past 24 hours and 19,630 new cases. Russia, the fourth worst-hit country in the world in terms of cases, …
Read More »Russia navy overhaul: New warships, nuclear subs under construction
Russia is pushing forward with plans to modernize its navy using cutting-edge technology, with President Vladimir Putin revealing that several new warships and nuclear submarines are in the pipeline. Delivering a speech through video conference as part of the Army 2021 expo from the Patriot Park outside Moscow on Monday, …
Read More »Ukraine’s president pledges to ‘return’ Russia-annexed Crimea
Volodymyr Zelenskyy urges the international forum to back Kyiv in its bid to overturn the 2014 seizure of Black Sea peninsula. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pledged to do all he can to recover the Russian-annexed Crimean peninsula and urged international allies to support the effort. Speaking on Monday at …
Read More »Russia, Turkey set to sign new deal on delivery of S-400 missile system
Russia and Turkey are in the final stages of negotiating a new contract to supply Ankara with additional S-400 air defense units, Russia’s state-run arms exporter has announced. A new deal with Turkey on the delivery of the advanced medium-to-long-range air defense missile system is set to be signed soon, …
Read More »‘Groundless’: China condemns US sanctions against Nord Stream 2
The Chinese Foreign Ministry has slammed the United States for imposing new sanctions on Russia over its sprawling undersea pipeline project, transferring Russian gas to Europe. According to Press TV, the ministry criticized the US sanctions against Nord Stream 2 as a “groundless” move that violates international law. Washington claims …
Read More »Russia says working on alternative to SWIFT, but disconnection not imminent
The Russian Foreign Ministry has ruled out any imminent plan to disconnect his country from the SWIFT interbank payment system, warning that such as move would affect all parties. “There is no visible danger of us getting disconnected from SWIFT. I think that the hypothetical disconnection is not a market …
Read More »Russia says Turkey could sign new S-400 missile deal soon: Ifax
Russia and Turkey are close to signing a new contract to supply Ankara with additional S-400 air defense units in the near future, the Interfax news agency cited the head of Russia’s Rosoboronexport arms exporter as saying on Monday. Turkey’s initial purchase of S-400s from Russia strained ties with the …
Read More »Russia pledges retaliation after new U.S. sanctions
Moscow pledged retaliatory measures after a new set of sanctions imposed by the United States on a Russian ship and two companies involved in the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, Russia’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday. The $11 billion projects, which will double the existing Nord Stream …
Read More »Russia completes railway section of cross-border bridge to China
Construction works on the long-anticipated cross-border railway bridge linking Russia and China across the Amur River have been completed, with the Russian and Chinese sections of the tracks now connected. Installation of the last section of rails was completed, China’s Central Television reports. The 2,209-meter (1.4 mile) structure links Russia’s …
Read More »Ukraine’s president says Nord Stream 2 is a ‘dangerous geopolitical weapon’
Ukraine sees the soon-to-be-completed Nord Stream 2 pipeline carrying Russian gas to Europe as “a dangerous geopolitical weapon”, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday. “We view this project exclusively through the prism of security and consider it a dangerous geopolitical weapon of the Kremlin,” Zelensky said during a joint press conference …
Read More »Ukraine’s President Zelensky eyes ‘guarantees’ during Merkel visit
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday he hoped German Chancellor Angela Merkel would bring Kiev news of Russian “guarantees” of gas transit fees for his country. Merkel will travel to Kiev on Sunday, two days after meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Among the issues discussed by the two …
Read More »US imposes more sanctions on Russians over Nord Stream 2
The administration of US President Joe Biden has announced to impose sanctions on a Russian vessel and two Russian individuals involved in the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project, a sprawling undersea pipeline that will carry Russian gas directly into Germany. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday that …
Read More »Putin and Erdogan discuss situation in Afghanistan: Report
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and Turkey’s Tayyip Erdogan discussed the situation in Afghanistan during a phone call and agreed to strengthen bilateral coordination on Afghan issues, the Kremlin said in a statement on Saturday. The presidents emphasized the priority was counter-terrorism and efforts to tackle drug trafficking, the Kremlin said.
Read More »Merkel and Putin, at odds over Navalny, to hold talks in Moscow
German chancellor also expected to discuss Taliban resurgence during a meeting with the Russian president. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has flown to Moscow for talks with President Vladimir Putin, her final official trip to Russia as she prepares to step down next month after nearly 16 years. Afghanistan is anticipated …
Read More »Russia says single-dose Sputnik Light vaccine over 93 pct effective in Paraguay
Russia’s single-dose Sputnik Light vaccine against COVID-19 has demonstrated 93.5 percent efficacy in Paraguay, with data taken from the South American country’s vaccination campaign, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) said on Wednesday. Developed by Moscow’s Gamaleya Institute, Sputnik Light had shown 79.4 percent efficacy when it was first authorized …
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