Contents tagged with USA

  • Volker: US will not recognize Russian passports issued in Crimea and Donbas

    The United States will not recognize Russian passports issued in areas of the Donbas outside of Ukrainian control and Russian annexed Crimea, said Kurt Volker, US State Department’s Special Representative for Ukraine.

    In response to a question asked by a Radio Svoboda correspondent during a telephone briefing in Brussels, the American official said that he considers Russia issuing passports to Ukrainian citizens in the east of Ukraine a “provocative step”. However, he doubts many Ukrainians …

  • The United States calls on Russia and Syria to stop offensive in Idlib

    On Tuesday, at a media briefing, State Department Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus, called on Russia and Syrian officials to stop conducting offensive operations in Syria’s Idlib province.

    According to her, such actions constitute a “reckless escalation” of tensions in the Syrian province.  “This is unacceptable,” said Ortagus. She stressed that Washington is calling on Moscow and Damascus to stop conducting the offensive operation. It “needs to end,” Ortagus added. The State Department …

  • Ukrainian President Zelensky will make his first foreign visit to Brussels

    President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky will make his first foreign visit to Brussels on June 4-5. The President of Ukraine will meet with the leadership of the European Union and NATO; he will meet with EU President Donald Tusk and President of European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker, reports Interfax-Ukraine. Also, a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is planned.

    In turn, the Executive Director of Europe and Central Asia in the European External Action Service Thomas Mayr- …

  • Russia denies possibility of supplying ammunition to the US

    Russian defense concern Corporation Rostec, commenting on the reports about the Pentagon's intention to buy ammunition for Russian weapons, said that the supply of Russian ammunition for the needs of the United States is currently impossible. The ammunition of the Russian production can be delivered to the United States only in the case of lifting the sanctions, reports Interfax with reference to Rostec.

    Earlier, the publication Defence Blog reported that the Pentagon unit plans to purchase …

  • NATO Air Defense Forces exercises to be held in Poland in June

    NATO troops will hold a military exercise in Poland called "Tobruq Legacy – 19" from June 3 to 19. Air defense activities will be practiced during the maneuvers, reports Defence24.pl news portal.

    About 4,800 troops from Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, Romania, Slovakia, the USA, the Czech Republic, and the UK will attend the exercise, and 1,200 units of equipment will be involved. It is expected that during the maneuvers Patriot missile systems will be used, as well as several short-range …

  • US prepares to impose sanctions on Nord Stream 2 construction companies

    Washington is preparing to impose sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project.

    According to the relevant bill, which was published on the US Senate website, sanctions will be imposed on a number of foreign construction companies that are involved in laying the pipeline on the bottom of the Baltic Sea.

    The “Protecting Europe’s Energy Security Act of 2019” was authored by republican senators Ted Cruz, John Barrasso, Tom Cotton and democrat senator Jeanne Shaheen.

    The senators stipulate …

  • Media: Kolomoisky fled Israel fearing extradition to the US

    The Ukrainian oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky left Israel in a hurry, fearing prosecution and subsequent deportation to the US, reports the Telegram channel The Newsroom.

    “Two unrelated sources have told us that Kolomoisky returned because the FBI had him pinned in Israel. The amount of information on the oligarch’s schemes is supposedly so large that the local Mossad had already gladly made plans to hand him over to the Americans, despite the fact that Israel does not extradite its own citizens to …

  • NATO to adopt new military strategy in light of 'growing Russian threat'

    For the first time in recent decades, NATO’s military experts have reconsidered the alliance’s military strategy in connection with the “growing nuclear threat” from Russia, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag.

    “Our military experts adopted a new military strategy for the alliance this week,” Stoltenberg said.

    He observed that since 2014, a “new security situation has emerged”, with new challenges in eastern and southern Europe.

    “We need to …

  • Former Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland denied a Russian visa

    Victoria Nuland, the former State Department representative and former Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, was denied a Russian visa because she was blacklisted, according to the newspaper Kommersant.

    According to the newspaper, the former official was planning to fly to Moscow for an international conference, organized in part by the Russian Council on International Affairs (RIAC, headed by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Igor Ivanov). It took place on May 20-21. …

  • Turkey prepares for US sanctions after purchase of S-400 missile systems from Russia

    Turkish Defence Minister said that Ankara is preparing for possible US sanctions in connection with the purchase of Russian anti-aircraft S-400 missile systems.

    At the same time, he noted that there had been some progress in the negotiations with the US on the purchase of F-35 fighter aircraft.

    The US and Turkey have disagreements on several issues, including Ankara's decision to purchase S-400 systems that cannot be integrated into NATO systems. Washington stated that this would jeopardize …