Contents tagged with USA

  • European ambassadors urge US to lift sanctions from Deripaska’s companies

    European diplomats in the US have called for En+ and Rusal, two companies belonging to the Russian tycoon Oleg Deripaska, to be removed from the sanctions list, according to a letter to Chuck Schumer, leader of the democratic minority in the US Senate. 

    The document, which was published by the European foreign policy service on Friday, January 11, was authored by ambassadors from Austria, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the UK, France and Sweden, Deutsche Welle reports. 

    The authors believe that …

  • Belarus lifts restriction on the number of US diplomats in Minsk

    Belarus has lifted the restrictions on the number of US diplomats in Minsk, Foreign Policy reported. According to the magazine, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus Vladimir Makei notified the US officials of the lifting of restrictions in a telephone call. The news publication calls this decision “a diplomatic breakthrough”.

    In March 2008, the diplomatic staff of the US Embassy in Minsk was reduced from 35 to 5 people under the pressure of Belarusian authorities.

    The restriction on the …

  • Head of NASA has no plans to visit Russia

    Jim Bridenstine, head of the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), does not intend to go abroad any time soon, not even to Russia, his press secretary Megan Powers told TASS on Thursday. 

    “The director currently does not have plans to make any trips abroad,” she said when asked whether Bridenstine intended to travel to Russia to meet with Roscosmos head Dmitry Rogozin. “Future travel plans… are still under consideration,” Powers added. 

    She also commented on NASA’s plans to …

  • US reports that a Russian military satellite has burnt down

    Russian spacecraft Kosmos-2430, which is part of the missile attack warning system Oko, has ceased its orbital existence on January 5th, TASS reported , with reference to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) data.

    According to the data, the satellite deorbited and burned down in the atmosphere. According to unconfirmed data, connection with Kosmos-2430 was lost back in 2012-2014, at the end of the satellite life span. 

    The spacecraft was launched into space on October 23, 2007, …

  • Japan to give US new island for military exercises

    The Japanese government is preparing to buy out the uninhabited island of Mageshima so that it can be used for military exercises by American aircraft, Kyodo News reports. 

    The island of Mageshima has an area of roughly eight square kilometers and falls under the Kagoshima Prefecture in the south-west of Japan. Two old runways on the island intersect to form a cross. 

    The island may be sold for 16 billion yen (around $150 million), although negotiations are still underway with the development …

  • Turkey wants to invite Russia and Iran to monitor withdrawal of US troops from Syria

    Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu spoke about the need to exercise joint control with Russia and Iran over the withdrawal of the US troops from Syria. 

    “The United States faces some difficulties withdrawing the US troops from Syria. We want to coordinate this process together with Russia and Iran, with whom we have been working in the framework of the Astana process,” the minister said as reported by NTV TV channel. The Foreign Minister spoke about the need for coordination to prevent …

  • US will not deploy troops in South Kurils if given to Japan

    The US does not intend to deploy troops on the southern Kuril islands if Russia gives them back to Japan, Lieutenant General Jerry Martinez, Commander of the US Forces in Japan, said in a press conference. 

    “At this stage the US has no plans to deploy troops there,” Martinez said. 

    On January 5, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe said that the Japan-Russia peace treaty negotiations had reached a “decisive moment”. He noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin also wants to put an end to the …

  • US military aircraft spotted near Russian airbase in Syria

    An American reconnaissance plane was spotted near the Russian airbase Khmeimim in Syria and naval logistics base in Tartus, Interfax reports, citing the data of Western aviation resources.

    The US RC-135 surveillance aircraft was flying over the international waters of the Eastern Mediterranean along the Syrian coast for over two hours at a distance of about 60 km from Russian bases and an altitude of 9,600 meters.

    On January 4, an American P-8A Poseidon patrol plane also carried out a …

  • Kremlin: Russia monitors actions of US Navy ship in Black Sea

    The patrol ship from  the Russian Black Sea Fleet, Pytlivy, monitors the actions of USS Fort McHenry, a large landing ship of the US Navy, which carries out exercises in the Black Sea, reported RIA Novosti with reference to the Russian Ministry of Defense.

    As stated by the ministry, the American ship has been in the Black Sea since 9:00 pm Moscow time, January 6.

    The press service of the U.S. 6th Fleet announced that the ship would “conduct operations with its allies to ensure security and …

  • US naval ship to conduct military exercise in Black Sea with Romanian frigate

    USS Fort McHenry, a large dock landing ship of the US Navy, will spend three days at the Romanian Port of Constanţa and then take part in an exercise with the frigate King Ferdinand, the website of the Romanian Navy reports.

    “Leaving the port on Thursday, January 10, USS Fort McHenry and the Frigate King Ferdinand will conduct a series of joint training activities in the territorial waters of Romania and the international waters of the Black Sea,” the report states.

    The American ship arrived …