-
Finnish PM: Finland's NATO membership should be determined by a referendum
Finland may apply for NATO membership, but it will require broad support from the local population, as stated by Prime Minister Juha Sipilä, speaking at a party congress in the city of Seinäjoki.
"I consider it is important, that if one day we will come to this decision, a referendum will be held," Sipilä said.
"This does not mean that those who make decisions in the country are transferring their responsibilities [to the people], this means that they understand that such a big decision …
-
EU Council has not come to an agreement on visa-free regimes for Georgia, Ukraine, Kosovo and Turkey
During a meeting of the EU Justice and Home Affairs Council on Friday in Luxembourg, Ministers of the EU countries were not able to reach an agreement on the liberalization of the visa regime for Georgia, Ukraine, Kosovo and Turkey, Interfax-Ukraine reported.
"We’ve talked about the liberalization of visa policies, noting the progress made by all countries, including Turkey. But we have not made a decision yet, because some EU countries still see a number of problems and are not able to agree. …
-
Merkel: Sanctions against Russia will not end by themselves
German Chancellor Angela Merkel stated that sanctions imposed against Russia “will not end by themselves.”
According to Reuters, she stated that implementing the Minsk Agreements is the key to lifting the sanctions.
The EU imposed economic sanctions against Russia in July 2014 due to the crisis in Ukraine. In response, Russia banned the import of a number of products from the EU. The European Union tied these sanctions to the Minsk Agreements. According to the EU, the terms of the Minsk …
-
The US will continue buying Russian rocket engines
The US senate has approved the purchase of 18 Russian RD-180 rocket engines through 2022.
On Friday, June 10 the US Senate reached an agreement to continue purchase of the Russian RD-180 rocket engines. According to the Russian Sputnik News Agency, Senator Richard Shelby said “We have worked it out”, referring to a debate over the language in the 2017 defense spending bill about the purchase of the Russian rockets engines.
"The deal is 2022 and 18 rockets, similar to the House [defense bill]," …
-
US extends sanctions against Belarus for another year
Sanctions imposed by the United States against some Belarusian government representatives and other officials have been extended for another year.
According to a statement published on the website of the White House on Friday, June 10, the sanctions will be extended due to "the actions and policies of certain members of the Government of Belarus and other persons to undermine Belarus's democratic processes or institutions, manifested in the fundamentally undemocratic March 2006 elections, to …