The Command of the Lithuanian-Polish-Ukrainian Brigade and staff officers assigned to these battalions arrived at the Demba combined range of the Polish Armed Forces to participate in the certified command-staff drills - Common Challenge – 16, which began on the 11th of December and will last five days, according to the Government website.

Eighteen Ukrainian officers from the Lithuanian-Polish-Ukrainian Brigade under the leadership of the Deputy Commander of the Brigade, Colonel Vladimir …

Armenia has signed an agreement to join the Defensive Systems of Russian-Belarusian Interstate Financial and Industrial Group, TASS reported.

"Armenia joined the intergovernmental Russian-Belarusian agreement of February 11th, 2000 on the establishment of a ‘Defensive Systems Interstate Financial and Industrial Group. The main purpose of the establishment of such a group is the use of its participants scientific, technical, industrial, and investment potentials for the creation and production …

The Prime Minister of Finland, Juha Sipilä, stated that negotiations on lifting the EU’s sanctions against Russia will be held only after the implementation of the Minsk agreements, as was reported by the Yle broadcasting company.

Sipilä was skeptical about the possible abolition of the EU sanctions against Russia and due to the lack of progress in the implementation of the Minsk agreements.

Finland, according to the Prime Minister, fully supports the common EU line in this regard.

"The EU …

Latvia has no plans to create a NATO military base in the coastal city of Liepāja, as stated by the Ambassador of Latvia in Moscow, Astra Kurme, Postimees reports.

"There are no plans to create a NATO military base in Liepāja as such. The long-term national plans are being developed for the technical preparation of the port to service warships, as well as the creation of a number of other defense facilities of the Latvian Armed Forces," she said, adding that she does not see how this could be …

The USA will not supply man-portable air-defense systems or “MANPADS” to Syria to combat terrorists, Deputy Spokesman Mark Toner said. “Our position regarding MANPADS has not changed,” he stressed while speaking with journalists, RIA Novosti reported.

American authorities are closely monitoring all actions that provide assistance to the opposition, Toner added. “Of course, I will never be able to say on any given battlefield—and we talked about this before—that equipment and assistance can’t …

Ankara intends to replace its pro-Western NATO representatives with officials who are in favor of cooperation with China, Iran and Russia, The Times reported.

Journalists of the British newspaper obtained copies of emails sent by recently discharged Turkish officers to the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Curtis Scaparrotti, in which the former voiced concerns over "a significant increase in ultranationalist and anti-Western sentiments" in the Turkish army.

One of the Turkish officers noted …

Russia plans to reduce oil production to 10.947 million barrels per day, based on its agreement with OPEC countries, the Russian Minister of Energy, Alexander Novak stated, Interfax reported.

According to CDU TEK, Russia was extracting 11.247 million barrels per day in October. "10.947 million barrels per day is the end result of the reduction plan," Novak said, referring to data from CDU TEK.

Novak also discussed the pace of reduction of oil production by Russia. By March, production should …

US Secretary of State John Kerry accused the Syrian authorities of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity.

"The indiscriminate bombings undertaken by Syrian authorities contradict international law and in many cases are crimes against humanity. They must be stopped,” Kerry said after a meeting of the "friends of Syria group" in Paris.

According to him, the Syrian conflict, "is the most serious conflict since the Second World War".

Kerry, along with other participants of the …