Germany sees no reason for lifting EU sanctions against Russia. “No” was German Chancellor’s Official Spokesperson Steffen Seibert’s laconic reply to the question posed to him on Wednesday, April 3, by a DW correspondent - "Should German Minister for Economic Affairs Peter Altmaier’s participation in the opening ceremony of the Mercedes assembly plant in Yesipovo, located near Moscow, be seen as Berlin’s departure from the policy of sanctions against the Russian Federation?" 

“Sanctions …

Ukrainian Armed Forces are planning to test two missile systems in the Odessa region said Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak at a briefing in Odessa, as reeported on the website of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense.

"In the coming days, two missile systems will be tested in the Odessa region, and we hope that these tests will be successful, increasing the capabilities and effectiveness of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in protecting the coast and land territory," said Poltorak.

Poltorak …

The Russian Finance Ministry has decided not to disclose any more information about the Nicolas Maduro regime’s debt repayments to Russia, announced Deputy Finance Minister Sergey Storchak at a Moscow Stock Exchange forum on Wednesday.

In March, Venezuela was supposed to pay Russia a $100 million installment on its $3 billion intergovernmental loan. But Moscow will not say whether it received the money or not, since the government loans program is now classified, Storchak noted.

“Everything …

Volodymyr Zelensky, who won the first round of Ukraine’s presidential elections with 30.2% of the votes, has announced that he is willing to publicly debate the incumbent president Petro Poroshenko before they face off in the second round of elections.

“I will go to debates. I’m speaking to Petro Poroshenko, you challenge me to debates, dreaming that I’ll run away and hide. No. I am not you in 2014. I will accept the challenge,” Zelensky said in a video posted on Facebook.

However, the …

A pair of Russian Tu-160 strategic bombers made a 13 hour planned flight over the neutral waters of the Barents, Norwegian and North seas this week, the Russian Defense Ministry reports.

The bombers were escorted by MiG-31 interceptor jets, and during the flight, the Tu-160 crews practiced aerial refueling.

At various stages of the route, the Russian aircraft were accompanied by F-16 jets belonging to Denmark and Norway. “All flights by the Russian Aerospace Forces are done in strict …