Ukrainian Foreign Minister: Constitutional Court ruling could lead to 'crisis of trust' with EU

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin believes that the EU will not revoke its visa-free regime with Ukraine in light of the Constitutional Court’s recent controversial decision to declare the “illegal enrichment” article of the Criminal Code unconstitutional.

“The telephone is ringing non-stop with phone calls asking: ‘What’s going to happen to the visa-free scheme in light of the Constitutional Court’s high profile decision?’ Let’s try to calm down. I am confident that the EU will not …


Belarus asks Russia for loan to repay $600 million debt

Minsk has asked Moscow for a loan to refinance the debt of $600 million, said Maxim Yermolovich, Minister of Finance of Belarus, BelTA reported.

“We have been discussing the possibility of refinancing the entire amount of the payments on Russian government loans in 2019. The amount of these payments is $600 million,” he said.

According to the minister, the implementation of these plans depends on the decision of the Russian government to approve the loan. Yermolovich added that the funds for …


Russia accuses the US of creating pretext to invade Venezuela

Russia seriously fears that the United States will use the failure of the American version of the resolution in the UN Security Council as a pretext for military intervention in Venezuela, said Vasily Nebenzya, Russia's permanent representative to the UN, during the UN Security Council meeting.

Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN said that the United States was aware that there were no chances for the American version of the resolution to pass and used it only to get an opportunity for …


Kremlin tells OSCE that Russia has completed integration of annexed Crimea

Dmitry Balakin, Deputy Permanent Representative of Russia to the OSCE stated at the meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council that the Crimea has completed its integration into Russia’s society, reported the press service of the Russian Permanent Mission to the OSCE.

“Life has proven that the Crimea's residents made the right choice. Now, we can say for sure that its integration into Russia’s common political, legal, social and economic space has been completed,” he said.

Balakin added that the …


Poland to spend record $48.9 billion on army upgrades

The technical plan to modernize the Polish army will require 185 billion Polish złotys (around $48.9 billion) in financing for the several programs it includes. The relevant document has already been signed by Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak, the Polish government website reports.

“This is a record plan in terms of the amount of financing,” Błaszczak observed.

According to the minister, the programs included in the plan reflect the army’s current objectives. One of them is to “reinforce …