President Poroshenko: EU and NATO are guarantors of Ukraine's security
On Saturday, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko stated during the “Open Dialogue” forum in Kyiv that only the country’s membership in the EU and NATO could guarantee Ukraine’s security and independence.
“Only full-scale and equal membership in the European Union and NATO definitively and irrevocably guarantees independence, national security, freedom and well-being for our country,” Interfax-Ukraine quotes Poroshenko as saying.
According to the president, Ukraine’s achievement of the …
Russia not getting paid for arms shipments
Russia has started making arms shipments without receiving payment due to the US sanctions that prohibit dollar transactions for Russia’s defense-related export company, Rosoboronexport, finanz.ru reports.
The Russian Federal Customs Service’s (FCS) final statistics for 2018 appear to indicate that some of Russia’s weapons are being sold abroad for free, according to a review by Raiffeisen Bank analysts.
By the end of the year, Russia’s export revenue had grown by 25.8% to $443 billion, which …
Ukrainian Border Service: pro-Russian militants use laser weapons in Donbas
The Ukrainian State Border Service reported that Ukrainian border guards once again saw evidence of the use of laser weapons by pro-Russian militants in the Donbas.
“Starting 10 pm on February 8th until 4 am on Saturday, in the area of the Stanytsia Luhanska checkpoint, border guards providing protection to the road corridor recorded light purple beams from the temporarily occupied territory every two to three minutes,” says the message.
The State Border Service stated that due to the …
Putin accepts invitation to visit Italy
Russian President Vladimir Putin accepted an invitation to visit Italy, stated the Russian Ambassador in Rome, Sergey Razov in an interview with RIA Novosti.
“With regard to the Russian President's visit to Italy, the relevant invitation from the Italian leadership was received and accepted with appreciation,” he noted. Razov added that they will agree on a specific time frame later through diplomatic channels.
Razov stressed that Putin's visit to Italy could be a key event in bilateral …
Poland to buy American HIMARS missile systems
On Sunday 10 February, the Polish government will formally announce its acquisition of US-produced High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS).
According to a post on the Polish Defense Ministry website, the deal will be officially announced by Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak.
HIMARS are multipurpose salvo rocket systems that can fire unguided and guided rockets, as well as tactical rockets. The US Department of State authorized the sale of the …