Contents tagged with Russia
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French MFA: Russia's support for Assad regime is 'torpedoing' peace talks
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of France, Loran Fabius, has stated that Russian and Iranian support for Syrian President Bashar-al-Assad is detrimental to the Syrian peace process.
“This is completely torpedoing peace talks in Geneva,” Fabius stated. He said this upon his arrival to an informal meeting of ministers of foreign affairs of the EU.
“It requires a political decision. Political discussions cannot be conducted when one of the parties destroys another. Both parties have to return …
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Ukrainian Intelligence Learns of Putin Adviser's Plan to Visit Separatist-Held Regions
The Deputy Director of the Ministry of Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, Vadim Skibitskiy, indicated that the Russian Presidential Advisor, Vladislav Surkov, plans to visit the occupied Donbas region, as reported by Ukrainian TV channels.
Skibitskiy also said that official candidates from the Russian Federation for local government positions of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) and Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) have not been elected. However, the representatives of the …
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Erdoğan: Allegations of Turkish invasion of Syria are 'ridiculous'
According to the Al Arabiya news channel, the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has referred to allegations of a Syrian invasion by Turkey as "ridiculous". This is in response to claims made by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.
“I think that the allegations made by Russia are ridiculous. Rather, it is Russia who has invaded Syria,” Erdoğan stated.
A representative of the Turkish government had already denied the statements made by Russia and stated that such …
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Peskov: Putin has no plans to meet with Erdoğan
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russian President Vladimir Putin has no plans to visit with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, according to Interfax.
Erdoğan told reporters last week that he wished to meet with the Russian President in order to discuss the increased tensions between the two countries, and in particular the issue of airspace violations. Erdoğan's comments came after the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused the Russian Air Force of violating its airspace over …
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Poland opens fresh probe into plane crash that killed President Kaczynski in 2010
Poland has resumed the investigation of the Tu-154 plane crash that occurred near Smolensk in April of 2010 that killed Polish President Lech Kaczynski. This was announced on the 4th of February by the Minister of Defense of Poland, Antoni Macierewicz. The commission that will execute the investigation will consist of 12 people, and will include engineers and technical experts, some of whom are from abroad. “I am sure that the work will bring us closer to the truth,” Macierewicz said. …
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Kiev insists on Russia's immediate release of Crimean political prisoner Afanasiev
Ukraine is deeply concerned about the continued torture of Gennadiy Afanasiev, an Ukrainian prisoner who is being illegally detained in Russia. This alleged torture is conducted at the hands of the employees of the Penitentiary Service of the Russian Federation. A report by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine also mentioned Afanasiev’s inhumane treatment and the continuous violation of his rights.
“We demand that the Russian Federation respect the rights of the illegal prisoner and …
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Russian Defense Ministry Discloses Details of Serviceman's Death in Syria
A Russian military adviser, who was killed in Syria, died from severe injuries as a result of the attack on the Syrian army training center in the province of Homs, as reported by the head of the press service and information for the Russian Ministry of Defense, Igor Konashenkov, in an interview with Novaya Gazeta.
Four Syrian cadets were also killed alongside the Russian adviser during the mortar attack by militants of the so-called Islamic State. The Russian officer was seriously injured and …
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Russia suspects Turkey of preparing to invade Syria
According to Igor Konashenkov, a representative of the Ministry of Defense of Russia, there are “more and more” signs of covert preparations for an armed invasion of Syria by Turkey.
Konashenkov stated that Moscow has “serious grounds” for suspicion. “We are finding more and more signs of covert training of the Turkish Armed Forces for future military actions in Syria,” he reported. He also noted that on a previous occasion, the Ministry of Defense presented video evidence of self-propelled …
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Erdogan: Syrian Negotiations are Meaningless unless Russia and Syria Cease Attacks
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated that inter-Syrian negotiations in Geveva are meaningless as long as the troops of the Syrian President, Bashar Al-Assad, and Russia continue hostilities in Syria. “Russia continues to kill people in Syria. How is it then possible to hold peace negotiations?” he rhetorically asked, speaking during his visit to Peru on the 4th of February. “In a climate when people are killed, such efforts make no sense. They just ease the conditions for the tyrant,” …
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Bavarian Minister-President visits Moscow to 'restore normal relations' with Russia
At a reception held by Russian President Valdimir Putin, Bavarian Minister-President Horst Seehofer said that he would make an effort to restore normal relations with Russia. He had previously stated that the Bavarian economy is suffering due to sanctions placed against Russia.
Seehofer is also the head of the Christian Social Union party (CSU). He viewed his visit to Moscow as a step towards achieving these normal relations with Russia. “We wholeheartedly wish to contribute to the …