• Lavrov: OSCE monitors can be allowed to carry personal firearms

    Moscow does not mind if OSCE observers carry personal firearms, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

    “Russia is ready to offer a compromise and agree that the OSCE observers stationed at the front line in eastern Ukraine carry personal arms,” Lavrov said during an interview with the Russian “Saturday News” TV program.

    “We said, as long as this helps the common objective, we are ready to give our consent that the group of observers who will be monitoring the contact line and the …

  • Netherlands to present report on weapon used to bring down MH17

    According to a press release by the international investigation team, Holland’s Prosecutor’s office, which is heading the joint investigation team determining the cause of the Malaysian passenger plane crash in the Donbas, will present a report on the weapon which was used to attack the airliner.

    The report will not constitute the final results of the investigation, Prosecutors said. Despite the noticeable progress in the investigation, they still don’t have enough information to provide a …

  • Merkel: Sanctions against Russia will be lifted when Ukraine gains control over its borders

    Sanctions against Russia will be lifter only after Ukraine gains full control over its borders, as stated by German Chancellor Angela Merkel during the Congress of the Christian Democratic Union,  Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung rerported.

    “I am convinced that Russia is slowly moving towards integration into the common European economic zone from Vladivostok to Lisbon,” Merkel said.

    “At the same time, despite the aspirations of the EU to accept Russia into the common European economy, we …

  • Ukraine and NATO held joint seminar on defense industry reform

    For the first time Ukraine and NATO held a joint seminar on defense industry reform, during which the transformation of the domestic military-industrial complex and the possibility of Ukraine's cooperation with the Alliance were discussed, as reported by the press service for Ukroboronprom.

    The seminar was held on June 1st at the Hetman Petro Sahaidachnyi National Army Academy. The event was attended by the members of the NATO International Staff, representatives of Ukroboronprom, the …

  • Merkel's advisor: It's too early to lift sanctions on Russia

    The discussion surrounding the cancellation of EU sanctions against Russia is premature, as stated by the German Chancellor's foreign policy advisor, Christoph Heusgen, Deutsche Welle reports. "If the current situation stays the same, I see no reason for sanctions not to be extended for another six months," Heusgen said.

    He indicated that the removal of restrictive measures on Russia is connected to the implementation of the Minsk Agreements. At the same time, according to Heusgen, the Minsk …