• Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs: The EU's extension of sanctions is 'short-sightedness'

    The extension of economic sanctions against Russia by the European Union is a short-sighted policy, as stated by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

    "The extension of the anti-Russian economic sanctions by the European Union until January 31, 2017, which are illegitimate from the standpoint of international law, is seen as a continuation of a short-sighted policy by Brussels," the Ministry’s statement reads.

    The Ministry also stated that binding the sanctions to the implementation of the …

  • Poroshenko says he has spoken with Putin twice over the last month

    Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said that his communication with Russian President Vladimir Putin was focused on the release of hostages.

    In the last month, the President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, spoke twice on the telephone with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

    Poroshenko said this in an interview with the Bulgarian TV channel bTV.

    “Over the last month we had two phone conversations, and they were entirely devoted to freeing of the hostages. You know that dozens of Ukrainians …

  • Lithuanian President: Concessions to Russia would only increase the threat to European security

    The President of Lithuania, Dalia Grybauskaitė, in commenting on the decision of the EU to prolong economic sanctions against Russia, stated that concessions to Moscow would only promote their aggressive policy and increase the threat to Europe’s security, Delfi reports.

    The European Union is firm in its position that sanctions against Russia be extended until Russia implements the Minsk Agreements. It was approved by the EU Council on Tuesday.

    "Any indulgence will only encourage Russia's …

  • Poroshenko accuses Russia of preparing terrorist attacks in Ukraine

    Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko accused Russia of preparing terrorist acts in Ukraine. He stated this in an interview with the Bulgarian TV channel bTV, Ukrainski Novyny reports.

    “Just last year alone, we prevented 300 terrorist attacks, which were prepared by the Russian terrorists who trained in the training centers in Kursk, the Belgorod and Rostov regions. We caught them with explosives during the preparation of terrorist acts and showed this to the world," Poroshenko said. …

  • Putin: Russia will respond if Finland joins NATO

    If Finland joins NATO, the Russian troops are unlikely to remain retracted at a distance of 1,500 kilometers from the border.

    This was stated by Russian President Vladimir Putin during his visit to Helsinki, the Kremlin website states.

    “Imagine that Finland joins NATO. This means that Finnish troops will cease to be independent, will cease to be sovereign in the full sense of this word. They will become a part of NATO's military infrastructure, which overnight will appear on the Russian …