• Putin demands breakthrough defense technologies following US withdrawal from INF Treaty

    On Monday 13 May, Russian President Vladimir Putin opened a new series of meetings on the defense industry. During his opening address, he stressed the need to develop new weapons systems based on “breakthrough technologies”, RBC reports.

    “We must take into account the change in the military and political situation in the world, which is negatively affecting regional and global security. I’m referring primarily, of course, to the US’s withdrawal from the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) …

  • Turkey cuts back Russian gas purchases to ten year low

    Turkey appears to be deliberately purchasing less Russian gas until the Russian gas monopoly Gazprom completes the $7 billion Turkish Stream gas pipeline, reports finanz.ru.

    At the end of the first quarter of 2019, Russia had for the first time in history lost its competitiveness on the Turkish gas market to liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the US, Qatar, Algeria and other countries.

    The total amount of Russian gas bought by Turkish clients, including the state-owned company Botas and …

  • Russian oil giant Rosneft claims US approved oil deliveries from Venezuela to India

    Since the Venezuelan oil that Rosneft has been sending to factories in India was bought with prepaid contracts, the US State Department gave approval for these shipments, said Vice President of the Russian company Didier Casimiro as quoted by RBC news agency. 

    “We are allowed to use Venezuelan oil because the Venezuelan oil that we supply to refineries in India is under Rosneft’s prepaid contracts. Therefore, the US State Department gave its consent,” Casimiro said.

    He also added that the …

  • Ukrainian Foreign Minister: Ukraine will withdraw from Minsk agreements if the Council of Europe lifts Russian sanctions

    Ukraine is willing to desist from implementing the Minsk Agreements if several European states agree to loosen sanctions against the Russian Federation in the Council of Europe, stated Minister of Foreign Affairs Pavlo Klimkin as reported by Interfax-Ukraine.

    “A lot of people asked me yesterday how the Council of Europe will (move forward on the issue of sanctions against the Russian Federation). I told them honestly that if they choose to follow several other countries, I’ll go out and say …

  • Putin's aide: Washington has not asked for a meeting of Russian and US presidents yet

    Washington has not requested a bilateral meeting of Russian and US presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump at the G20 Summit in Osaka, said the Aide to Russian President, Yuri Ushakov, RIA Novosti reports.

    Ushakov answered that "nothing has happened" on this matter.

    Earlier, media sources reported that the US allegedly sent a request to organize a meeting of the presidents of the two countries. According to the RBC news agency, negotiations were proposed to be held at the end of June …