(Reuters) – Russia called new U.S. sanctions “destructive and short-sighted” on Wednesday and said they would only aggravate ties between Russia and the United States, already at their lowest point since the end of the Cold War over the Ukraine crisis. “Such decisions by
The winners: 1. Israel – Restored deterrent against Hamas, uncovered and destroyed terror tunnels, nation highly unified. 2. Egypt – Sisi regime’s first test on the international stage boosts credibility and stature of new government 3. Russia, Iran – World largely ignores probable
Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has banned President Obama from visiting the Russian Republic of Chechnya. The ban is a sort of sanction, as Kadyrov claims it is retribution for the wars in Libya, Syria, Iraq, and Ukraine. The Washington Post
In 2006, at a meeting with members of the South African Parliament, Russian president Vladimir Putin noted that the Crimea “was now part of the Ukraine.” Earlier this year, Russia annexed the Crimea in an action that was rejected by
The Obama administration has led the European Union to jointly apply economic sanctions to starve Russia of the $59 billion in investment capital the nation needs to keep its oil and natural gas revenues high enough to fund over 50%
Amid a public mood of nostalgia for a vanished Soviet empire, Russia is marking the 100th anniversary of the birth of the Soviet leader Yuri Andropov with exhibitions and documentaries that gloss over his harsh treatment of dissidents. President Vladimir
New reports say that the National Security Administration (NSA) is beginning to lose interest in making any deals for the return Edward Snowden to the United States. According to The Hill, NSA Deputy Director Rick Ledgett pointed out at the Aspen Security Forum
President Barack Obama’s attempt to impose his will on Israel–and save face after Secretary of State John Kerry’s disastrous ceasefire mission–continued at the UN Security Council overnight, with a midnight session Monday morning demanding a ceasefire. It was a gross
DONETSK/KIEV (Reuters) – After pro-Russian rebels took 720 kg of explosives, 360 detonators and almost 1 km of wiring, the Skochinskiy coal mine, an ageing stalwart of the economy in Ukraine’s Donbass region, was put out of action. Fierce fighting
The European Union targeted 15 officials and 18 organizations in the latest round of sanctions in response to the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17. Russia said the sanctions will hinder any security cooperation between the two entities. “The additional
Ekaterina Parkhomenko was just an ordinary woman in east Ukraine until she took a few selfies with supposed mascara from the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 site in east Ukraine and posted the pictures on social media. “Mascara from Amsterdam; to
DONETSK, Ukraine (AP) — A team of international police officers that had been due to visit the site of the Malaysian plane disaster in eastern Ukraine canceled the trip Sunday after receiving reports of fighting in the area. Alexander Hug,
Sunday on CNN’s “State Of The Union,” House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aggression comes from a deep insecurity. “Putin is going to do what Putin is going to do, as the president said, Russia
US actor David Duchovny has stirred up a storm of debate in Russia by appearing in an ultra-patriotic beer ad in which he fantasises about being Russian. The “X-Files” and “Californication” star appears in a glossy ad for a Russian
LONDON (AP) — An arms embargo against Russia would be little more than symbolic because Russia is largely self-sufficient in supplying its armed forces, a report argued Sunday. European Union countries exported $583 million of military equipment to Russia last
Hillary Clinton is ready to share more thoughts on Vladimir Putin. The Hill reports: In a CNN interview scheduled to air on Sunday, the possible 2016 front-runner and former secretary of State said Russia “bears responsibility” for arming and supporting
The lesson comes too late for the United States, but there it is: after the US abandoned its military base and its foreign policy influence in Iceland in 2006, both Russia and China are now showing how keen they are
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) is refusing to back down on its decision to award the 2018 World Cup to Russia despite Russia’s untoward lobbying effort and its illicit invasion of Ukraine. With the decision by the soccer
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Union reached outline agreement on Friday to impose the first economic sanctions on Russia over its behaviour in Ukraine but scaled back their scope to exclude technology for the crucial gas sector. The EU also
President Obama’s numbers have fallen to his previous all-time lowest approval rating this week as Americans have had time to assess his policies, or lack thereof, on immigration; his foreign policies on Israel, Ukraine, and Russia; and his reaction to
The UN Human Rights Council held a special session in Geneva on July 23, 2014 to declare effectively that Israelis do not have human rights. The session ended with a resolution that launched an “investigation” into what the Council decided
Friday, at the Aspen Security Forum, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Martin Dempsey discussed his fear that the ongoing crisis in Ukraine could become an out-of-control fire forever changing relations beween Europe, the U.S., and Russia.
MOSCOW (AP) — A Moscow court convicted two Russian opposition activists and sentenced them to 4 ½ years in prison Thursday for their role in organizing protests a day before President Vladimir Putin’s inauguration in May 2012. Sergei Udaltsov and
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton believes that her effort to “reset” the United States’ relationship with Russia actually worked. Clinton was widely ridiculed after she presented a red “reset” button to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in 2009. The
(Reuters) – A powerful Ukrainian rebel leader has confirmed that pro-Russian separatists had an anti-aircraft missile of the type Washington says was used to shoot down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 and it could have originated in Russia. In an interview with Reuters, Alexander
