Section: Herald LIVE (South Africa)
German FM jets to Kiev, Moscow in bid to revive Ukraine peace plan
Germany’s foreign minister jetted to Kiev and Moscow on Tuesday (18/11/2014) in a bid to revive a failing peace plan in east Ukraine, as deadly fighting pushed EU-Russia relations to breaking point. Berlin’s top diplomat Frank-Walter Steinmeier was set to hold key talks with Ukraine’s pro-Western leaders before heading to Moscow...
Moscow hopes ties with EU have not crossed ‘point of no return’
Russia said on Tuesday (18/11/2014) it hopes its ties with the EU had not yet crossed the point of no return over the Ukraine crisis after Brussels slapped more sanctions against Kremlin-backed separatists fighting Kiev. “We are hoping that the ‘point of no return’ has not yet been crossed,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a...
Merkel warns Ukraine conflict could spill over
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday (17/11/2014) accused Russia of destabilizing Ukraine and Eastern Europe, warning that the conflict between Kiev and separatists could spread to neighbouring countries. “Russia violates Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty,” Merkel said in a speech at the Lowy Institute, a foreign policy...
Moscow confirms expulsions of German and Polish diplomats
Russia said on Monday (17/11/2014) it has expelled a German diplomat and a number of Polish diplomats in response to the expulsion of its diplomats amid cooling ties with the EU over Ukraine. Moscow said the German was expelled from Moscow in a retaliatory measure for what it described as an “unfriendly” step earlier by Berlin of expelling a...
Japanese recession, Cameron warning hits stocks
Grim news that Japan has slumped back into recession combined with British Prime Minister David Cameron’s warning of fresh global economic turmoil, sent stocks sliding on Monday (17/11/2014). European markets fell and Tokyo tanked by almost three percent. This was after official data showed Japan’s gross domestic product (GDP) shrank...
Artillery explosions shake Donetsk airport in east Ukraine
Loud explosions and artillery fire rocked Donetsk airport in eastern Ukraine on Monday (17/11/2014), despite attempts to negotiate an end to a battle that is undermining a ceasefire in regions held by separatists. A Reuters reporter near the strategically important airport saw flashes of artillery fire in several places and heard frequent blasts...
Righteous fighters ‘will always get weapons’
President Vladimir Putin stuck to his guns as he refused to say where Moscow-backed Ukrainian separatists receive heavy arms from and said that people fighting a just cause “will always get weapons”. “Where did they get the armoured vehicles and the artillery systems?” Putin said in reply to a question from German TV network ARD in an interview...
Putin slams G20 for imposing sanctions over Ukraine
President Vladimir Putin on Friday slammed G20 member countries for imposing sanctions on Russia, saying this violated the group’s principles, but said he did not plan to raise the issue at the summit in Australia. Putin told the TASS state news agency in an interview published Friday, ahead of this weekend’s G20 summit in Brisbane,...
Hungary’s Orban dismisses US corruption claims
Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Friday (14/11/2014) dismissed corruption claims cited by Washington as the reason for US entry bans on six senior Hungarian officials in October that have soured already frayed bilateral relations. Orban said last week that Hungary is under “great pressure” from Washington because of the Ukraine...
Russia rattles Aussies with a few warships
Vladimir Putin is underlining his presence at a major summit of world leaders in Australia by stationing warships in waters off the country’s northeastern coast, prompting the Australian prime minister to angrily accuse Russia of trying to reclaim the “lost glories” of the Soviet Union. The diplomatic drama, which has been simmering since a...
