Section: Cyprus
Obama says has not made a decision on lethal weapons for Ukraine
By Jeff Mason, Julia Edwards US President Barack Obama said on Monday his administration is looking at all options in handling the crisis in Ukraine, but he has not yet decided whether the United States will provide lethal arms to Kiev. “The possibility of lethal defensive weapons is one of those options that is being examined, but I have not...
Nine more Ukrainian servicemen killed in the east
By Alessandra Prentice Nine Ukrainian soldiers have been killed and 26 wounded in fighting with Russian-backed separatists in Ukraine’s eastern regions in the past 24 hours, a Kiev military spokesman said on Monday. The spokesman, Vyacheslav Seleznyov, said government forces had come under attack from the rebels on about 100 separate...
South offers bases to Russian navy and airforce
Greek Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades has announced that his country is prepared to host Russian aviation and naval bases. It is expected that the official agreement on military cooperation between both countries will be signed on 25th February, 2015, according to ‘Lenta.ru’. “There is an old [defence] agreement, which should be...
Ukraine leader sees prospects of ceasefire from next Minsk meeting
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and leaders of Russia, France and Germany expect their talks in Minsk, Belarus, on Wednesday to lead to a “swift and unconditional ceasefire”, his website said. A statement from Poroshenko’s administration said progress had been made during a phone call between him and Russia’s Vladimir Putin,...
Russian-backed rebels massing to attack key Ukrainian towns
By Aleksandar Vasovic Pro-Russian separatists have intensified shelling of government forces on all front lines and appear to be amassing forces for new offensives on the key railway town of Debaltseve and the coastal city of Mariupol, Ukraine’s military said on Saturday. Five Ukrainian soldiers have been killed and 26 wounded in fighting...
Europe and US clash over how to confront Putin on Ukraine
By Stephen Brown and Noah Barkin Germany’s Angela Merkel warned on Saturday that sending arms to help Ukraine fight pro-Russian separatists would not solve the crisis there, drawing a sharp rebuke from a leading US senator who accused Berlin of turning its back on an ally in distress. The heated exchange at a security conference in Munich...
German, French leaders head for Moscow to press for Ukraine peace
By Timothy Heritage and Richard Balmforth The leaders of Germany and France are expected to take peace proposals to Moscow on Friday on the second leg of a dramatic initiative to end a conflict in Ukraine that has killed more than 5,000 people and driven Russia-West relations to new lows. The planned trip by Chancellor Angela Merkel and President...
Ukrainian, rebel convoys head for rail town to evacuate civilians
By Richard Balmforth Convoys of buses converged from two sides on the town of Debaltseve in eastern Ukraine on Friday after separatist rebels and government forces appeared to have patched together a truce to allow civilians to be evacuated. A Reuters correspondent outside the town of Horlivka, west of Debaltseve, said around 30 empty buses were...
Australian PM to face leadership vote after party-room revolt
By Wayne Cole and Lincoln Feast Embattled Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said he will fight a challenge to his leadership at a party-room meeting next week after disgruntled government lawmakers on Friday sought to oust him following weeks of divisive speculation. A member of Abbott’s ruling conservative Liberal Party, Western...
German, French leaders take Ukraine peace plan to Moscow
By Lesley Wroughton and Richard Balmforth The leaders of Germany and France announced a new peace plan for Ukraine on Thursday, flying to Kiev with a new proposal they would then take on to Moscow. The importance of reaching a deal was demonstrated by a dramatic collapse in Ukraine’s hryvnia currency, which lost nearly a third of its value...
