Section: Cyprus
Putin shuns Paris visit after France offers talks only on Syria
Russian President Vladimir Putin will not come to Paris next week after declining to meet President Francois Hollande only for talks on Syria, a source in Hollande’s office said, the latest deterioration in ties between Moscow and the West. French officials have been grappling for ways to put new pressure on Russia after Moscow vetoed a...
Escalation in Syria means EU less likely to soften stance on Russia
Outraged by Russia’s intensified air strikes on rebels in Syria, the European Union is now less likely to ease sanctions on Moscow over Ukraine, diplomats say, and some in the bloc are raising the prospect of more punitive steps against the Kremlin. While the EU says conflicts in Syria and Ukraine need to be kept separate, the latest...
Russia to build permanent Syrian naval base, eyes other outposts
Russia will create a permanent naval base in Syria to expand its military footprint in its closest Middle East ally, a government official said on Monday, a week after Moscow said it was considering reopening Soviet-era bases in Vietnam and Cuba. The move, announced by Russian Deputy Defence Minister Nikolai Pankov, is further evidence Russia is...
Russia says U.S. actions threaten its national security
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Sunday he had detected increasing U.S. hostility towards Moscow and complained about what he said was a series of aggressive U.S. steps that threatened Russia’s national security. In an interview with Russian state TV likely to worsen already poor relations with Washington, Lavrov made it clear...
US formally accuses Russian hackers of political cyber attacks
The U.S. government for the first time formally accused Russia of a campaign of cyber attacks against Democratic Party organisations ahead of the Nov. 8 presidential election. “We believe, based on the scope and sensitivity of these efforts, that only Russia’s senior-most officials could have authorised these activities,” a U.S. government...
Finland flags two airspace violations by Russian jets
Finland said on Friday it took seriously two suspected violations of its airspace by Russian aircraft in which it scrambled jets to identify SU-27 fighters over the Baltic Sea. The incidents on Thursday took place as Finland and the United States prepared to sign an agreement of closer defence collaboration, and followed a string of similar...
German official calls for sanctions against Russia over Syria
A German official on Friday called for new sanctions against Russia over its role in the bombardment of Syria, saying Moscow’s involvement in war crimes could not go unpunished. Syrian government forces backed by Russian air power have stepped up an offensive on rebel-held parts of the city of Aleppo. Conflict monitors said hospitals had...
IMF chief gives Deutsche Bank tough advice, says need deal on fine
IMF chief Christine Lagarde gave Deutsche Bank some tough advice on Thursday, saying Germany’s biggest lender needed to reform its business model and rapidly reach a deal with US regulators over a potentially huge fine. A senior European official tried to shore up confidence in the continent’s banking system, saying it was working...
EU states back visa-free travel for Georgia, but wait for safeguards
European Union states agreed in principle on Wednesday to give Georgia visa-free travel, but delayed rolling out the programme until they could agree on stronger safeguards against any sudden influx of migrants. The decision underlined increased caution in the bloc about immigration since the arrival of about 1.3 million refugees and migrants...
Russia’s Putin suspends plutonium cleanup accord with US because of ‘unfriendly’ acts
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday suspended an agreement with the United States for disposal of weapons-grade plutonium because of “unfriendly” acts by Washington, the Kremlin said. A Kremlin spokesman said Putin had signed a decree suspending the 2010 agreement under which each side committed to destroy tonnes of weapons-grade material...
