Section: The Gulf Today (United Arab Emirates)
European Union extends sanctions against Russia
LUXEMBOURG: The European Union on Monday extended economic sanctions against Russia until January to keep pressure on Moscow over the conflict in eastern Ukraine, drawing a rebuke and a warning of retaliation from Russian officials. An EU statement said the decision was taken without debate by the bloc’s foreign ministers at a meeting in...
Nato’s rapid response force set to double
BRUSSELS: Nato head Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday the alliance will approve plans this week to more than double the size of its rapid response force, having already created a special spearhead unit in the fallout from the Ukraine crisis. “Nato defence ministers … (will) take a decision to further increase the strength and capacity of the...
Clashes grip Ukraine ahead of talks
KIEV: Ukraine on Sunday reported the death of two soldiers, while pro-Russian rebels accused Kiev’s forces of killing a civilian as fresh clashes preceded peace talks aimed at ending the 15-month war. Kiev military spokesman Andriy Lysenko said two government troops were killed and six wounded in mortar fire and shelling across swathes of...
Putin blasts US for ignoring Russian interests
ST. PETERSBURG: Russia isn’t seeking dominance or superpower status, but wants its interests to be respected by the United States and its Western allies, President Vladimir Putin said on Friday as he sought to assuage investors spooked by Russia’s recession and a showdown over Ukraine. While Putin repeated a litany of accusations...
3 Ukrainian soldiers killed as fighting intensifies
KIEV: Three Ukrainian servicemen have been killed and 14 wounded in the past 24 hours in fighting in separatist eastern territories despite a ceasefire, the Ukrainian military said on Thursday. “Clashes aren’t getting any less frequent and in certain parts they are turning into full-scale military operations,” Ukrainian military spokesman...
Ukraine warns of escalating violence in east
KIEV: Two Ukrainian soldiers have been killed and twenty wounded in the past 24 hours, the Ukrainian military said on Monday, describing near-constant shelling by pro-Russian rebels in certain parts of separatist eastern territories. The ceasefire brokered in Minsk, Belarus, four months ago has stemmed large-scale fighting, but skirmishes claim...
US plans to store heavy weapons in Baltic
WASHINGTON: The United States plans to store heavy military equipment in the Baltics and Eastern European nations to reassure allies made uneasy by Russian intervention in Ukraine, and to deter further aggression, said a senior US official. “We will pre-position significant equipment,” the official said, commenting on a New York Times report that...
Soldier, civilian deaths strain Ukraine truce
KIEV: Three civilians and two Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in eastern Ukraine, renewing pressure on Thursday on a four-month truce in the separatist conflict, and international monitors said violence could surge at any moment. The two Ukrainian soldiers were killed and 13 others wounded by separatists using heavy weapons in violation of a...
One dead, 3 missing in Kiev fuel depot blaze
VASYLKIV: Emergency services stopped a fuel depot fire outside Kiev from spreading on Tuesday, officials said, but the fate of three firemen missing after the blaze triggered a powerful explosion was unknown. The fire burned overnight and by morning had spread to at least 16 tanks, most of them storing petrol. That sent a huge pall of black smoke...
G7 warns Russia of more sanctions
GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN: World leaders on Monday warned Russia it would face stepped-up sanctions for its “aggression” in Ukraine, as they wrapped up a G7 meeting also pledging strong action to fight climate change. At a luxury retreat nestled in the picture-perfect Bavarian Alps, the leaders of the most powerful countries also tackled threats to...
