Section: Africa&ME
Lethal aid to Ukraine to cause escalation, says US intel head
Director of U.S. national intelligence says arming Ukraine could provoke Russia to send more sophisticated weapons to separatists. …read more Source: Anadolu...
Germany cautious of stronger NATO presence in Black Sea
Merkel refrains from extending support to Romania’s call for stronger NATO presence in its country, amid Ukrainian crisis. …read more Source: Anadolu...
Merkel hopes Moldova isn’t in Russia’s sights after Ukraine
Moldova, one of Europe’s poorest countries, wedged between Ukraine and Romania, has ratified a political and trade agreement with the EU, turning its back on a future in a Russian-led customs bloc. …read more Source: World...
Digging out the dead in eastern Ukraine
As the fighting seems to be ending in east Ukraine and the frontlines fall silent, the grim job of tracing all those killed or missing in the fighting is only just beginning. Thousands on both sides have been killed in battles such as at Donetsk airport, Debaltseve, and Ilovaisk. But the numbers of corpses retrieved and returned to their bereaved...
Cyprus plays down naval deal with Russia
NICOSIA: Cyprus played down on Thursday an agreement granting Russian warships access to its ports and denied there was any request from Moscow to open a base on the island. The heavily indebted eurozone member has close investment and tourism ties with Russia and has repeatedly expressed misgivings about EU sanctions against Moscow. But the deal...
Ukraine withdraws arms from border
KIEV: Ukraine’s military on Thursday said it had started the withdrawal of heavy weapons from the frontline, bolstering a stuttering peace plan as the United States and Russia traded barbs over the conflict. The announced pull-back — a key part of a peace deal negotiated earlier this month — comes after a shaky truce that was meant to come...
Digging out the dead in eastern Ukraine
A brief lull in violence compels many to call for an effective way to collect the bodies of the dead soldiers. …read more Source: AL...
US Intelligence Chief Says He Backs Arming Ukraine
The top U.S. intelligence official said Thursday that supplying Ukraine with weapons to fight Moscow-backed separatists would provoke a “negative reaction” from Russia’s president, but that he personally backed the idea of providing “lethal assistance” to Kyiv. Appearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee,...
Obama adviser to meet with European counterparts on Ukraine crisis
Susan Rice, White House National Security Adviser will discuss with representatives to discuss economic sanctions …read more Source: World...
Ukraine begins artillery withdrawal from frontlines
More to this story… …read more Source:...
