Section: South China Morning Post (China)
Ukraine accuses Russia of ‘state terrorism’ after former MP Voronenkov shot dead in broad daylight
Ukraine accused Russia of “state terrorism” after a former Russian lawmaker and key witness in a treason case against former leader Viktor Yanukovich was shot dead in broad daylight outside a hotel in central Kiev on Thursday. Russia called the allegation “absurd”. Former MP Denis Voronenkov was killed by an assailant who was armed with a pistol...
‘Cynical and inhumane’: tensions spike as Ukraine bans Russian singer from Eurovision Song Contest
Tensions between Russia and Ukraine spread to the Eurovision Song Contest on Wednesday after Kiev banned a Russian contestant from entering the country over a past performance in Moscow-annexed Crimea. Ukrainian security service (SBU) spokeswoman Olena Gitlyanska said Yuliya Samoilova had been banned “from entry for three years” for having been...
Trump and Merkel to hold summit on NATO and terrorism
After accusing German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the campaign trail of “ruining Germany” by welcoming refugees, President Trump will have his first face-to-face meeting with the German leader at the White House on Tuesday. The two were expected to discuss strengthening the NATO alliance, collaborating to fight terrorism and taking steps to...
Ukraine will accuse Russia of sponsoring terrorism in top UN court, calling negotiations ‘futile’
Kiev will seek to convince the UN’s top court that Moscow is “sponsoring terrorism” in a bloody conflict involving separatist pro-Russian rebels, as tensions escalate in war-torn eastern Ukraine. Ukraine’s representatives will also ask the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Monday to take emergency measures ordering Russia to...
Clashes as Ukraine ultra-nationalists rally to support rail blockade against separatist east
At least seven protestors were detained as clashes erupted Sunday between Ukrainian police and ultra-nationalists backing a rail blockade in Kiev. The violence broke out after more than 1,000 demonstrators gathered to back the blockade between the coal-producing separatist east and the rest of Ukraine, which Kiev has warned could cause nationwide...
Doubts over Trump’s foreign policy gradually calmed by Tillerson
When Secretary of State Rex Tillerson came to Germany this week to meet with his counterparts, he faced roomfuls of worried diplomats. Many sought clues from the fledgling US diplomat who to that point had made no public remarks on foreign policy since taking office two weeks ago. Long-held US stances on NATO, Russia, Syria, Ukraine, Iran and a...
US puts brakes on better ties with Russia
The Trump administration signalled Thursday there will be no change soon in US-Russian relations, putting the onus on Moscow to prove itself if it wants closer cooperation with Washington. Russia’s support for Ukrainian separatists was underscored as a test case of its willingness to change behaviour. At a NATO meeting in Brussels, US...
Nato sees sharp rise in Russian ‘fake news’ since Crimea seizure
Nato has accused Russia of waging a disinformation campaign since the Kremlin’s 2014 seizure of Ukraine’s Crimea region, claiming Russian websites such as Sputnik and RT posted false stories. There is increasing concern among senior Nato and EU officials over Russia’s ability to use television and the internet to spread what...
Hungary’s Orban denounces ‘anti-Russian atmosphere’ as he cements closer ties with Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban have cemented closer ties at talks, amid growing EU rifts over sanctions against Moscow because of its meddling in Ukraine. The Budapest meeting on Thursday with the right-wing Orban – who wants the European Union to lift its punitive measures – was...
Trump’s new UN ambassador blames Russia for Ukraine violence, urges return of Crimea
US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley blamed Russia on Thursday for the recent surge of violence in eastern Ukraine and warned Ukraine-related sanctions against Russia will not be lifted until Moscow returns Crimea to Kiev. “I consider it unfortunate on the occasion of my first appearance here I must condemn the aggressive actions of...
