Section: The Japan Times (Japan)
Special report: why Ukraine’s revolution remains unfinished
In the afternoon of Feb. 20, after the morning’s dead had been cleared away, Volodymyr Melnychuk arrived outside Kiev’s October palace. Higher up the hill stood the seats of Ukrainian government, defended by thousands of police. Below lay Independence Square, or Maidan, covered in protesters’ camps and scarred with barricades...
Ukraine war debris points to Russian role
The burned-out remains of dozens of tanks and armored vehicles in fields near the village of Horbatenko bear witness to the ferocity of a battle that turned the tide of the conflict in eastern Ukraine. Most of the tanks were used by the government forces who were routed in August near Horbatenko, 40 km southeast […] The post Ukraine war debris...
Russia spy plane intercepted in NATO airspace: alliance
NATO fighter jets intercepted a Russian spy plane over the Baltic Sea after it breached Estonian airspace, the alliance said Wednesday in the latest of such incidents amid tensions with Moscow over Ukraine. The Ilyushin IL-20 “intelligence collection aircraft,” which took off from the Russian Baltic coast enclave of Kaliningrad on Tuesday, was...
At Berlin Wall, U.S. secretary of state warns against Cold War redux
Surrounded by relics of the Cold War, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his German counterpart warned on Wednesday against a return to the bitter divide between east and west over the current crisis in Ukraine. Under gloomy skies and a steady rain, Kerry and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier visited one of the […] The post At...
Putin offered in 2008 to divide Ukraine with Poland: Polish ex-minister
Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed to Poland’s then leader that they divide Ukraine between themselves as far back as 2008, Poland’s parliamentary speaker, Radoslaw Sikorski, said in an interview published by the U.S. Politico website. According to Sikorski, who until September served as Poland’s foreign minister, Putin...
Germany says Ukraine rebels downed MH17 with seized missiles: report
German intelligence has accused pro-Russian rebels of shooting down a Malaysian passenger jet over Ukraine using missiles captured from government forces, a media report said Sunday. Kiev and the West have previously charged that Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was blown out of the sky in July by separatist fighters using a BUK surface-to-air...
Western sanctions force Russia to aid China’s rise; Beijing may acquire advanced weapons
Defying his former enemies in the United States and Europe may force Russian President Vladimir Putin to aid the ascent of his biggest rival in the east. Isolated over Ukraine, Russia is relying on China for the investment it needs to avert a recession, three people involved in policy planning said. This means caving in […] The post Western...
Ukraine says it has agreed on interim gas price with Russia
Ukraine’s and Russia’s leaders have reached a preliminary agreement on a price for gas supplies this winter, but Kiev may need international help to pay, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said on Saturday. Poroshenko met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Milan on Friday to discuss the conflict in Ukraine’s eastern regions,...
Russia, Ukraine near deal on gas supplies after tough Milan talks
Russia and Ukraine made progress on Friday toward resolving a dispute over gas supplies in time for winter, but European leaders said Moscow still has to do much more to prop up a fragile cease-fire and end fighting in eastern Ukraine. The mooted deal could re-open Russian gas supplies to Ukraine that have been cut […] The post Russia, Ukraine...
EU hopeful of Ukraine progress after Putin talks
European Union leaders expressed optimism on the chances of progress toward a resolution of the deadly crisis in Ukraine after talks in Milan with Vladimir Putin on Friday. “In general, I am really positive after this meeting,” Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi told reporters after hosting a breakfast meeting of the Russian President, his...
