Section: Malaysia
Ukraine rebels say local elections still set for Oct, Nov
KIEV (Reuters) – Pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine said on Tuesday they were going ahead with local elections in October and November in defiance of Kiev, and only hours after they appeared to say they were prepared to postpone the vote to avoid “stalemate” in peace efforts. …read more Source: The...
Moscow delivers warplanes to Syria in latest boost to regime
DAMASCUS: Russia has delivered new arms including warplanes to Syria as the regime increases attacks on jihadists, officials said Tuesday, in a sign that Moscow’s growing support for its ally is having an effect. A senior Syrian military official told AFP Damascus had received a fresh batch of arms, including at least five fighter planes,...
Ukraine presses NATO chief for defensive weapons
KIEV (Reuters) – Ukraine pressed NATO on Tuesday for Western weaponry to help defend itself against pro-Russian separatists but the head of the alliance resisted for fear of threatening a fragile ceasefire with Russian-backed rebels. …read more Source: The...
Ukraine rebels offer to postpone local vote – separatist website
KIEV (Reuters) – Pro-Russian rebels proposed on Tuesday postponing the date of local elections in separatist parts of east Ukraine to February 2016 in an effort to lift peacemaking out of “stalemate,” according to a statement posted on separatist website LITs. …read more Source: The...
NATO says Russia must withdraw heavy weapons from Ukraine
LVIV, Ukraine (Reuters) – NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday an ebb in violence in eastern Ukraine was not enough to bring peace and demanded Russia withdraw heavy weapons the alliance accuses it of providing in support of separatists. …read more Source: The...
East Ukraine elections would be 'serious violation' of Minsk – Germany
BERLIN (Reuters) – Plans by Russian-backed separatists to hold local elections in eastern Ukraine are a serious violation of the Minsk peace deal and it is regrettable that Moscow has not distanced itself from the plans, the German government said on Monday. …read more Source: The...
In first Ukraine trip, NATO chief tries balancing act on Russia
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – With a troubled peace plan for the Ukrainian conflict nearing its deadline, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg will attempt a balancing act to reassure Kiev of the West’s support without antagonising Moscow when he visits Ukraine on Monday. …read more Source: The...
Putin wants air base in Belarus
MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his ministers to agree a deal with Belarus so that Moscow can establish an air base in the ex-Soviet country, as Kremlin’s ties with the West remain at a post-Cold War low over the Ukraine crisis. The creation of a Russian military air base on the doorstep of the European Union in Belarus...
Putin wants air base in Belarus
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his ministers to agree a deal with Belarus so that Moscow can establish an air base in the ex-Soviet country, as Kremlin’s ties with the West remain at a post-Cold War low over the Ukraine crisis. The creation of a Russian military air base on the doorstep of the European Union in Belarus has...
Syrian army reversals spook Kremlin into hasty military build-up
MOSCOW (Reuters) – For Vladimir Putin, Russia’s military build-up in Syria is a potential diplomatic trump card and a handy way of diverting attention from Ukraine’s frozen conflict. But it was a panicky realisation that the Syrian government was being turned over on the battlefield that tipped the Kremlin’s hand....
