Section: theSun (Malaysia)
Russia to prolong embargo if EU extends sanctions
MOSCOW: Moscow will extend its embargo on European Union agricultural products but is unlikely to go further if the EU extends sanctions as expected, economy minister Alexei Ulyukayev said Thursday. “We’ll just keep the status quo: the embargo on produce introduced in response to the sanctions regime – of course, it’s a...
Russia cites ‘threats’ as nuclear arsenal boosted
MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that Russia must defend itself if threatened, as the US warned against a return to a “Cold War status” after Moscow announced plans to boost its nuclear arsenal. The declaration from the Kremlin strongman came as Russia reacted with fury to reports the US is planning to bulk up its...
Russia to add over 40 missiles to nuclear arsenal: Putin
MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that Russia will boost its nuclear arsenal by over 40 intercontinental missiles this year, in a move likely to further unnerve the West. “This year the size of our nuclear forces will increase by over 40 new intercontinental ballistic missiles that will be able to overcome any, even the most...
East Ukrainians in rare protest against Russian-backed rebels
DONETSK: Several hundred Ukrainians in the country’s war-torn east demanded Monday that pro-Russian insurgents remove scores of rocket launchers from crowded city neighbourhoods and stop provoking government fire on their homes. The small but unusual demonstration outside the offices of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic...
Italy gives Putin stage to make case against sanctions
ROME, Italy: Russian President Vladimir Putin used a trip to Italy on Wednesday to press his case against international sanctions and was urged by Pope Francis to make a “sincere effort” for peace in Ukraine. After telling Italian premier Matteo Renzi that Western sanctions imposed over Russia’s actions in Ukraine would cost...
Putin to seek friendly ear with pope visit
VATICAN CITY: Increasingly isolated by the West, Vladimir Putin will hope to find a friendly ear in Pope Francis at their meeting Wednesday, but experts say the Russian President may have misjudged the mood. The conflicts in the Ukraine and Syria are likely to dominate the talks, organised on the sidelines of a visit to Milan 2015 expo’s...
United against ‘Russian aggression’, G7 to focus on jihadists
ELMAU CASTLE, Germany: World leaders at a G7 summit in Germany were on Monday set to present a united front against global security threats ranging from jihadist insurgencies to what US President Barack Obama condemned as “Russian aggression in Ukraine”. While excluding Russian President Vladimir Putin for a third time, the Group of...
At least 24 dead in new fighting in east Ukraine
KIEV: At least 24 people have died in renewed fighting in eastern Ukraine, the warring sides said, as Russia and Ukraine accused each other of seeking to torpedo a tenuous peace deal. A senior commander of the pro-Russian separatists doing battle with government forces, Eduard Basurin, told AFP that 14 rebels and five civilians had died over the...
Russia pushes ahead with World Cup plans despite Blatter resignation
MOSCOW: Russia insisted Wednesday that it was pushing on with preparations for the 2018 World Cup despite the shock resignation of FIFA boss Sepp Blatter, who is fiercely backed by the Kremlin despite a corruption scandal. “The main thing is Russia is continuing preparations for the 2018 World Cup,” said President Vladimir...
Ex pro-Putin Internet troll seeks to expose Kremlin ‘propaganda factory’
SAINT PETERSBURG: A Russian freelance journalist who claims she went undercover as a pro-government Internet troll says she is suing her former employer in a bid to expose the workings of the Kremlin’s online army. “This propaganda on the Internet is very dangerous,” Lyudmila Savchuk, 34, told AFP on Tuesday. “It has to be...
