Section: AsiaOne (Singapore)
Ukraine vows to show off ‘captured Russian soldiers’
KIEV – Ukraine vowed on Monday to present to the public two Russian soldiers it claimed to have captured while fighting Moscow-backed forces in the separatist east.The politically-charged declaration came as a tenuous February truce was broken by more violence that claimed the lives of at least four Ukrainian servicemen.Russia firmly denies...
Hollande denounces ‘unacceptable’ violations of Ukraine ceasefire
AACHEN, Germany – France’s President Francois Hollande on Thursday denounced as “unacceptable” ceasefire violations in eastern Ukraine, after speaking briefly with his Ukrainian counterpart Petro Poroshenko in Germany.”There are ceasefire violations today and that’s unacceptable,” Hollande told reporters,...
Russia’s chocolate ‘art’, luxury morale booster for more than the elite
MOSCOW – Portraits of Audrey Hepburn and Charlie Chaplin, views of Venetian canals or a growling lion, these artworks all have something in common outside hefty pricetags — they’re edible.Long known in the West, “chocolate painting” was introduced in Russia about a decade ago but until lately, remained the preserve...
Ukraine navy left high and dry after Crimea losses
ODESSA, Ukraine – A clutch of rusty old naval boats bob about mournfully in the Black Sea off the harbour of Ukraine’s southern city Odessa near an ageing missile boat.”The only way to get those pieces of junk moving is to get some paddles and start rowing,” an officer says derisively.Close by floats the remaining...
US, Russia vow to boost co-operation, but no concrete progress
SOCHI, Russia – Russia and the United States vowed to improve strained ties Tuesday after “frank” talks between President Vladimir Putin and top US diplomat John Kerry, but there was no concrete breakthrough after eight hours of meetings.Kerry’s trip to the Black Sea resort of Sochi was the highest level US visit to Russia...
Kerry holds ‘frank’ talks with Putin in bid to improve ties
SOCHI, Russia (AFP) – US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian President Vladimir Putin held four hours of rare face-to-face talks on Tuesday as the two nations sought ways to co-operate after a sharp deterioration in relations.The meeting during the highest level US visit to Russia since the Ukraine crisis erupted in late 2013 did not...
Putin, Kerry to hold talks amid signs of easing tensions
MOSCOW – US Secretary of State John Kerry is expected to hold talks with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin Tuesday, as signs emerge Moscow and the West may be ready for a detente after more than a year of tensions over Ukraine.The meeting in Sochi would mark the first visit by the US top diplomat to Russia since the Ukraine crisis...
Putin says Ukraine peace ‘moving forward’ despite problems
MOSCOW – Russian President Vladimir Putin said after talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday that the peace process in eastern Ukraine was progressing despite difficulties.Merkel reaffirmed her support for the peace efforts and repeated her calls to Putin to use his influence with pro-Russian separatists battling Kiev...
Russian soldiers quit over Ukraine
MOSCOW/DONETSK – Some Russian soldiers are quitting the army because of the conflict in Ukraine, several soldiers and human rights activists have told Reuters. Their accounts call into question the Kremlin’s continued assertions that no Russian soldiers have been sent to Ukraine, and that any Russians fighting alongside rebels there...
China invites Russian troops to march in war parade
BEIJING – China has invited Russian troops to march in a parade in Beijing in September to commemorate the end of World War Two, the Defence Ministry said on Monday, a move likely to further put off Western leaders from attending.China has been coy about which countries it plans to invite to the parade, but says it will likely invite...
