Section: US & Canada
EU ministers call for new sanctions against Russia
The meeting of the 28-nation bloc’s top diplomats in Milan came one day after NATO said Moscow slipped at least 1,000 Russian soldiers and much heavy weaponry into Ukraine. Fighting between Ukrainian military forces and Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine has already claimed at least 2,200 lives, according to U.N. figures. The...
Russian-backed rebels aim to push west along coast
None of the half-dozen tanks seen by reporters in the town of about 12,000 people bore Russian markings, but the packaging on their field rations said they were issued by the Russian army. The Ukrainian government the day before accused Russia of sending tanks, artillery and troops across the border, and NATO estimated at least 1,000 Russian...
Putin Orders Rebels to Allow Surrounded Ukrainian Troops to Escape
Pro-Russian separatists fighting in eastern Ukraine will comply with a Kremlin request to allow surrounded Ukrainian government troops to safely leave rebel-held areas. Ukraine’s Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk announced on Friday he wanted Ukraine to join NATO — the mutual defense treaty between the United States and European countries....
Canada looks to join NATO force of 10,000 troops meant to keep Russia in check
Canada is interested in joining a NATO joint expeditionary force of at least 10,000 troops that is being created to bolster the alliance’s eastern flank in an effort to check Russia’s creeping military takeover of eastern Ukraine, according to Britain’s Financial Times newspaper. The British-led division-sized force will include...
Ukraine Battles Pro-Russia Rebel Assault
After NATO concluded an emergency meeting to discuss the crisis in eastern Ukraine, the country is struggling to contain heavy fighting near the strategic port of Mariupol, on the Azov Sea. Separatist rebels are trying to capture the city, allegedly with Russian military help, and Ukraine’s defense forces are digging in. VOA’s Daniel...
U.S. Warns Against Ukraine Travel
The U.S. State Department warned Americans Friday to avoid traveling to eastern Ukraine, in response to the ongoing conflict between Ukraine’s armed forces and Russia-backed separatists. “The situation in Ukraine is unpredictable and could change quickly,” the statement said. “U.S. citizens throughout Ukraine should avoid large crowds and...
Economic sanctions spare Western-tied Russian fund
President Barack Obama pauses while speaking about the economy, Iraq, and Ukraine, Thursday, Aug. 28, 2014, in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, before conv… …read more Source: The Bismarck...
Ukraine, Explained: What’s Behind Putin’s Latest Moves?
Pro-Moscow rebels, with Vladimir Putin’s backing, may be opening up a “third front” in the tumultuous Ukraine conflict. …read more Source:...
Seven NATO Allies Will Reportedly Create New Rapid Reaction Force
BRUSSELS, Aug 29 (Reuters) – Seven NATO allies plan to create a new rapid reaction force of at least 10,000 soldiers as part of plans to boost NATO defenses in response to Russia’s intervention in Ukraine, the Financial Times reported on Friday. The aim is to create a division-sized joint expeditionary force for rapid deployment and...
NATO Meets On Ukraine Conflict, Postpones Any Response To Russia To Next Week
After an “extraordinary” meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization on Friday, it appears the U.S.-led alliance will wait until its meeting in Cardiff, Wales, next Thursday before taking any direct action regarding Russian troops entering Ukraine. …read more Source: International Business...
