Section: US & Canada
US Officials Urge Ukraine to Reform Natgas Market
Ukraine must reform its historically inefficient and corrupt natural gas markets to guard against Russian aggression and supply controls, U.S. State Department officials told lawmakers on Tuesday. After invading and annexing Crimea this year, Russia cut off natural gas supplies to Ukraine last month in a dispute over unpaid bills. Escalation of...
Ukraine rolls on separatists while Russia holds back
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called for an immediate cease-fire. …read more Source: USA...
Obama, NATO chief call for Afghan security agreement
President Obama and NATO’s secretary general talk about Afghanistan, Russia and Ukraine. …read more Source: USA...
As Ukraine Separatists Retreat, Russia’s Next Moves Unclear
Russia has urged Ukrainian authorities to negotiate a cease-fire, after separatist rebels in southeast Ukraine retreated to the two largest cities they control, Donetsk and Luhansk. But Ukraine has vowed to continue its offensive, saying rebels must first lay down their arms. Separatist rebels are reinforcing blockades and checkpoints as a...
Ukrainian troops, pro-Russia rebels regroup for fight over Donetsk
Ukraine’s new defense minister said Tuesday that peace talks will occur only after the pro-Russia rebels holed up in the eastern cities of Donetsk and Luhansk completely disarm. …read more Source: Los Angeles...
Ukraine threatens pro-Russia rebels with ‘nasty surprise’
Ukraine’s government kept up military pressure against pro-Russian rebels on Tuesday, threatening them with an “nasty surprise”, while the militants said they were preparing to fight back after losing their main stronghold. …read more Source:...
Tymoshenko Donates Blood For Wounded Ukrainian Soldiers
Former Ukrainian presidential candidate Yulia Tymoshenko and several members of her Batkivshchyna political party arrived at a Kyiv hospital on July 8 to donate blood for Ukrainian soldiers wounded in government military operations against pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine. (RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service) …read more Source:...
Russia Follows ‘Different Strategy’ As Serbia Courts EU
As traditional Russian ally Serbia pushes ahead with its bid to join the European Union, Moscow’s reaction has been muted. Does the Kremlin see strategic advantages in having such a reliable friend inside the Western bloc? …read more Source: Radio Free Europe / Radio...
Slovyansk struggles back after rebels are routed
SLOVYANSK, Ukraine (AP) — For the first time in three months, Alla Grebenkova says she can go out on the streets of this city in eastern Ukraine without fear of being recognized as Ukrainian…. …read more Source: Associated...
21st-Century Energy Wars
Global Conflicts Are Increasingly Fueled by the Desire for Oil and Natural Gas — and the Funds They Generate Cross-posted with TomDispatch.comIraq, Syria, Nigeria, South Sudan, Ukraine, the East and South China Seas: Wherever you look, the world is aflame with new or intensifying conflicts. At first glance, these upheavals appear to be...
