Section: International Business Times (USA)
Russia Ukraine Conflict: $3B In Ukrainian Debts May Never Be Repaid To Kremlin, Russian Finance Minister Says
Ukraine may never pay off $3 billion in debts owed to the Kremlin, according to a statement made by a Russian economic minister Tuesday. Economic Development Minister Alexey Ulyukayev’s statement on the possibility of never being repaid was as a turnaround from the strict line financial authorities have been toeing in the country, in...
MH17 Update: Families File Lawsuits Over Malaysia Flight Downed During Ukraine War
More than 450 days have passed since Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down over fields of blooming sunflowers in eastern Ukraine. For the families of the 298 people on board the flight who died that day, the long wait has brought few answers, with no one being held accountable for the deaths. …read more Source: International Business...
Belarus Poised To Re-Elect The ‘Last Dictator In Europe’
MINSK (Reuters) – Belarussians head to the polls on Sunday to cast their vote in presidential elections all but certain to re-elect authoritarian incumbent Alexander Lukashenko for a fifth term. Lukashenko’s re-election five years ago led to mass protests and the imprisonment of leading opposition figures, but support for his...
Amid Russian Hostility, Latvia Military Draft? Conscription Mulled As Defense Budget Is Hiked
Latvia is contemplating over plans to reintroduce conscription as a result of the geopolitical tensions relating to Russia and the conflict in Ukraine, according to a Defense News report Friday. Earlier this year, neighboring Lithuania said it would also reinstate conscription because of fears about M …read more Source: International...
Defense Budget 2016 Obama Veto? Military Pay, Support Of Foreign Fighters In Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Ukraine Would Be Hit
President Barack Obama is on a collision course with Congress over a multibillion-dollar contingency fund almost hidden in the 2016 defense budget that was approved late Wednesday night. If the president stays true to his word and vetoes the military budget – something that has happened only five times since 1961 — the armed forces could be...
EU Set To Suspend Belarus Sanctions For 4 Months After Vote
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Union will lift its sanctions on Belarus, including those on authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, for four months after Sunday’s vote barring any last-minute crackdown, diplomatic sources said. EU foreign ministers will take the decision on Monday, diplomats said, ending three weeks of...
Ukraine Military Suicides Leading Cause Of Non-Battle Deaths, Country’s Ministry Says
Suicide was the leading cause of deaths outside of battle during the last two years for Ukraine’s military, the country’s Defense Ministry said Wednesday, local media reported. There were 171 cases of suicide followed by 137 cases of accidents as the leading causes of non-battle deaths, according to the ministry. The Ukrainian...
Russia Building ‘Arc Of Steel’ From Arctic To Mediterranean, NATO Commander Says
Russia, which has announced a new, sweeping “arc of steel” from the Mediterranean to the Arctic as a way to challenge NATO’s authority in the region, remains the most dangerous threat in Europe, Mark Ferguson, Navy admiral and NATO’s Allied Joint Force commander in Italy, said Tuesday. NATO’s response to Russia’s continued...
Former Ukrainian Tax Minister EU Sanctions Video Argues Against Being On European Union List
What do you do when the European Union has put you on its list of sanctioned individuals? For former Ukrainian revenue and tax minister Oleksandr Klymenko, the answer was take to YouTube and post a video Monday with some questionable acting. The video, titled “Revolving Doors,” starts with a man telling Klymenko that the allegations against him...
Ukraine Approves Draft Law Allowing Foreigners To Fight In Its Military
Foreigners could soon serve in the Ukrainian military after the country’s parliament passed a draft law Tuesday, local media reported. The vote comes at a moment when Ukrainian military forces have started to withdraw light artillery from the frontline in eastern Ukraine. …read more Source: International Business...