Section: International Business Times (USA)
East Ukraine War: Donbas Self-Rule Decision Will Not Bring Peace, Says Top US Ambassador
Constitutional changes approved Friday by Ukraine’s highest court to help end the war in Donbas are unlikely to bring an end to hostilities between Russian-backed rebels and Ukrainian troops, former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Steven Pifer said. The legal changes, which still must be approved by the parliament in Kiev, seek to allow the...
Mistral Ships Deal: Russia’s Compensation Amount From France Revealed
France will pay Russia $1.27 billion compensation for the non-delivery of two ordered mistral helicopter landing ships, according to a report by the liberal Russian newspaper Kommersant. The deal, which was originally worth $1.2 billion and supposed to be completed in the autumn, was held up after Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in March last...
Chechen Leader Ramzan Kadyrov Says East Ukraine Fighters From His North Caucasus Country Have Returned Home
All fighters from Chechnya that went to fight for the Russian-backed rebels in the eastern Ukraine war have now returned home, said Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov Friday, according to a report by the Russian government news agency Tass. The leader of the de facto independent state in the north caucuses region had previously denied that his...
Russia To Replace Over 50% Of Ukraine-Made Military Equipment In 2015
Russia will replace more than 50 percent of military equipment obtained from Ukraine with domestically built products in 2015, a defense ministry spokesman announced Friday. The move comes as part of the Kremlin’s import substitution programs, aimed at providing alternatives to foreign-made military products amid Western economic sanctions...
Ukraine-Russia Conflict: German Military Spending $21 Million On Troops For NATO Exercises In Ukraine
The German military plans to spend an additional 20 million euros, or $21 million, on its military budget this year in preparation for NATO military exercises in September, the German Defense Ministry announced Thursday. The NATO exercises are set to take place in Ukraine amid criticism that they are a thinly veiled warning to Russia about its...
Russian Official Condemns Ukraine For Initiating Criminal Proceedings Against Russian Investigators
A Russian Investigative Committee representative slammed Ukraine for initiating criminal proceedings against Russian investigators. Vladimir Markin said Thursday that the actions of the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s office proved that Ukraine was “going down the drain.” Ukraine has decided to prosecute seven members of the Russian court...
Mistral Military Ships Refund: Russia, France Agree To Terms For Undelivered Seacraft
Russia and France have finally agreed on the refund amount of the ill-fated Mistral helicopter landing ship deal that was canceled after Russia annexed Crimea in March 2014, according to a Kremlin aide cited by the Pro-Russian news website Sputnik. The fate of the two fully built ships has been uncertain over the last 16 months, with French...
Ukraine’s Ethnic Romanians Seek Autonomy From Kiev Amid Eastern Conflict, Report Says
A group of ethnic Romanians in western Ukraine have demanded autonomy from Kiev amid dissatisfaction with the nation’s internal security and economic situation, according to a report Thursday. The outcry unfolded alongside ongoing efforts by separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine to achieve political autonomy. …read more Source:...
Ukraine-Russia Conflict: German Military Spending $21 Billion On Troops For NATO Exercises In Ukraine
The German military made plans to spend an additional 20 billion euros, or $21 billion, on its military budget this year in preparation for the upcoming NATO military exercises in September, the German Defense Ministry announced Thursday. Among other European nations, the NATO exercises are set to take place in Ukraine, amid criticism that they...
Russian Sanctions: Putin Signs Decree Ordering All Western Imported Food ‘Destroyed’
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree Wednesday ordering the “destruction” of all food brought into the country against import bans on Western products. The import bans were part of sanctions instituted in 2014 in response to Western sanctions on Russia over the Ukraine crisis, and they have greatly disrupted the daily...
