Section: KXAN (USA)
Ukraine and Russia close their borders to foreign truckers
MOSCOW (AP) — Ukraine’s prime minister has announced that cargo trucks registered in Russia will temporarily not be allowed to enter Ukraine, in response to Russia’s ban on Ukrainian trucks. Arseniy Yatsenyuk’s announcement comes after Russia detained 152 Ukraine-registered trucks and banned Ukraine-registered cargo vehicles...
Those Valentine’s Day flowers might just be from Kenya
NYAHURURU, Kenya (AP) — This Valentine’s Day, there’s a good chance your flowers came from Kenya. “I know the flowers are for giving on Valentine’s Day,” said Phanice Cherop, a worker at a flower farm in Kenya. “They are very beautiful.” On a crisp February morning, Cherop squeezed through a row of shoulder-high white roses, cut...
Putin, Obama discuss Syria, Ukraine
MOSCOW (AP) — The Kremlin says Vladimir Putin and President Barack Obama have held a telephone conversation about the Syrian war and the unresolved conflict in Ukraine. A Sunday statement said the call took place at Washington’s initiative, but didn’t specify when it occurred. On Syria, the statement said “Both sides gave a positive...
Kerry takes aim at Russia over Ukraine and Syria
MUNICH (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is sharply criticizing Russia for its actions in Ukraine and Syria, accusing Moscow of “repeated aggression” in both places. Speaking to the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, Kerry said Russia is defying the will of the international community with its support for separatists in eastern...
The Latest: Russian PM denies bombing Syrian civilians
MUNICH (AP) — The Latest on the security conference in Munich (all times local): 10:40 a.m. Russia’s prime minister has insisted that there’s no evidence his country is bombing civilians in Syria after his French counterpart called for an end to such attacks. Government forces, aided by a Russian bombing campaign, are trying to...
Russian PM: West rekindling the Cold War
MUNICH (AP) — Russia’s prime minister is accusing the West of rekindling the Cold War, saying sanctions imposed after the annexation of Crimea and new moves by the NATO alliance “only aggravate” tensions. Dmitry Medvedev said Saturday that Russian President Vladimir Putin told the same Munich Security Conference in 2007 that the...
Germany presses Russia, Ukraine to implement peace deal
MUNICH (AP) — Germany’s foreign minister pressed for progress on a year-old peace plan for eastern Ukraine as he met Saturday with senior officials from Russia, Ukraine and France, saying he hopes that Moscow and Kiev realize that they don’t have forever to implement the deal Germany’s Frank-Walter Steinmeier hosted Russian...
‘Finally’: Pope meets Russian Orthodox leader
MEXICO CITY (AP) — With an exclamation of “Finally,” Pope Francis embraced Patriarch Kirill on Friday in the first meeting between a pontiff and the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, a brief but historic encounter held during a stopover in Cuba before the pope flew on to Mexico. The meeting in the small, wood-paneled VIP room of Havana’s...
Chechen leader threatens foes in bid to gain Putin’s support
MOSCOW (AP) — The Kremlin-backed strongman of Chechnya has issued a stream of threats against Russia’s liberal opposition, but his primary audience appears to be the Russian president himself. With Ramzan Kadyrov’s five-year stint as regional leader about to expire, he is trying to parlay his strong personal ties with President...
NATO, EU sign agreement on cyberdefense cooperation
BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO and the European Union have signed an agreement to improve cooperation in cyberdefense, which NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called a concrete example of the two Brussels-based organizations joining forces to counter modern forms of hybrid warfare. The technical agreement, signed at NATO headquarters on Wednesday,...
