Section: KXAN (USA)
EU chief says Russia-Germany gas line could break EU rules
BRUSSELS (AP) — A top European Union official says the Nord Stream gas pipeline project that would deliver supplies direct to Germany from Russia appears to break EU rules. European Council President Donald Tusk said on Friday that “Nord Stream does not help diversification, nor would it reduce our energy dependence.” But Tusk said the EU’s...
Ukraine says it won’t repay Russian debt due by weekend
MOSCOW (AP) — Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk says his country won’t repay a $3 billion debt owed to Russia by this weekend. Yatsenyuk announced at a televised government session on Friday a “moratorium” on any debt repayments to Russia. That effectively means that Ukraine is defaulting on the debt. He did not indicate when...
Russia opens new Stalin museums, grapples with his legacy
KHOROSHEVO, Russia (AP) — A bust of Josef Stalin stands on the front lawn of a house-turned-museum in this small village, where the Soviet leader is said to have stayed the night on his only visit to the front during World War II. Inside, the museum director, a sturdy woman armed with a wooden pointer, takes a group of preteen students around the...
Putin praises Donald Trump as ‘bright and talented’
MOSCOW (AP) — In Vladimir Putin’s view, Donald Trump is “bright and talented.” But as much as those words sound overtly like praise, there are some murky nuances. The most unequivocally favorable part of the comments the Russian leader made Thursday to a scrum of reporters after his annual year-end news conference was about the Republican...
Poroshenko: Russia boosting military in Ukraine’s east
BRUSSELS (AP) — Ukraine’s leader has accused Russia of increasing its military presence in eastern Ukraine, hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin said he wanted to see the armed conflict there ended as quickly as possible. During a visit to NATO headquarters, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said Thursday there was a “growing...
6 crew missing after Danish cargo ship sinks near Indonesia
BATAM, Indonesia (AP) — Officials say six Filipino crewmen are missing after their cargo ship collided with a chemical tanker and sank near Indonesia. Six other crew members were rescued. Batam port official Gajah Rooseno said Thursday the Danish cargo ship Thorco Cloud collided with the chemical tanker Stolt Commitment about 8 miles (13...
Putin: Russia’s Syria operation will continue until talks
MOSCOW (AP) — Russia is ready to improve ties with the United States and work with whomever is elected its next president, President Vladimir Putin said Thursday. He said his talks with U.S. Secretary John Kerry earlier this week showed that Washington is ready to “move toward settling the issues that can only be settled through joint efforts.”...
The Latest: Putin says he wants quick settlement in Ukraine
MOSCOW (AP) — The latest news from Russian President Vladimir Putin’s end of year news conference. All times local. 1:20 p.m. President Vladimir Putin says Russia wants a quick settlement of the conflict in eastern Ukraine. Putin, speaking Thursday at a televised news conference, said that “we are interested in seeing the conflict settled...
Ukraine to halt trade with Crimea by mid-January
KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — The Ukrainian prime minister says his country will halt some trade with Russian-occupied Crimea by mid-January. Arseniy Yatsenyuk said in televised comments on Wednesday that starting Ukraine will halt all trade with Crimea except for the deliveries of humanitarian aid and “socially important foodstuffs.” Unknown attackers...
Kerry in Moscow for talks on Syria, Ukraine
MOSCOW (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry opened talks in Moscow on Tuesday with Russia’s foreign minister to try to narrow broad gaps on ways to end Syria’s civil war and restore stability in eastern Ukraine. Kerry was meeting his counterpart Sergey Lavrov before seeing Russian President Vladimir Putin in what are expected to...
