Section: San Francisco Chronicle (USA)
US slams Russia’s move to recognize Ukraine rebel documents
The recognition, in an order signed by President Vladimir Putin that was announced Saturday, “is alarming and contradicts the agreed-upon goals of the Minsk Agreement,” the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine said Sunday on Twitter, referring to a two-year-old agreement on ending the fighting in eastern Ukraine. …read more Source: San...
Europeans wonder if Trump will act on Pence’s reassurances
MUNICH (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence was the latest in a trio of high-ranking Trump emissaries to tell European allies in person that the United States will steadfastly support NATO and demand that Russia honor its commitments to end fighting in Ukraine. European countries along Russia’s border have been rattled by the prospect of deeper...
Europeans wonder if Trump will act on Pence’s reassurances
MUNICH (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence was the latest in a trio of high-ranking Trump emissaries to tell European allies in person that the United States will steadfastly support NATO and demand that Russia honor its commitments to end fighting in Ukraine. European countries along Russia’s border have been rattled by the prospect of deeper...
Pence promises U.S. support for NATO alliance
MUNICH — U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on Saturday conveyed a message to jittery partners that the Trump administration will “hold Russia accountable” and maintain steadfast support for NATO, a military alliance the American commander in chief once dismissed as “obsolete.” Pence’s address and a series of one-on-one meetings with world...
Russia-Belarus rift grows as Putin loses patience
MINSK, Belarus (AP) — In more than two decades in power, the autocratic leader of Belarus has cast his nation as Moscow’s closest ally, securing tens of billions of dollars in Russian subsidies. When Belarus balked last year at the price Russia charged for its natural gas, accumulating a $550 million debt, Moscow hit Minsk in its softest...
Germany’s Merkel to US: uphold, strengthen multilateralism
MUNICH (AP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel appealed to the United States and others on Saturday to support and bolster multilateral organizations such as the European Union, the United Nations and NATO, an alliance to which U.S. Vice President Mike Pence pledged America’s commitment was “unwavering.” Merkel told Pence and...
The Latest: Pence: US to ‘will hold Russia accountable’
Pence says at the Munich Security Conference in Germany that with regard to Ukraine, the international community must hold Russia accountable and demand that it honor a 2015 peace agreement aimed at ending the fighting in eastern Ukraine between government forces and Russia-backed separatists. Pence’s speech comes amid concerns in Europe...
In Europe, Pence to reassure allies at start of Trump era
“The vice president has sent reassuring messages through his own engagement but that hasn’t been enough to dispel the concerns that you see in many parts of Europe,” says Jeff Rathke, a senior fellow with the Center for Strategic and International Studies. In Munich, the American allies will be seeking clues from Pence as to how...
US benefits from stable EU, NATO, German official says
MUNICH — Germany’s defense chief on Friday hit President Trump’s dismissive attitude toward Washington’s European allies, giving a frosty reception to U.S. envoys at the largest conclave of U.S. and European officials since the inauguration. Trump has offered the most direct challenge to the trans-Atlantic security alliance in...
Kremlin denies any disappointment with Trump administration
A change of attitude, however, was clearly visible in Friday’s news programs on Russian state TV, which gave little time to Trump compared with previous massive coverage of the U.S. president. The shift in tone could reflect an attempt to dampen public expectations of a quick breakthrough in better relations with Washington that have been...
