Section: The Epoch Times (USA)
US Calls on Russia to Calm Turbulence in Ukraine
BASEL, Switzerland— U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says Russia could rebuild its relations with the West if it simply helps calm the violence on its border with eastern Ukraine, where pro-Moscow separatists are fighting with Kiev forces. Kerry was at a meeting Thursday of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which includes...
World War 3? Dennis Kucinich Says Congress Wants US-Russia Conflict
Former Democratic Congressman Dennis Kucinich, now a pundit, is claiming that some members of Congress want to start up a conflict with Russia. Meanwhile, Sen. John McCain stipulated there “would never be an all-out war with Russia.” “U.S.-Russia relations have deteriorated severely in the past decade and they are about to get worse, if the House...
Western Sanctions, Ruble Crash Hit Russians Hard
MOSCOW—Oyster Bar built a thriving business serving mollusks to well-heeled Muscovites. Then came Western sanctions, and the restaurant was forced to rechristen itself this fall. Today, it serves up burgers and pizza under a new name: No Oyster Bar. Co-owner Ilya Sokhin said a Russian ban on European oyster imports hit hard, and the average check...
Ukraine Says Nuclear Plant Fault Cuts Power
KIEV, Ukraine— Ukraine’s energy minister says a technical fault at a nuclear power plant in the south of country has cut power production but insists it poses no danger. Volodymr Demchishin said Wednesday that a short circuit at a power-generating unit in the Zaporozhiya plant led to a drop in electricity production. He says normal output...
Change of Leadership in Crimea Means Property Grab
YALTA, Crimea—One day in October, a dozen armed men in masks drove up to the gates of Yalta Film Studios. They weren’t actors, and this was no make-believe. It was a hostile takeover. “They forced all the employees onto the ground, sealed off the premises and halted the work of the studio,” said owner Sergei Arshinov. The studio, nestled in...
Ukraine Parliament Approves New Government
KIEV, Ukraine—Ukraine’s parliament approved the formation of a new government Tuesday, bringing an end to weeks of behind-the-scenes political wrangling following an October election that ushered in a group of pro-Western parties. The new Cabinet has come together as government troops and Russian-backed separatist forces agreed on a...
NATO Ministers Condemn Russia’s ‘Destabilization’ of Ukraine
BRUSSELS— NATO foreign ministers on Tuesday condemned what they called Russia’s “continued and deliberate destabilization” in Ukraine, and announced new assistance for Ukraine’s military. The ministers, meeting in Brussels, spoke with their Ukrainian counterpart, Pavlo Klimkin, via a video hookup with Kiev on Tuesday. They criticized...
EU Commissioner: New Ukraine Parliament will Push Reform
BRUSSELS—The EU Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, Johannes Hahn, said the government in Ukraine is on a good path after his visit to Ukraine last Thursday and Friday. He was there during the opening session of the new parliament, Verkhovna Rada, the “first Parliament with the necessary majority for...
NATO Plans Rapid-Response Force for 2015
BRUSSELS—NATO expects to have an interim rapid-reaction force in place by next year to deal with new security challenges in Europe and elsewhere, the alliance’s secretary-general said Monday. Jens Stoltenberg said the force would be a provisional step until a full-scale unit can be organized in 2016. Stoltenberg said Germany, Norway and the...
Partial Results: Moldova Split Between EU, Russia
CHISINAU, Moldova–Partial results from Sunday’s elections show Moldovan voters divided between parties that want to move closer to Europe and those that want to move back into Moscow’s sphere of influence. The parliamentary election has taken on wider significance with the unrest in neighboring Ukraine. Moldova, like Ukraine, has a...
