Section: Voice of America (USA)
US Congressional Leaders Reach Accord on Russia Sanctions; Trump’s Reaction Unclear
A bipartisan group of U.S. congressional leaders has reached agreement on new sanctions against Russia for its meddling in the 2016 presidential election and military aggression in Ukraine and Syria, along with economic penalties aimed at Iran and North Korea. The House of Representatives is set to vote Tuesday on the measure, which does not...
Report: Germany Tells Russia Breach of Sanctions Strains Ties
Germany has warned Russia that breaches of sanctions including the relocation to Crimea of four gas turbines delivered to Russia by Siemens are straining political relations between the two countries, Bild am Sonntag reported Sunday. The newspaper quoted a foreign ministry spokesman as saying the German government had on several occasions brought...
Former Top US Intel Officials Criticize Trump’s Stance on Russia
Two former top U.S. intelligence officials harshly criticized President Donald Trump on Friday for not standing up to Russia for meddling in the presidential election, one of them wondering aloud whether the president’s real aim is to make “Russia great again.” Former National Intelligence Director James Clapper and former CIA Director John...
Renowned Russian Rights Activist: Putin Treats Me With Dignity, Respect
Lyudmila Alekeyeva, a renowned human rights activist who has challenged the Soviet regime and Russian authorities since the 1950s, tells VOA that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent surprise visit to her flat left her with an improved perception of the man. Putin visited Alekeyeva on Thursday, her 90th birthday, reaching out to the...
US General Says Allies Worry Russian War Game May Be ‘Trojan Horse’
U.S. allies in eastern Europe and Ukraine are worried that Russia’s planned war games in September could be a “Trojan horse” aimed at leaving behind military equipment brought into Belarus, the U.S. Army’s top general in Europe said on Thursday. Russia has sought to reassure NATO that the military exercises will respect...
Allies Worry Russian War Games May Be ‘Trojan Horse,’ US General Says
U.S. allies in Eastern Europe and Ukraine are worried that Russia’s planned war games in September could be a “Trojan horse” aimed at leaving behind military equipment brought into Belarus, the U.S. Army’s top general in Europe said Thursday. Russia has sought to reassure NATO that the military exercises will respect...
Baltics Need Anti-aircraft Protection Against Russia, Lithuania Says
NATO should permanently deploy anti-aircraft weapons in the Baltics to deter Russia, Lithuania’s president said Thursday as the United States put Patriot missiles on display after including them in an exercise in the region for the first time. The permanent deployment of the advanced air defense system would be the next step in NATO’s...
Ukraine Says 9 Soldiers Killed in East in Rebel Fighting
A spokesman for the Ukrainian military says nine soldiers died over the past day in the east where Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed rebels have been fighting for more than three years. Although full-scale offensives in the war have ebbed, both sides report artillery fire or small clashes almost daily. The death toll reported Thursday by...
Treasury Department Fines Exxon Mobil for Russia Sanctions Violations
The U.S. Treasury Department has fined Exxon Mobil Corporation $2 million for violating Russia sanctions related to Ukraine, while Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was CEO of the global oil and gas conglomerate. The department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control imposed the civil penalty after concluding Exxon Mobil did not voluntarily...
Year After Reporter Killed in Ukraine, No Progress in Probe
After renowned journalist Pavel Sheremet was killed in a car bombing in central Kyiv last year, Ukraine’s president promised all-out efforts to solve the case. But as of Thursday’s anniversary of his death, there has been no visible progress. Instead, say Ukrainian journalists, the case is mired in either incompetence or deliberate...
