Section: Voice of America (USA)
US, Russian War Games Rekindle Cold War Tensions
Russia is so close that the F-16 fighter pilots can see it on the horizon as they swoop down over a training range in Estonia in the biggest ever show of U.S. air power in the Baltic countries. The simulated bombs release smoke on impact, but the M-61 cannon fires live ammunition, rattling the aircraft with a deafening tremor and shattering...
Amnesty Says Ukraine Rebels Killed Captive Soldiers
Amnesty International said Thursday that it has evidence that Russian-backed separatists in east Ukraine have killed several captured government soldiers in gross violation of international humanitarian law. The human rights group said in a statement that footage it has seen shows at least four Ukrainian soldiers — now confirmed dead — being...
Eurozone Sets Greece Reform Deadline Ahead of IMF Repayment
Eurozone partners set Greece a deadline of six working days to improve proposed economic reforms in time for finance ministers to consider some emergency funding to keep the country afloat after it makes a repayment to the IMF on Thursday. EU officials said Athens made an urgent plea for cash at a meeting of deputy finance ministers in Brussels...
Amnesty Alleges Summary Killings by Rebels in Ukraine
A human rights group says it has new evidence of “execution-style killings” by pro-Russian armed groups in eastern Ukraine and is calling for greater accountability for human rights violations in the Ukrainian conflict. Amnesty International said that the evidence is a new indicator of the escalating human rights crisis in eastern...
Putin: Greece Did Not Ask for Financial Aid
Russian President Vladimir Putin says the leader of Greece did not ask for financial aid during an official visit Wednesday. Putin was speaking to reporters after a bilateral meeting at the Kremlin with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras. However, the Russian president said Moscow could provide credits for large joint projects with Greece in the...
Czech PM: President Zeman Overreacted to Comments by US Envoy
The prime minister of the Czech Republic and other top officials criticized the country’s president for a rare diplomatic row with the U.S. ambassador to Prague. Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka said Monday he wished President Milos Zeman was more professional in diplomatic affairs. Sobotka made it explicitly clear that it was crucial for...
IMF Official Sees ‘Leeway’ in Judging Ukraine’s Debt Progress
The International Monetary Fund will assess the progress of Ukraine’s talks with creditors, but does not have to make any decisions in June, when its next review of the country’s $17.5-billion bailout is due, the Fund’s No. 2 official said on Tuesday. Ukraine’s officials have set themselves a June deadline to complete debt...
Russia May Consider Removing Greece, Hungary, Cyprus From Food-Ban List
The Russian government could consider removing Greece, Hungary and Cyprus from its ban on most Western food imports, Russian Agriculture Minister Nikolai Fyodorov was quoted as saying on Tuesday. Russia’s ban, which should run until early August, was imposed in retaliation to Western sanctions on Russia over Moscow’s role in the...
Russia Strips ‘Rogue’ MP of Immunity
Russia’s parliament voted on Tuesday to strip the only deputy who voted against last year’s annexation of Crimea of his immunity from prosecution as a lawmaker. State prosecutors had asked the State Duma lower house to deprive opposition deputy Ilya Ponomaryov of his immunity, opening the way for him to face possible embezzlement...
Large Crowds Honor Nemtsov at Memorial Near Kremlin
Hundreds of people paid their respects Tuesday to the memory of opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, who was assassinated in February just meters from the Kremlin. Supporters squeezed onto the narrow pedestrian walkway of a bridge where Nemtsov died to place flowers to mark the 40-day memorial, an Orthodox Christian tradition. Police set up...
