Section: Voice of America (USA)
Yatseniuk Urges International Donor Conference
Ukraine risks defaulting on its debt unless Western donors come up with more funds on top of the financial aid already promised, Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk said on Thursday. A year of revolution and war with pro-Russian separatists has pushed Ukraine’s hryvnia currency to record lows and crippled the economy, which was already near...
Russia-Turkey Pipeline Has Economic, Strategic Motives
Russia’s decision to cancel a gas pipeline to Bulgaria in preference to Turkey is being heralded as an important victory for Ankara in its ambitions to become a regional energy hub. But there are growing doubts over how advantageous the pipeline will be for Turkey. The memorandum of understanding signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin...
Russia Urges Expediency in Ukraine Peace Talks
Russia is sparing no effort to convene another round of peace talks on the conflict in east Ukraine, Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said on Thursday, criticizing Kyiv’s reluctance to do so. Kyiv’s envoy to the talks, which also bring together Moscow, pro-Russian separatists and the OSCE European watchdog, said on...
Crimean Leader in New Delhi During Putin Visit
The leader of Crimea, the former Ukrainian territory annexed by Russia, arrived for unofficial talks in New Delhi on Thursday as President Vladimir Putin met Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a summit. Sergey Aksyonov met a Mumbai businessman to discuss boosting trade with the Black Sea region. India does not support Western sanctions against...
Ukraine President Urges Russia to Withdraw Troops
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko is pleading with Russia to remove its troops from war-torn eastern Ukraine. President Poroshenko made his comments Thursday at the outset of a three-day visit to Australia, a key Western ally. Speaking to reporters, he said if Russia closes its border with Ukraine, there will be “peace and...
Russia: Western Integration Not Bosnia’s Only Option
Russia broke with the West on Wednesday on an initiative to encourage reform in Bosnia with the carrot of European Union membership, saying that integration with the West was not the Balkan country’s only option. Britain and Germany have proposed unlocking EU cash and putting economic measures before political reforms in a bid to raise...
Croatia Revives Gas Terminal Project
Spurred by the demise of Russia’s South Stream gas pipeline project, Croatia has revived a decade-old idea of building a liquefied natural gas import terminal at the deepwater oil port of Omisalj on the island of Krk. The idea had foundered primarily because Europe’s demand for gas fell during the global financial crisis, making the...
Russia’s Prime Minister Urges Faith in Ruble, Criticizes West
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has urged the Russian people not to buy foreign currency as a safe investment despite the Russian ruble’s continued slide and the economy heading into a recession. During a live interview on Russian TV, the prime minister also lashed out at Western nations for imposing sanctions over the...
Analysts Weigh Nigeria-Russia Arms Deal
Nigeria has turned to Russia to buy heavier weapons following a recent strain in relations with the United States. After the U.S. rejected a request for Cobra attack helicopters, Nigeria cancelled a U.S. military training program linked to the fight against Boko Haram militants. Analysts now are weighing the effects of the arms deal with Russia....
Britain Calls on NATO Help in Submarine Hunt
NATO patrol planes helped Britain scour the waters off its western Scottish coast after a submarine’s periscope was spotted, in a search reminiscent of the Cold War, media reported. Britain’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) said it had received NATO help in an operation, but declined to go into further details. News of the operation, first...
