Section: Voice of America (USA)
France to Decide on Russian Warship Deal in November
France will wait until next month to decide whether to deliver the first of two Mistral helicopter carriers to Russia, French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Tuesday. French President Francois Hollande had for months resisted pressure from Washington and other allies to scrap the 1.2 billion euro ($1.58 billion) contract before...
Russia to Recognize ‘People’s Republic’ Election Results
Russia announced Tuesday it will recognize the results of upcoming elections in two separatist regions of eastern Ukraine. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the voting scheduled for November 2 would be important for the “legitimization of power” in the unrecognized “People’s Republics” of Donetsk and Luhansk. While...
US Ambassador Hails Ukraine’s Election as Watershed Event
The United States has hailed Ukraine’s parliamentary election as an important step in the country’s development. Exit polls and partial counts from the Sunday vote show an overwhelming support for pro-Western parties, giving President Petro Poroshenko a mandate to steer the country away from Russia and toward mainstream Europe....
Heavy Shelling in Rebel-held Eastern Ukraine After Election
…read more Source: Voice of...
Rights Group: Russia Must Probe Deaths, Abductions in Crimea
Russia must investigate the deaths and abductions of activists in Crimea who have opposed Moscow’s annexation of the peninsula and ensure the rights of minorities and media are respected, a leading European human rights watchdog said on Monday. In a 16-page report, the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights Nils Muiznieks...
Heavy Shelling in Rebel-held Eastern Ukraine After Election
Heavy shelling rocked the outskirts of the pro-Russian rebel stronghold of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine Monday, one day after the country held a parliamentary election. The Donetsk mayor’s office said “powerful firing has been heard from high-caliber guns and explosions.” Tensions remain high in the area despite a September...
Russia Ramps Military Probing in the Baltics
NATO says Russia has increased provocative military actions in and around the Baltics in recent months. They include the reported incursion of a Russian spy plane into Estonian airspace earlier this week. “I would suggest that the level of this provocative flying is higher than at the height of the Cold War,” said a NATO spokesman who added that...
Ukraine Voting For New Parliament
Ukraine is voting for a new parliament. The election Sunday is the first parliamentary poll since street protests in the capital, Kyiv, forced Moscow-backed leader Viktor Yanukovich to flee in February, ushering in a pro-Europe leadership under President Petro Poroshenko. Analysts say Poroshenko’s party is expected to get the largest share...
Talks to Resume on Winter Gas for Ukraine
Ukrainian and Russian officials will meet again next week in an effort to settle their dispute over natural gas supplies that threatens to leave Ukraine short of heating fuel for the coming winter. VOA’s Al Pessin reports from London the dispute is complex, and has both economic and geopolitical dimensions. …read more Source: Voice of...
On Eve of Poll, Ukraine Leader Seeks Support for Pro-Europe Course
President Petro Poroshenko called on Ukrainians on Saturday to elect a majority on Sunday that would see through a pro-Europe, reform agenda and break with the Soviet past. Poroshenko, who is expecting a big win for his political bloc in the first parliamentary election since the overthrow of the Moscow-backed leader Viktor Yanukovich, said he...
