Section: Voice of America (USA)
Poroshenko: Ukraine to Apply for EU Membership in 2020
Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko says his country will apply for membership to the European Union in 2020 as part of a broader plan for social and economic reforms. Poroshenko says those reforms which will prepare Ukraine to apply for EU membership. Ukraine’s desire for European integration, and Russia’s opposition to it, sparked...
Russia’s Food Sanctions Raise Price Worries, Hopes for Domestic Production
Russia retaliated against Western sanctions imposed for its actions in Ukraine by halting food imports from the West. The temporary import ban on food from Australia, the European Union, Norway and North America has Russian consumers concerned that they could face a sharp increase in food prices. But in an ironic twist, the restrictions aimed at...
Ukraine PM Skeptical About Cease-fire in East
Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk says he is very skeptical about the cease-fire with pro-Russian separatists in the country’s east, calling it extremely fragile and shaky. Yatsenyuk told an audience at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York Wednesday that Ukraine could easily deter the separatists and restore peace but said...
Russia’s Food Sanctions: Boon for Some, Bust for Others
Russia retaliated against Western sanctions imposed for its actions in Ukraine by halting food imports from the West. The temporary import ban on food from the European Union, North America, Norway and Australia has Russian consumers concerned that they could face sharp increases in food prices. But in an ironic twist, the restrictions have made...
Russia’s Food Sanctions: Boon for Producers, Bust for Consumers
Russia retaliated against Western sanctions imposed for its actions in Ukraine by halting food imports from the West. The temporary import ban on food from the European Union, North America, Norway and Australia has Russian consumers concerned that they could face sharp increases in food prices. But in an ironic twist, the restrictions have made...
NATO Confident in Afghan Security Following Political Power Sharing
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen says he is confident that Afghan forces can take charge of security behind a new government in Kabul that comes as part of a political power-sharing agreement following this year’s historic elections. The NATO Secretary General spoke with VOA at the United Nations about Afghanistan, Syria, and...
World Bank: Russian Economy Nears ‘Stagnation’
Russia’s economic growth is slow and may stagnate over the next two years, according to a World Bank study published Wednesday. The bank says Russia’s economic growth may be just one-half of one percent this year — and forecasts it may be slightly slower in 2015 and 2016. The bank’s new Russia Economic Report highlights...
EU Plans for Iran Gas Imports If Sanctions Go
The European Union is quietly increasing the urgency of a plan to import natural gas from Iran, as relations with Tehran thaw while those with top gas supplier Russia grow chillier. Two “ifs” – the removal of sanctions on Iran and the addition of some pipeline infrastructure – are not preventing EU planners preparing, a European...
NATO Sees Significant Pullback of Russian Troops from Ukraine
NATO has observed a significant withdrawal of Russian forces from inside Ukraine, but many Russian troops remain stationed near the border, an alliance military spokesman said on Wednesday. “There has been a significant pullback of Russian conventional forces from inside Ukraine, but many thousands are still deployed in the vicinity of the...
Japan Announces New Russia Sanctions
Japan has announced additional sanctions on Russia over unrest in Ukraine and urged Moscow to find a peaceful resolution to the crisis. Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga says the new sanctions will tighten restrictions on arms exports to Russia, as well as ban some Russian banks from issuing securities in Japan. “Japan...
