Section: Voice of America (USA)
Russian Americans Offer Mixed Views of Ukraine Conflict
While polls within Russia indicate overwhelming popular support for President Vladimir Putin’s policies and actions in eastern Ukraine, the hundreds of thousands of Russian immigrants living in New York seem divided in their reactions to recent developments. Lev Borschevskiy, a veteran journalist and active member of the Russian American...
Defense Minister: Western Weapons on Way to Ukraine
Ukrain’s Defense Minister Valeriy Heletey said Sunday weapons are on their way to Ukraine from Western countries – which he would not name – to help the country in its fight against Russian-backed rebels. The claim came as sporadic fighting continued in eastern Ukraine, despite of a nine-day-old cease-fire. Heletey said the...
Ukraine to Feature in Paris Talks
Ukraine is expected to be discussed on the sidelines of the Paris meeting on Iraq Monday. A senior U.S. State Department official says Secretary John Kerry will have pull-asides with several foreign ministers to review developments. The official told reporters travelling with the secretary that “It appears the Russians are treating the...
‘War is madness,’ Pope Says on Visit to Military Memorial
Pope Francis said on Saturday the spate of conflicts around the globe today were effectively a “piecemeal” Third World War, condemning the arms trade and “plotters of terrorism” sowing death and destruction. “Humanity needs to weep and this is the time to weep,” Francis said in the homily of a Mass during a visit to Italy’s largest war...
Ukraine PM: Putin Wants to Destroy Ukraine
Ukraine’s prime minister says Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to destroy Ukraine as an independent country, despite a truce deal. Speaking at an international conference Saturday in Kyiv, Arseniy Yatsenyuk said Putin’s goal is to take all of Ukraine which was part of the former Soviet Union. Prime Minister Yatsenyuk praised the...
Dutch Hope Shards Will Lead to Weapon That Downed MH17
Investigators trying to find out who shot down Malaysia Airlines MH17 over eastern Ukraine have recovered 25 pieces of metal from baggage and bodies, which could lead them to the missile believed to have torn apart the airliner. Dutch prosecution service chief Fred Westerbeke, who is leading the international inquiry into the July 17 disaster,...
Poland Resumes Gas Supplies to Ukraine
Poland resumed natural gas deliveries to Ukraine on Friday after receiving a pledge that Russia’s Gazprom would deliver requested supplies to Polish state-run gas importer PGNiG. Poland, at odds with Russia over the stand-off in Ukraine, stopped so-called reverse flows to Ukraine after PGNiG said it had received less gas than ordered this...
World Food Program Launches Ukraine Operation
The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) has begun a food assistance program in eastern Ukraine. The WFP’s first program in Ukraine is distributing food in transportation centers and public shelters in Donetsk and Luhansk. The program, launched earlier this month, has already handed out 10,000 daily rations, enough to feed 2,000 people...
EU Imposes New Sanctions on Russia
The European Union has imposed a new package of economic sanctions against Russia because of its actions in Ukraine. The new sanctions went into effect Friday and targeted Russian oil and defense firms. The latest EU restrictions also imposed sanctions on individuals, including Russian figures and Ukrainian rebels. European Council President...
Veteran US Diplomat: Moscow Unlikely to Annex Eastern Ukraine
A cease-fire is holding in Ukraine’s eastern region. The cease-fire halts five months of fighting between Ukrainian government troops and pro-Russian separatists, who Western nations say are directly helped by Russia, a charge denied by Moscow. Senior Russian officials, including Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, have recently stated there is...
