Section: Voice of America (USA)
NATO: 1,000 Russian Troops Remain in Ukraine
NATO says around 1,000 Russian troops remain inside Ukraine – a day after Ukraine’s president reported that most of the Russian forces assisting separatists there had returned home. President Petro Poroshenko said Wednesday that 70 percent of the Russian troops in Ukraine had crossed back over the border, raising hopes the cease-fire...
EU Set to Broaden Russia Sanctions
A new round of European Union sanctions against Russia over its role in the Ukraine conflict will take effect Friday but may be adjusted depending on the situation on the ground, says a top EU official. Announcing the decision in a statement, Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Council, said that before the end of the month a special...
US, Russia to Discuss Alleged Nuclear Treaty Violations
The State Department is leading a U.S. delegation that will meet with Russian officials in Moscow Thursday to discuss Russia’s alleged violation of provisions in the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces accord. The United States says Russia has conducted tests involving ground-based intermediate-range missiles. The move would violate...
With Homeland at War, Ukrainian-Americans Watch, Mobilize
A cease-fire in Ukraine between government troops and pro-Russian separatists has brought a temporary lull in the crisis gripping that country. But many of the estimated 1.2 million Americans of Ukrainian descent remain tense, fearful and angry. At Saint George Academy, a Catholic school in the heart of New York City’s Ukrainian-American...
EU Delays New Russia Sanctions, to Meet on Thursday
European Union envoys failed on Wednesday to reach a decision on whether to implement new sanctions against Russia over military involvement in the war in Ukraine and will meet for talks on Thursday, EU diplomats said. The diplomats said that while Germany was pushing to have the sanctions implemented, several other EU countries wanted to hold...
Putin, Iran’s Rouhani to Discuss Trade, Economic Ties
Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to meet Iranian President Hassan Rouhani while they are in Tajikistan for a security summit on Friday to discuss trade and economic ties, a Kremlin official said. He did not say whether they would touch on an “oil-for-goods deal” which Tehran and Moscow have been discussing as a way to get...
Criticizing NATO, Putin Underlines Need for Nuclear Deterrence
President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday Russia must maintain its nuclear deterrence because of what he described as a growing number of possible security threats. With ties between Moscow and the West tense over the crisis in Ukraine, Putin signed a decree that gives him more control over a commission that oversees the defense industry and...
Amnesty Says Both Sides Committed War Crimes in Ukraine
Amnesty International said on Wednesday it had documented evidence of war crimes by both sides in the conflict between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine. The human rights group’s secretary-general, Salil Shetty, told a news conference in Moscow that some separatists, backed by Russian troops, and...
Russian Official Says Ukraine Responsible for MH17 Crash
Russia’s defense minister says Ukraine bears “full responsibility” for the deadly crash of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 because the incident occurred in Ukrainian aispace. Sergei Shoigu made his remarks during a meeting Wednesday in Moscow with Malaysian Defense Minister Hishammuddin Hussein. Western governments have accused...
Ukraine’s President: Separatist East Will Stay Part of Ukraine
Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko said he will submit a bill to parliament next week granting parts of the separatist east greater autonomy, but keeping them part of Ukraine. Poroshenko announced the move at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday. He promised special status to some areas of the rebel-controlled regions of Donetsk and Luhansk,...
