Section: Voice of America (USA)
Kyiv: Russian Troops Spotted at 10 Sites Inside Ukraine
Ukraine says Russian troops have been spotted at 10 locations in Ukrainian territory, including two major cities controlled by pro-Russian rebels seeking autonomy from Ukrainian rule. Military spokesman Andriy Lysenko said Russia is continuing to concentrate soldiers and military hardware in six areas in the Donetsk region, including Donetsk city...
Obama Seeks to Reassure NATO Allies on Ukraine
U.S. President Barack Obama has left Washington on a four-day European trip aimed at reassuring NATO allies of active U.S. support, as regional tensions over Russia’s role in Ukraine continue to rise. Obama will hold a full day of talks Wednesday in the Estonian capital with the presidents of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The meetings in...
EU’s New Leadership May Surprise on Upside
At first sight, the European Union’s new leadership team looks like a missed opportunity. Jean-Claude Juncker, Donald Tusk and Federica Mogherini seem a less than ideal crew to tackle the EU’s biggest challenges – dynamizing a stagnant economy, standing up to Russia over Ukraine and preventing Britain from drifting away from...
IMF: Ukraine May Need $19B More in Aid if Conflict Continues
Ukraine may need as much as $19 billion in additional funds from donors if its conflict with pro-Russian separatists continues during 2015, the International Monetary Fund warned on Tuesday. Even under Kyiv’s current $17 billion IMF bailout, the Fund said Ukraine will not be able to meet all of its targets due to the ongoing fighting and an...
Estonia Wants NATO Base on Russia’s Doorstep
Estonia is calling for NATO to establish a permanent base on its soil, as U.S. President Barack Obama prepares to visit the one-time Soviet satellite amid Baltic state worries about possible Russian aggression in the region. Estonia President Toomas Hendrik Ilves, during a state visit Tuesday to Norway, said NATO, the U.S.-European military...
NATO Leaders Set to Gather on Russia, Middle East
The leaders of the 28 NATO countries will gather for the first time in two years starting Thursday in Wales, in western Britain, with an agenda very different from the one they had for their last summit. When NATO leaders last met in Chicago, Afghanistan was at the top of their agenda, and Russia was considered a partner in addressing issues like...
Putin Orders Expedited Building of New Russian Spaceport
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday ordered that construction be sped up on a multi-billion-dollar spaceport in Russia’s Far East, which he said would break reliance on the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and launch future missions to the Moon and Mars. Putin flew in a helicopter over the sprawling building site in Vostochny at a...
German Minister Urges Europeans to Eat More Fruit
Europeans should eat more fruit and vegetables to remedy the impact of Russian restrictions on food imports from the West, Germany’s agriculture minister said on Tuesday. “Eat! You should eat, I should eat, we should eat,” the minister, Christian Schmidt, told German radio. Europe faces disruption to food markets from import restrictions...
Ukraine Schools Resume Classes, Donate to Government Forces
A new school year has started in Ukraine but thousands of children in the war-torn east are unable to attend because of ongoing clashes with pro-Russia rebels. In Ukraine’s capital, patriotic education has become the norm along with donations to support injured security forces fighting to take back rebel-held areas. Schoolchildren across...
NATO Leaders Set to Gather on Russia, Middle East
The leaders of the 28 NATO countries will gather for the first time in two years starting Thursday in Wales, in western Britain, with an agenda very different from the one they had for their last summit. When NATO leaders last met in Chicago, Afghanistan was at the top of their agenda, and Russia was considered a partner in addressing issues like...
