Section: Voice of America (USA)
Russia Lashes Out at Latest Western Sanctions
Russia is lashing out at new U.S. and European economic sanctions imposed to protest what the West sees as Moscow’s intervention in Ukraine. The Russian Foreign Ministry Wednesday called new restrictions targeting the Russian energy, defense, technology and finance sectors “destructive and short-sighted.” It said Washington is...
Sources: Russian Bank Subsidiaries in EU to Escape Sanctions
Russian bank subsidiaries based in the European Union will be exempt from EU economic sanctions designed to choke off finance for big state-owned Russian lenders, sources familiar with the discussions told Reuters on Wednesday. These sources said the exemption, which EU officials said they would monitor closely to avoid abuse, meant Sberbank and...
Some Ukrainian Rebels Vent Frustration with Putin
Western leaders may be Vladimir Putin’s biggest critics over the conflict in east Ukraine but the Russian leader is also facing criticism from some of the rebels they accuse him of arming. The European Union and the United States have imposed new sanctions on Russia because they say Putin has not done enough to persuade the pro-Russian...
Russia Wants Apple, SAP to Cooperate Against Foreign Spying
Russia has proposed that Apple Inc. and SAP hand the government access to their source code to make sure their widely used products are not tools for spying on state institutions. The suggestion that two of the world’s flagship technology companies disclose some of their most sensitive business secrets comes as the United States and Europe...
Russia Bans Polish Fruit, Veggies in Apparent Retaliation for Sanctions
Russia announced a ban on most fruit and vegetable imports from Poland on Wednesday and said it may extend the restrictions to the rest of the European Union, its first apparent retaliation to new Western sanctions imposed over Ukraine a day earlier. Moscow, which buys more than 2 billion euros worth of EU fruit and vegetables a year making it by...
Russia Defiant in Face of Tougher Sanctions
Russia’s central bank promised to support financial institutions hit by new sanctions imposed by the United States and the European Union. The United States imposed sanctions on more Russian banks on Tuesday, targeting the country’s second-largest lender VTB , its subsidiary the Bank of Moscow, and the Russian Agriculture Bank. The...
New US, EU Sanctions Imposed Against Russia Over Ukraine
The United States and European Union are imposing tougher new sanctions against Russia for its support of separatists in eastern Ukraine. Tuesday’s sanctions announcement came as Ukraine’s foreign minister accused Russia of continuing to send fighters and weapons across the border. VOA State Department correspondent Scott Stearns...
Obama Names New Ambassador to Russia
President Barack Obama has named veteran diplomat and Eastern European expert John Tefft as the new ambassador to Russia. Tefft is long experienced in diplomatic circles within the former Soviet Union, having served as Obama’s ambassador to Ukraine and former President George W. Bush’s ambassador to Georgia and Lithuania. Tefft may be...
US Ambassador: Advanced Weapons on Russia-Ukraine Border
The United States says it expects to pass another round of tough sanctions against Russia over its alleged involvement in the conflict in eastern Ukraine. In an interview with VOA, the US Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt said Russian President Vladimir Putin must take steps to de-escalate the crisis. The shooting down of a Malaysia Airlines...
US Envoy: Advanced Weapons on Russia-Ukraine Border
The United States says it expects to pass another round of tough sanctions against Russia for its alleged involvement in the conflict in eastern Ukraine. In an interview with Voice of America, the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine said Russian President Vladimir Putin must take steps to de-escalate the crisis. He spoke to Henry Ridgwell at the U.S....
