Section: Voice of America (USA)
Russia Calls Latest US Sanctions ‘Blackmail’
Russian President Vladimir Putin says the latest round of U.S. sanctions on Russia will stall bilateral relations and hurt U.S. businesses as well as Russian ones. Putin made his televised comments during a visit to Brazil, just hours after President Barack Obama announced new sanctions on Russian banks and energy companies for Moscow’s...
US, EU to Impose New Sanctions on Russia Over Ukraine
Fighting between Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine has intensified over the past week, with Ukraine and Russia blaming each other for cross-border attacks. The United States and the European Union have accused Moscow of not doing its part to help restore peace in the region, and they are planning to...
US: Russia Massing Troops on Ukraine Border
The United States and NATO are growing increasingly concerned about Russia’s military posture. The U.S. on Wednesday accused Russia of amassing thousands more troops along its border with Ukraine, as well as tanks and artillery. Workers in the eastern Ukrainian city of Slovyansk are starting the slow process of repairing damage from...
US Imposes Toughest Sanctions Yet on Russia Over Ukraine
The United States on Wednesday imposed its most wide-ranging sanctions yet on Russia’s economy, including Gazprombank and the Rosneft Oil Co., and other major banks and energy and defense companies. Washington has steadily escalated its financial sanctions on Russia over what it views as Moscow’s interference in its neighbor Ukraine....
Analysts: Putin Wants ‘Frozen Conflict’ in Eastern Ukraine
As Ukraine’s military continues to retake eastern territory seized by pro-Russian rebels earlier this year, the Kremlin is threatening retaliation for a civilian death in Russia. Moscow claims Ukraine’s military shelled across the border, killing one Russian civilian and wounding others. Kyiv denies firing into Russian territory and...
EU to Consider Blocking New Loans to Russia
European Union leaders will work to block loans for new projects in Russia by two multilateral lenders and broaden the scope of other sanctions in response to Moscow’s actions in Ukraine, according to a draft statement seen by Reuters on Wednesday. The EU leaders, who are scheduled to meet in Brussels later Wednesday, will step up sanctions...
Tensions Build at Remote Ukrainian Border Post
Ukrainian officials are tightening security at the border with Russia, amid continued clashes with pro-Russian separatists. Even at places on the border far from the fighting, trenches have been dug and other preparations made to defend against a feared Russian onslaught. VOA’s Anita Powell recently visited one of these remote border posts...
Russian Foreign Minister: BRICS Stand Against Western Sanctions
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday that the BRICS bloc stands against one-sided economic and political measures by third countries, but that the emerging nations are not seeking confrontation with the West. Speaking to reporters after a meeting between the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, Lavrov said...
Juncker Elected President of European Commission
The executive arm of the European Union will soon have a new chief. Jean-Claude Juncker, longtime prime minister of Luxembourg, earned the endorsement of European lawmakers in an overwhelming vote Tuesday in Strasbourg, France. He takes the post over from Jose Manuel Barroso on November 1. Addressing parliament shortly before the vote, Juncker...
Russia Invites Diplomats to Visit Site of Alleged Shell Attack
Russian has invited diplomats from 18 countries to visit a border town where it says a Ukrainian shell has killed one person. Russia’s Defense Ministry says the visit by foreign military specialists and journalists will take place Tuesday in the Rostov region. The deputy defense minister has called the planned visit “an act of...
