Russia
Russia claims fresh ‘proof’ Ukraine downed flight MH17
Russia on Monday (17 September) released fresh information to back its claim the missile that downed a Malaysia Airlines flight over war-torn Ukraine in 2014 was fired by Kiev's forces.
Russian oil firm seeks payments in euros amid US sanction threat
Russian oil producer Surgutneftegaz is pushing buyers to agree to pay for oil in euros instead of dollars if the need arises, apparently as insurance against possible tougher US sanctions, traders who deal with the firm told Reuters.
Germany to build LNG plant in ‘gesture’ to US drive to sell more
Germany will choose where to build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal by the end of 2018 as a gesture to the United States, which wants to ship more gas to Europe, the Bundesrepublik's economy minister said on Tuesday (18 September).
Poland requests permanent US base, suggests naming it ‘Fort Trump’
President Donald Trump said on Tuesday (18 September) the United States is considering a request from Poland for a permanent US military presence in the fellow NATO country, acknowledging that he shares Poland's concerns about possible Russian aggression.
EU appeals to ‘Astana guarantors’ to avoid Idlib catastrophe
Commenting on the decision by Russia and Turkey to create a “demilitarised” zone in a rebel-held Syrian region, the EU called on Tuesday (18 September) on the “Astana guarantors”, Russia, Turkey and Iran, to respect civilians as a matter of priority.
Russia is undermining Europe’s key democratic institution
Russia’s possible return to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe would mean that even institutions created to defend European values are no longer able to do so, writes Volodymyr Yermolenko.
Several thousand Macedonians gather to support EU, NATO membership
Several thousand Macedonians gathered in the capital Skopje on Sunday (16 September) to express their support for NATO and European Union membership bids and for a change in the country's name.
Putin says men accused by UK over poisoning are ‘simple people’
President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday (12 September) Russia had found the two men accused by British prosecutors of trying to murder ex- Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Britain, but that there was nothing criminal about them.
Juncker paints ‘big picture’ of EU’s global role
Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker stayed away from major legislative proposals in his annual address to Parliament, preferring to focus on the “big picture” of how the EU can assert its power in a hostile international environment.
Russia says Turkey has key job of separating out militants in Syria’s Idlib
Russia hopes for a peaceful resolution of the situation in Syria's rebel-held province of Idlib but believes it is up to Turkey to separate Islamist militants from the moderate opposition, Russia's Syria envoy said on Tuesday (11 September).
Britain charges two Russians for state-backed plot to kill Skripals
Britain charged two Russians in absentia on Wednesday (5 September) with the attempted murder of a former Russian spy and his daughter, and said the suspects were military intelligence officers almost certainly acting on orders from high up in the...
A ‘grand gas bargain’ with Russia is in the pipeline, experts believe
The European Commission's push to rewrite the EU's Third Gas Directive is doomed, but Brussels has not withdrawn its proposal because it is preparing a "grand bargain” with Russia, experts told a EURACTIV event on Wednesday (5 September).
Munich Security Conference Chief: Trump pushes Germany toward Russia and China
The longer Donald Trump stays in office, the higher the risk that anti-American forces will gain the upper hand in Germany and push it into the arms of Russia and China, veteran German diplomat Wolfgang Ischinger said in an interview.
Tearful mourners queue to bid farewell to east Ukraine rebel chief
The funeral in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk of a pro-Russian rebel leader killed in an explosion last week drew vast crowds of mourners on Sunday (2 September), Reuters footage from the breakaway region showed. Alexander Zakharchenko was fatally injured in an...
German company ‘fully committed’ to Nord Stream 2 despite fear of US sanctions
The German company Uniper said it was "fully committed" to the planed Nord Stream 2 pipeline, despite "a very bad feeling" about US sanctions against Russia. EURACTIV Poland’s media partner “Gazeta Wyborcza” reports.
With attacks on Nord Stream 2, Washington ignores collateral damage
Standard political arguments of dependence are ineffective in times of a well-developed and diversified EU natural gas market. In the mid- to long-term, Trump's approach will damage European-American relations, Matthias Dornfeldt writes.
EU disagrees with Russia that Syrian refugees can go back
The European Union does not believe Syria is safe for refugees to go back, officials in Brussels said of a Russian push to have people return to the war-torn country and the international community to spend money on rebuilding it.
Austria FM defends Putin wedding invitation
Austria's foreign minister defended on Monday (27 August) the presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin at her wedding, denying she had been used by him after photos of the two dancing fueled questions about her neutrality.
EU unlikely to heed British call for more Russia sanctions
The European Union is unlikely to heed London's call for it to match the latest US sanctions against Moscow over an attack on a former Russian spy in Britain earlier this year, diplomats in Brussels said.
Putin defends ‘private’ trip to Austrian FM’s wedding
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday (22 August) defended his appearance at the Austrian foreign minister's wedding after his dance with the bride caused a furore.
Britain urges US, Europe to ‘go further’ in countering Russia
New British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt on Tuesday (21 August) will urge the United States and European countries to do more to call out Russia's "malign behavior" and keep Vladimir Putin in check, notably by implementing tough sanctions.
US imposes sanctions on Russia for nerve agent attack in UK
Washington said on Wednesday (8 August) it would impose fresh sanctions on Russia by the end of August after it determined that Moscow had used a nerve agent against a former Russian agent and his daughter in Britain.
Friendship no more: How Russian gas is a problem for Germany
For decades, the Friendship pipeline has delivered oil from Russia to Europe, heating German homes even in the darkest days of the Cold War. But the new Nord Stream 2 pipeline is becoming a problem for German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Russian ex-prisoners speak out over torture after leaked video
After a widely shared video of guards beating an inmate shocked the country, Alexander Zarechnev is one of a growing number of Russians to break their silence over violence and torture in Russian prisons.