Moscow vowed Thursday to respond in kind to “unfriendly” European Union sanctions imposed over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “In accordance with the principle of reciprocity, which is fundamental to international law, we will take tough retaliatory measures,” the foreign ministry said in a statement. “The EU’s new unfriendly steps against Russia — as well as our brothers DNR and LNR — will not be able to stop our progressive development,” the foreign ministry said, referring […]
Tag: diplomacy
Russia’s Putin announces ‘military operation’ in Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Thursday a military operation in Ukraine to defend separatists in the east of the country, and “demilitarise and de-nazify” its pro-Western neighbour. “I have made the decision of a military operation,” he said in a surprise statement on television shortly before 6 am (0300 GMT). He went on to denounce what he called a “genocide” orchestrated by Ukraine in the country’s east, as well as NATO’s aggressive policy towards Russia. “For […]
Putin says Russia’s interests ‘non-negotiable’
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) – Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that Moscow was ready to look for “diplomatic solutions” amid raging tensions with the West over Ukraine but stressed that the country’s interests were non-negotiable. “Our country is always open for direct and honest dialogue, for the search for diplomatic solutions to the most complex problems,” Putin said in a video address to mark the Defender of the Fatherland Day, a public holiday in Russia. […]
Japan sanctions Russia, separatists over Ukraine
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) – Japan will impose sanctions on Russia and individuals linked to eastern Ukrainian regions controlled by pro-Kremlin separatists, the country’s prime minister said Wednesday, after Moscow ordered troops into the disputed territory. The measures follow decisions by the United States, Britain and the European Union to penalize Russian entities in the wake of President Vladimir Putin’s decision to send soldiers into Donetsk and Lugansk. Tokyo’s sanctions include a ban on issuing visas […]
Australia sanctions top Russian officials for ‘unprovoked’ Ukraine invasion
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) – Australia announced sanctions on eight of President Vladimir Putin’s top security advisors on Wednesday following Russia’s “unwarranted, unprovoked, unacceptable” invasion of Ukraine. Pillorying Putin’s decision to order troops into breakaway Kremlin-backed statelets in Ukraine’s east, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a suite of sanctions that closely echoed moves from other US allies. Eight members of Russia’s security council will face sanctions, including travel bans, and Australia will move to target military-linked […]
Ukraine running out of options as Putin orders in troops
by Dmitry ZAKS Ukraine and its leader Volodymyr Zelensky are running out of options as they try to withstand Russian military advances that could shrink their country for the second time since 2014. Russia President Vladimir Putin defied Western warnings and approved sending troops into eastern Ukraine on Monday to support two rebel regions’ independence claims. World powers are still trying to decide whether Putin’s deployment of so-called “peacekeepers” constitutes the feared invasion they warned […]
Iran hails nuclear talk ‘progress’ but Raisi insists US sanctions end
by Tim Witcher Agence France-Presse DOHA, Qatar (AFP) – Iran Monday signalled “significant progress” in talks on reviving a stalled accord on its nuclear programme but President Ebrahim Raisi, on his first visit to a Gulf state, again insisted that Washington must lift its crippling sanctions. Iran’s ultraconservative president, a personal target of the US sanctions, spoke out ahead of a summit of natural gas exporting nations in Qatar. The summit will take place against […]
US challenges Russia to step back from Ukraine attack
by Sebastian Smith with Michael Mainville in Moscow and Dave Clark in Kyiv Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, D.C., United States (AFP) – The United States said Thursday that Russia is on the verge of unleashing a massive military attack against Ukraine, dismissing Moscow’s claim to be pulling forces back, as artillery fire hit a Ukrainian kindergarten. In a dramatic, previously unscheduled speech to the United Nations in New York, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said […]
Russia risking European peace with ‘Cold War demands’, says Berlin
MUNICH, Germany (AFP) – Russia is putting Europe’s security at risk with demands that hark back to the Cold War, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Friday, ahead of the annual Munich Security Conference set to be dominated by the Ukraine crisis. “With an unprecedented deployment of troops on the border with Ukraine and Cold War demands, Russia is challenging fundamental principles of the European peace order,” Baerbock said in a statement. Moscow needs to […]
US accuses Russia of deploying thousands more troops to Ukraine border
by Aurélia END with David CLARK in Kyiv Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, D.C., United States (AFP) – The United States on Wednesday dismissed reports that Russia was withdrawing troops from Ukraine’s border, instead accusing Moscow of sending more soldiers as fears of an invasion grow. Russia has increased its presence on the border with Ukraine by “as many as 7,000 troops,” some of whom arrived Wednesday, said a senior White House official, slamming Moscow’s announcement of […]
German chancellor to meet Putin as Ukraine’s fate in the balance
by Anna SMOLCHENKO Agence France-Presse MOSCOU, Russia (AFP) – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was due in Moscow Tuesday in search of a diplomatic solution to avoid a war in Ukraine as the West and Russia signalled tentative hopes of an easing in the tense standoff. His talks with Vladimir Putin are the latest in an intense diplomatic scramble to dissuade the Russian leader from attacking his ex-Soviet neighbour Ukraine. Western leaders consider the Russian troop […]
Japan PM to call Ukraine leader over invasion fears: media
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later Tuesday, local media reported, as Tokyo expressed “grave concerns” about the risk of a Russian invasion. There was no immediate official confirmation of the call, which Japanese media said would happen on Tuesday evening local time, citing government sources. The call comes as Russia appeared to open the door to a diplomatic resolution of the Ukraine standoff, and […]





