Tag Archives: Russia
U.S. Complains to Russia over Diplomats’ Harassment
Secretary of State John Kerry formally complained to Russian President Vladimir Putin, following increased intimidation of American diplomats in Russia (CNN). U.S. Department of State spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau said that this issue had first been noted after imposing sanctions on Russia over the Ukraine crisis (BBC). Diplomats from other countries stationed in Moscow have reported […]
European Natural Gas Market in Flux
A global oversupply of natural gas may lead to direct competition between US gas producers and Russian gas monopoly Gazprom for share in European markets (Reuters 1). The EU has recently pushed to reduce Russian gas and oil imports, and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker recently expressed concerns over a proposed Russia-Germany gas pipeline (Reuters […]
Rice Pushing for Early End in Ukraine Conflict
On June 9, U.S. National Security Adviser Susan Rice said there is a possibility for resolution in the Ukraine conflict (TOL). Rice said that an agreement between Russian and Ukrainian governments could be reached as early as the end of the year (Reuters). Rice saw an opportunity to implement the Minsk deal signed in February […]
Lavrov to Take Measures against NATO Activities
On Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told his Finnish counterpart he is ready to take preventive measures to counter NATO’s increased activities in the Baltic Sea (Reuters). The warning came after Finland’s government agreed to allow NATO Baltop 16, an annual naval exercise (Reuters). Although NATO has been carrying out naval exercises in the […]
Pope Francis, Russian Patriarch Kirill Meet in Historic Step
Pope Francis, on Friday, became the first pontiff to meet a patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, as both leaders set aside centuries of division in a historic encounter (New York Times). The meeting would be an unprecedented move to mend a millennium-long rift between the Western and Eastern branches of the religion, which started […]
Russian Government Accused of Bombing Syrian Hospitals, Rejects Accusations
Two schools and five hospitals in Syria were bombed on Monday, killing up to 50 civilian adults and children. One of the hospitals targeted is a “Medecins Sans Frontieres” (Doctors Without Borders) facility (Reuters). Allegedly, the Russian government is responsible for these air strikes that have been described by the Turkish government as a “war […]