Iran’s nuclear deal: Everyone from Bashar al-Assad and Vladimir Putin to Barack Obama and David Cameron has welcomed the agreement July 14, 2015 It's not often world leaders from the UK and US agree with those from Russia and Syria, but today is one of those rare moments. David Cameron, Barack Obama, Vladimir Putin and Bashar al-Assad have all welcomed the historic nuclear deal inked between the world's leading powers and Iran today. This morning the [...]
Putin’s old pal Sergei Pugachev flees London for France in £655m fraud case July 10, 2015 A once-close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin has gone on the run in the midst of a High Court case, saying his life is in danger. Sergei Pugachev defied a court order by fleeing the to France after he was charged with stealing more than £655m. The exiled Russian oligarch became a French citizen [...]
EU ministers agree to extend economic sanctions against Russia until January 2016 June 22, 2015 The European Union has decided to extend economic sanctions against Russia for another six months, imposed due to the country’s involvement in the conflict in Ukraine. Meeting in Luxembourg, EU foreign ministers are upholding economic sanctions to make Russia comply with the Minsk ceasefire accord, which was signed with Ukraine in February. #EU extended economic [...]
Greece wants to delay its payments to the IMF by six months June 16, 2015 Greece wants to delay paying the €1.55bn (£1.1bn) it owes the IMF by six months, according to a report in the German newspaper Bild. This wouldn't be the first time Greece has looked to put off paying creditors – it had originally said it would bundle its debts to the IMF rather than pay in [...]
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to meet Vladimir Putin on 18 June, as fears grow Greece could break Ukraine sanctions June 6, 2015 Greece last night played a new card in the tense stand-off with its creditors and turned to Russia for help, reigniting fears the country could break EU sanctions over Ukraine. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said the austerity measures leveled at his country were “absurd.” He said the Eurozone and the IMF – Greece’s creditors [...]
Hanging on the telephone: Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras arranges call with Vladimir Putin June 5, 2015 As the chances of Greece ever unlocking that €7.2bn emergency loan look increasingly bleak, the country's embattled Prime Minister, Alexis Tsipras, has taken a step towards a decidedly nuclear option. The FT reported that Tsipras has arranged a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin later today. Apparently there isn't much information on what will be discussed – [...]
Fifa arrests: Vladimir Putin backs Sepp Blatter and slams US “meddling” May 28, 2015 Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused the United States of meddling in affairs beyond its jurisdiction by arresting a number of Fifa officials on charges of bribery and racketeering. In a televised statement, Putin described the arrests as "yet another blatant attempt [by the US] to extend its jurisdiction to other states" and a "clear [...]
Putin praises David Cameron for 7 May win but talk on Ukraine crisis remains icy May 25, 2015 Prime Minister David Cameron received a rare phone call yesterday when Russian president Vladimir Putin rang Number 10 to congratulate Cameron on the Conservatives’ success at the General Election. According to Downing Street, the two leaders spoke about Syria and the Ukraine during the 30-minute phone call. A Number 10 spokesperson said that Cameron and [...]
Cranes, planes, urns and eight ice-hocky goals: Six times Vladimir Putin has played the all-Russian action hero May 17, 2015 Vladimir Putin is the king (or perhaps tsar) of the publicity stunt. Not content with annexing such macho activities as hunting on horseback, fishing, and archaeology Putin took to the ice to score a devastating eight goals in an ice hockey match involving ex-NHL legends. Putin was, of course, on the winning side in the [...]
Direct Line with Vladimir Putin: The weird tradition of the Russian President’s annual phone-in April 16, 2015 If you're into Russian politics, tonight is one of the highlights of the political year: Direct Line with Vladimir Putin will air on Russian TV – the Russian President's annual marathon chat show, during which he takes questions put to him by the Russian public for the 13th time. It's an annual tradition dating back [...]