Russian and Ukrainian officials open truce talks in Berlin August 18, 2014 RUSSIAN and Ukrainian ministers are to meet in Berlin today to discuss a possible ceasefire, at talks which will also be attended by ministers from France and Germany. Ukrainian foreign minister Pavlo Klimkin and his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, will be joined by Frank-Walter-Steinmeier of Germany and France’s Laurent Fabius at a meeting called to [...]
Pro-Russian rebels shoot down Ukrainian fighter aircraft as ministers meet for talks August 17, 2014 A Ukrainian jet fighter was shot down by pro-Russian rebels yesterday, just before key talks between Kiev and Moscow, aimed at de-escalating the fighting in the east of Ukraine. According to Agence France-Presse, Ukrainian officials revealed a MiG – 29 was downed as it flew to "eliminate a large group of terrorists." The timing of [...]
Russia says Ukraine aid convoy contains no military personnel August 16, 2014 Russia's defence secretary Sergey Shoygu has assured his US counterpart Chuck Hagel that an aid convoy heading for Ukraine contains no military personnel. Western countries have expressed concern that Russia is using the convoy as a pretext for sending more soldiers to the area, but Russia denies these allegations, saying that the purpose of the convoy [...]
Russian giant Rosneft pleads for $42bn state aid as sanctions bite August 14, 2014 OIL GIANT Rosneft announced yesterday that it was seeking a $42bn (£25.15bn) loan from a fund earmarked for Russian pensions to help it weather Western sanctions imposed after the crisis in Ukraine. Rosneft, one-fifth owned by BP and run by a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, produces more oil than Iraq or Iran and [...]
Russia, Ukraine and EU agree to talks on trade August 14, 2014 GAS AND a Ukraine-EU free trade deal will top the agenda when leaders from the bloc, Kiev and President Vladimir Putin next meet – although no venue or time has been set. The talks between Putin, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso would be face-to-face. Raising discussions of the disputes [...]
Rosneft: Russia’s largest oil company calls for $42bn in state aid as sanctions bite August 14, 2014 Rosneft, Russia's largest oil company, has been forced to request $42bn in government money to see it through the current raft of western sanctions. Igor Sechin, chief executive of Rosneft, has asked for help through the purchase of bonds, with the National Wellbeing Fund mooted to as a possible buyer. The fund is usually used [...]
“I resign”: Russian prime minister Medvedev’s Twitter account hacked August 14, 2014 “I resign. I am ashamed for the actions of the government. I’m sorry,” Russian prime minister Dmitry Medvedev tweeted earlier today. Or so hackers would have us believe. The Russian leader's Twitter account appeared to have been successfully targeted, publishing a series of tweets this morning criticising president Vladimir Putin, retweeting opposition journalists and [...]
Global banks lend £255m to Russia’s Evraz despite Ukraine tensions August 13, 2014 Russian steelmaker Evraz yesterday said it had signed a $425m (£255m) loan from international banks, showing that western institutions were still comfortable doing business there despite increasing tensions over Ukraine. FTSE 250-listed Evraz, which counts oligarch and Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich as its largest shareholder, said it had secured the five-year loan with [...]
Russian Football Union risks Fifa sanctions for accepting Crimean teams into league August 13, 2014 Russia has risked incurring the wrath of Fifa after its football union voted to incorporate three clubs from the annexed Crimea region into their third division, a decision apparently motivated by fear of upsetting president Vladimir Putin. The Russian Football Union, host federation of the 2018 World Cup, has breached Fifa statutes which state [...]
Humanitarian convoy sparks war of words August 12, 2014 Tension between Russia and Ukraine flared up yesterday after officials in Kiev declared that a Moscow-sponsored convoy carrying humanitarian aid to rebels in the east would be stopped at the border. Western leaders expressed fears that convoy of 280 lorries could be a “trojan horse”, and the first step in a full-scale Russian invasion. The [...]