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 [...]
Ukraine to block Russian aid convoy August 12, 2014 A Russian aid convoy will be turned back from the Ukrainian border amid fears the mission may be used to send in soldiers. The Ukrainian government has said that the convoy lacks Red Cross (ICRC) certification and will not be allowed to enter the country. If the aid is to cross the border, a Ukrainian [...]
NATO fears Russian aid to Ukraine may disguise invasion August 11, 2014 TENSIONS between Russia and the West threatened to flare up again yesterday as President Putin vowed to press on with plans to send an aid convoy into eastern Ukraine. It comes as the Russian leader, blamed for arming rebels and stoking conflict in the ex-soviet state, has amassed 45,000 troops on the border with its [...]
New York Report: US equities continue rally August 11, 2014 US stocks ended higher yesterday, extending the rally from Friday as investors hoped that Russia’s move to send humanitarian aid to Ukraine would ease tensions between the two countries. Earlier in the day, NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen warned of a “high probability” that Russia, using the guise of a humanitarian mission, could intervene militarily [...]
Reigning champions City edge towards FFP transfer limit with Mangala capture August 11, 2014 REIGNING Premier League champions Manchester City have taken their net summer spend within range of the maximum stipulated under sanctions imposed by European governing body Uefa after splashing out £32m on defender Eliaquim Mangala from Porto. The 23-year-old has signed a five-year-deal at the Etihad Stadium and joins fellow new recruits Willy Caballero, Fernando, Bacary [...]