Category: Vladimir Putin

Riot police move against Naples protests of Northern League

Protesters throw objects during clashes with riot police during a demonstration against the visit of the leader of the Northern League party Matteo Salvini, in Naples, Italy, Saturday, March 11, 2017. Riot police moved in Saturday to quell violent protests in Naples sparked by the first major rally in the southern city by the anti-immigrant Northern League leader.

Russian police detain prominent Putin critic after his prison release: wife

Police in Moscow detained prominent anti-Kremlin activist Ildar Dadin on Friday, less than two weeks after he was released from prison, when he staged a one-man demonstration outside Russia’s prison service, his wife and eye witnesses said. Dadin, 34, was freed from a Siberian prison last month after becoming the first person to be jailed under new rules that made some forms of non-violent protest a criminal offense.

Putin hosts Netanyahu for talks set to focus on Syria

Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday for talks focusing on the situation in Syria and Israeli concerns about the role of Iran and its proxies there. Greeting Netanyahu at the start of their Kremlin negotiations, Putin emphasized a high level of trust between them.

Turkish Stream, Akkuyu NPP high on agenda at Moskow-Ankara talks

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan will discuss the implementation of projects on building the first Turkish nuclear power plant Akkuyu and the construction of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline during the meeting in Moscow scheduled for March 10. “The agenda, in particular, includes the implementation of joint projects to build the first Turkish nuclear power plant Akkuyu and the construction of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline,” RIA Novosti reported with reference to the Kremlin statement. In addition, the leaders of the countries “will discuss the entire complex of issues of Russian-Turkish relations with an emphasis on further restoring mutually beneficial trade and economic ties.”

UK Foreign Secretary Johnson to Come to Moscow for High-Level Talks

Britain’s foreign secretary will soon travel to Russian Federation on a visit his office says will be consistent with the country’s “engage but beware” policy toward Moscow. U.K.’s Foreign Secretary will visit Moscow in a few weeks to hold talks on UK-Russia relationship, Syria and Ukraine, a foreign office statement said Saturday.

Montenegro pro-Russian leaders seek Bannon help against NATO

Pro-Russian opposition leaders in Montenegro have asked the White House chief strategist to help block the Balkan country’s NATO bid, saying the Obama administration has presented false facts about its readiness to join the Western military alliance. Two opposition officials, Andrija Mandic and Milan Knezevic, wrote in a letter to Steve Bannon, a senior adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump , that the U.S. Senate should vote against the accession.

Syrian army re-enters town of Palmyra as IS defenses crumble

Syrian government forces battling the Islamic State group re-entered Palmyra on Thursday in their quest to again take the historic town they had lost to the militants in December, state media reported. The Kremlin’s spokesman said President Vladimir Putin was informed by his defense minister that Syrian troops had gained control of Palmyra, with support from Russian warplanes.

Trump will not abandon NATO, wants fair shake

Yet to hear the outcries from several European capitals, you might think Trump is ready to stab NATO in the back. Comments made by Vice President Mike Pence and Defense Secretary James Mattis during visits to Europe have been widely reported as reassuring the Europeans of our continued military support.

.com | Russia, China veto UN resolution on Syria sanctions

Russia and China on Tuesday vetoed a Western-backed UN resolution that would have imposed sanctions on Syria over chemical weapons use, in the first clash at the Security Council since US President Donald Trump took office. The twin vetoes came as peace talks in Geneva showed no signs of progress on ending the nearly six-year war in Syria.

Russians march to honour slain opposition leader Nemtsov

Thousands of Russians marched through Moscow on Sunday shouting slogans such as “Russia will be free!” and “Putin is war!” to mark two years since opposition leader Boris Nemtsov was gunned down outside the Kremlin. Nemtsov, a former deputy prime minister, was a fierce critic of President Vladimir Putin.

Bot out, Ukip tells Putin, as pro-Russia tweeters attack Paul Nuttall

Ukip has told Vladimir Putin to keep out of the Stoke by-election after typically pro-Russian Twitter accounts turned on party leader Paul Nuttall. The social media profiles have generally posted positive messages about the Kremlin’s bloody intervention in Syria while praising the Russian president, who has been accused of interfering in the US election.

Vitaly Churkin, Russian diplomat

In this Thursday, Nov. 24, 2016, file photo, Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and Russian ambassador to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin listen during a meeting in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia. Russian officials said Churkin died suddenly in New York City on Monday, Feb. 20, 2017.

Pence tries to reassure Europeans, anxious over Trump rhetoric, of US support

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence moved Monday to assuage European Union fears about the strength of Washington’s support for the union and its commitment to European security through the NATO military alliance. In meetings in Brussels, Pence said he was acting on behalf of President Donald Trump “to express the strong commitment of the United States to continued cooperation and partnership with the European Union.”

Europeans wonder if Trump will act on Pence’s reassurances

U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence was the latest in a trio of high-ranking Trump emissaries to tell European allies in person that the United States will steadfastly support NATO and demand that Russia honour its commitments to end fighting in Ukraine. Some European leaders, however, remain skeptical of whether Pence and the U.S. secretaries of state and defence actually speak for President Donald Trump.

Europeans wonder if Trump will act on Pence’s reassurances

United States Vice President Mike Pence, left and Turkey’s Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, talk prior to their meeting during the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017. America’s commitment to NATO is “unwavering,” Pence said Saturday, reassuring allies about the direction the Trump administration might take but leaving open questions about where Washington saw its relationship with the European Union and other international organizations.

Pence says US to hold Russia accountable, stand with NATO

U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence on Saturday conveyed a message to jittery partners that the Trump administration will “hold Russia accountable” and maintain steadfast support for NATO, a military alliance the American commander in chief once dismissed as “obsolete.” In his overseas debut as vice-president, Pence told the audience at the Munich Security Conference that the U.S. would be “unwavering” in its commitment to NATO and that President Donald Trump would “stand with Europe.”

In Europe, Pence says US will hold Russia accountable

Vice President Mike Pence vowed Saturday that the United States will “hold Russia accountable” even as President Donald Trump searches for new common ground with Moscow at the start of his presidency. Pence, in an address to the Munich Security Conference, also offered assurances to European allies that the U.S. “strongly supports” NATO.

Pence Reassures Europeans of `Unwavering’ U.S. Commitment

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence sought to allay European concerns about the presidency of Donald Trump, using a speech in Munich to reaffirm the U.S. commitment to NATO and the European project. “Today, on behalf of President Trump, I bring you this assurance,” Pence said Saturday during an address to the Munich Security Conference.

Pence assures Europe US will ‘hold Russia accountable’ 0:0

Vice President Mike Pence vowed Saturday that the United States will “hold Russia accountable” even as President Donald Trump searches for new common ground with Moscow at the start of his presidency. Pence, in an address to the Munich Security Conference, also offered assurances to European allies that the U.S. “strongly supports” NATO.

Nervous NATO allies put on brave face for Trump era

Nervous European allies put a brave face on the troubled debut of President Donald Trump’s administration, expressing confidence in U.S. engagement with NATO as they prepared to hear from Trump’s defence chief at talks in Brussels on Wednesday. The meeting at NATO headquarters is seen as an opportunity for Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to reaffirm U.S. commitment to European security after an election campaign in which Trump appeared to question the value of the alliance.

Five big, unanswered questions about Trump and Russia

Attorney General Jeff Sessions told senators at his confirmation hearings that he “did not have communications with the Russians,” but it now seems that he did have contact with the Russian ambassador during the 2016 presidential campaign. That unexpected revelation has forced him to cede responsibility for overseeing any and all investigations into President Trump’s campaign.

of Course, the rIGHT Still Thinks he’s Winning:

Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko’s scandalous press conference last week was all over Russian media. Over the course of a seven-and-a-half-hour address, Lukashenko slammed Russia over a variety of grievances that have accumulated recently: what may have seemed like a sudden burst of anger was, perhaps, the logical next step in spiraling Belarusian-Russian relations.

Russia, Turkey to work closer after deadly Syria airstrike

Turkish soldiers carry the national flag-draped coffin of Mehmet Azahin, 25, accidentally killed in a Russian airstrike around the northern Syrian town al Bab, during a memorial service before his remains’ repatriation to his hometown, at the airport in Gaziantep, southeastern Turkey, Friday, Feb. 10, 2017. Sahin was among the three troops killed when a Russian warplane on Thursday accidentally hit a building in al-Bab, with Turkish soldiers inside.

Russian ‘friendly fire’ kills 3 Turkish soldiers in Syria

A Russian warplane on Thursday accidentally hit a building in northern Syria with Turkish soldiers inside, killing at least three troops and wounding 11, Turkey’s military said. Russia immediately apologized for the bombing near the Islamic State-held town of al-Bab, which came amid warming ties between Turkey and Russia after they were strained by Turkey’s downing of a Russian jet near the border with Syria two years ago.