KIEV (Reuters) – On his most recent visit to Kiev, U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden said he spends more time speaking to Ukrainian officials than to his own wife. …read more Source:...

Dec28

Lavrov: Most EU leaders think confrontation a mistake

Monday, 28 December, 2015 - 14:29 (EEST) Section: European Voice (EU)

European leaders are less hostile to Russia over Ukraine than they are letting on, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said. “Sometimes there is a contradiction between what they say on the podium and what they tell you tête-à-tête, when no one else hears them,” Lavrov said in an interview with the Zvezda television channel, broadcast Monday....

Dec28

Belarus tractors now used by utility providers in Kiev

Monday, 28 December, 2015 - 14:14 (EEST) Section: BelTA (Belarus)

“These modern automated machines will greatly ease up the workload of street sweepers. When it snows, they will help more effectively work in order to clean backyards and sidewalks in Kiev,” Vitaly Klichko remarked. …read more Source:...

Dec28

2015: the year Merkel became Europe’s boss

Monday, 28 December, 2015 - 12:44 (EEST) Section: The Local (Germany)

In a year of crises for Europe, from the Ukraine war to Greece’s debt turmoil to the historic refugee influx, Germany’s Angela Merkel emerged as the continent’s de facto leader, drawing more praise and fire than ever. …read more Source: The Local...

Dec28

Kremlin does not rule out phone contacts on Ukraine crisis in ‘Normandy format’ before year-end

Monday, 28 December, 2015 - 11:59 (EEST) Section: Reuters (The United Kingdom)

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia does not rule out phone contacts in the so-called “Normandy format” on the Ukraine crisis before the end of 2015, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday. …read more Source:...

Dec28

Trouble at the Bolshoi

Monday, 28 December, 2015 - 11:29 (EEST) Section: Prospect (The United Kingdom)

Stars of the Russian Bolshoi ballet in action © HBO It was like a scene from The Phantom of the Opera: a tale of high art, jealousy and violence. In January 2013, the artistic director of Moscow’s Bolshoi Ballet entered his home and had acid thrown in his face. Few people outside the rarefied world of ballet knew of Sergei Filin before the...

Dec28

[Ticker] Observers shot at in east Ukraine

Monday, 28 December, 2015 - 10:59 (EEST) Section: EUobserver (EU)

International monitors of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe came under fire Sunday in the Ukrainian village Kominternove, AP reported. There were no injuries, but the incident showed how fragile the ceasefire the observers are monitoring is. …read more Source:...

Dec28

International Christmas expo opens in Minsk

Monday, 28 December, 2015 - 10:14 (EEST) Section: BelTA (Belarus)

The expo has brought together more than a hundred participants from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Serbia, Greece, and Israel. They represent monasteries, convents, churches and publishing houses. …read more Source:...

Dec28

In pictures: Training to fight for Ukraine

Monday, 28 December, 2015 - 7:14 (EEST) Section: European Voice (EU)

Fifty kilometers west of the Russian border in the eastern Ukrainian province of Luhansk, new recruits — eager to defend their country against pro-Russian separatist forces — are put through their paces. Photojournalist Filip Warwick, currently based in Ukraine, recently spent a week with them. The training takes place in an ex-Soviet Youth...