CAIRO (Sputnik) – Israel is guided solely by its military interests in the region, and this factor along with the lack of coordination with the Russian side led to the crash of Russia's Il-20 military plane in Syria, Egyptian military expert Adil Suleiman told Sputnik. The Egyptian analyst noted that the tragedy was the result of a lack of coordination at the operational and tactical levels. [...]

The US is looking to establish a permanent US military base in Poland. This is what President Donald Trump said on Tuesday following a meeting with Polish President Andrzej Duda at the White House. Sputnik discussed the potential establishment of a military base in Poland with Rick Rozoff - manager of the Stop NATO website. [...]

Earlier in the day, the Russian Defense Ministry reiterated, during a briefing on circumstance of the Il-20 incident, that blame for the Russian aircraft's crash fully rested with Israel, which put the Il-20 under fire of the Syrian air defense. The Russian Defense Ministry has additional compelling evidence in support of the materials presented earlier on Sunday at the briefing devoted to the dow [...]

The US has repeatedly denounced the Russian-European joint venture to build a direct gas pipeline from Russia to the center of the EU via the Baltic Sea. Apart from lambasting Berlin for colluding with Moscow, Washington has already laid the groundwork for sanctions against companies involved in Nord Stream 2. [...]

Russian-Polish relations have reached a low point in recent years, with the two countries unable to see eye to eye on energy security, NATO's military buildup on Russia's borders, or the construction of a missile defense shield on Polish territory which Russia believes would challenge global strategic stability. [...]

One of the world’s longest gas pipelines – the Power of Siberia – which is being created to deliver natural gas from Russia to China, is almost complete. The sides are now getting ready to ink a contract on another major pipeline. Agreement on the Power of Siberia 2 or the ‘Western Route’ for the supply of Russian gas from the Far East to China might be signed in the first half of 2019, [...]

China has canceled the visit of its Navy commander to the US, in response to the sanctions imposed by Washington against Beijing over its military cooperation with Russia, the Chinese Ministry of National Defense said. On Thursday, the US State Department imposed sanctions against Beijing’s defense procurement agency, the Equipment Development Department (EED), for its “significant transaction [...]

Russia may walk out of a joint project with NASA to build a lunar station as it doesn’t want to “play second fiddle” in the effort. Instead, Moscow mulls joining forces with BRICS countries, a Roscosmos head has confirmed. [...]

Russia’s military presence in Syria has effectively turned the tide of war back in 2015, the year Islamic State was about to “roll over Damascus,” the head of Israeli Air Force intelligence said in an interview. The Aerial campaign Russia started against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) in 2015 had “categorically” decided the fate of war in President Bashar Assad’s favor, Brig. Gen. U [...]

China has hit back at US attempts to force it out of multiple billion-dollar arms deals with Russia, with a defense spokesperson stating that Washington has “no right to interfere” in the dealings of two sovereign states. Wu Qian’s comments come after the US State Department imposed sanctions on Thursday against Beijing’s defense procurement agency, the Equipment Development Department (EE [...]

After weeks of controversy over migration policy and anti-migrant protests, the right-leaning Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has pushed back the German Social Democrats as the second strongest political force. They have shared leading positions with Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union for years. The CDU is also losing points. [...]

Washington has promised to increase pressure on Venezuela in the coming days, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo vowing to take a "series of actions" against the government of Nicolas Maduro in the “best interest” of Venezuelans. [...]

Donald Trump has threatened to impose even more tariffs on Chinese goods if Beijing dares to impose tit-for-tat measures in response to Washington’s latest package of levies targeting some $200 billion of Chinese exports. [...]

The decision by Russia and Turkey on Idlib is an intermediate step; the demilitarized zone will prevent the shelling of Syrian troops at Hmeymim base, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said. As for the Russian-Turkish agreement on Idlib, it is aimed primarily at eradicating the terrorist threat. This is certainly an intermediate step, because only a demilitarized zone is being created," Lavro [...]

ST PETERSBURG - The Bank of Russia not going to resume purchasing foreign currency on behalf of the Russian Finance Ministry even if the there is a decrease in volatility in the foreign exchange market, First Deputy Governor Ksenia Yudaeva said on Thursday. [...]

MOSCOW/KUNMING China National Gold will invest about $420 million in the development of the Klyuchevskoye gold deposit in Russia; another $65 million will be invested by India's SUN Gold, the annual production volume is expected at about 6.5 metric tons of gold per year, the Russian Industry and Trade Ministry said. [...]

There are now three battalions of the advanced Russian air defense system stationed in the Crimean peninsula, which is a major strategic strongpoint for the military and the home of Russia's Black Sea Fleet. The third battalion of eight launchers, 112 missiles and command and support vehicles has been deployed in Evpatoria in western Crimea, the press service of the Black Sea Fleet confirmed Frida [...]

Following a meeting of EU leaders in Salzburg, Austria, where they agreed to cooperate closer with Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, and Libya to curb illegal migration, the German chancellor has spoken out for modelling an agreement with them after a similar deal with Turkey. [...]

The Russian president’s spokesman said Friday that President Vladimir Putin had been briefed on what an Israeli military delegation had to share with the Russian Defense Ministry on the downing of its jet in Syria, but stressed a decision on the Kremlin’s next step was premature. [...]

Trade wars between the United States and China could benefit Russia, according to the Russian Economic Development Minister Maksim Oreshkin. With tariffs growing, Russia could substitute American goods in China and India. These trade wars, these difficult relations between the United States and its trading partners is, first of all, an opportunity that opens on those markets. [...]

A new Taliban video shows insurgents openly celebrating the capture of an Afghan army base. It is the latest example of the inability of Afghan security forces to defend themselves against Taliban assaults. Continued battlefield catastrophes call into question [...]

The German government is to resume arms sales to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf monarchies despite a domestic agreement not to deliver weapons to countries involved in the bloody Yemen conflict, local media report. [...]