Representatives from the US, Britain, France, Saudi Arabia and Jordan reportedly met behind closed doors in Washington in January to draw up their new strategy for the Middle East. Ankara is alarmed by reports of about a secret plan to redraw the map of the Middle East and carve up Syria into zones of influence, former Turkish ambassador to France and Libya, Uluc Ozulker, has told Sputnik. [...]

The industrial zone is a key project for Moscow in Egypt, which will enhance bilateral economic relations and is a part of the Russian trade ministry's larger strategy. The Egyptian government approved the creation of a Russian industrial zone in Port Said, situated near the Suez Canal on March 7, MENA news agency reports. [...]

Ankara’s decision to purchase Russian S-400 air-defense systems was prompted by the reluctance of its NATO allies, primarily the US, to sell advanced weaponry to Turkey, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has said. [...]

Moon Jae-in turned Trump’s North Korea policy upside down with a master class in diplomacy. President Donald Trump’s decision to agree to a historic face-to-face meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un can be traced back to the savvy politicking of another leader entirely: South Korean President Moon Jae-in. [...]

While addressing the Federal Assembly on March 1, President Putin said that Russia has developed new invincible weapons. Speaking to Radio Sputnik, Harvey Wasserman, co-founder of the global grassroots No Nukes movement and author of Solartopia, lauded Putin's speech and shared his views on Russia's defense strategy. [...]

A group of US lawmakers have called for strategic dialogue with Moscow. They feel that the matter is “more urgent” following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s unveiling of a number of cutting-edge weapons systems. “A US-Russia Strategic Dialogue is more urgent following President Putin’s public address on March 1st when he referred to several new nuclear weapons Russia is reportedly dev [...]

In 2002, the United States unilaterally and without consultation, withdrew from the landmark Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty. President George W. Bush noted that the treaty is “now behind us,” describing the ABM Treaty as a Cold War relic. Signed in 1972, the ABM Treaty barred both the US and the USSR from deploying national defences against long-range ballistic missiles. The treaty was [...]

Putin declares that the long US attempt to gain nuclear superiority over Russia has failed and hopes Washington will “listen now.” By: Stephen F. Cohen, professor emeritus of Russian Studies and Politics at NYU and Princeton, and John Batchelor continue their (usually) weekly discussions of the new US-Russian Cold War. Tales of the New Cold War: PART 1 of 2: The New MAD [...]

Polish President Andrzej Duda has apologized to Jews who were kicked out of the country in the anti-Semitic campaign of 1968. At the same though, Duda asserted that Warsaw bears no responsibility for the country’s past. [...]

Rex Tillerson’s criticism in Ethiopia of China’s policy in Africa is inappropriate, says Russia’s Sergey Lavrov. From Zimbabwe, Lavrov slammed the US for interfering in other countries’ affairs, pursuing neo-imperialist ambitions. [...]

European and Chinese officials are firing shots across America’s bow over plans by the Trump administration to impose protectionist tariffs on its steel and aluminum imports. A trade war looms as a result. President Donald Trump is expected to set tariffs of 25 percent on imported steel and 10 percent on imported aluminum this week. [...]

The Pentagon may not be surprised by the new Russian hypersonic missiles – but why not use them as a pitch for more money? A military budget about 10 times that of Russia is not enough, according to the DARPA director. Asked by a gathering of journalists on Thursday if the United States is spending enough on its own hypersonic missile program, Steven Walker, the director of the Pentagon’s Defe [...]

Russia's new Sarmat ICBM, which is capable of overcoming missile defense systems, has completed tests and is a "breakthrough" for the country's missile program, President Vladimir Putin announced on March 1. Sputnik tries to find out what this missile is all about. The Sarmat heavy intercontinental ballistic missile, which Russia has been testing since last year, will replace the aging but relia [...]

The Russophobic hysteria that gripped the West during recent years appears to be veering into the irrational, as even destructive weather phenomena are being blamed on the Kremlin’s machinations, according to the Russian foreign minister. Speaking at a press conference held during his visit to the African nation of Namibia, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that recently certain countr [...]

In case US President Donald Trump doesn’t back down on his decision to impose stiff tariffs on aluminum and steel imports, European Union (EU) is set to implement retaliatory restrictions, including a 25 percent tariff on US jeans. Last week Trump announced the imposition of 25 percent tariffs on EU exports of steel and 10 percent on aluminum, adding that similar restrictions would be placed on [...]

Russia's Su-57 fifth-generation fighter jet is specifically designed for air superiority and attack roles. Two such planes were reportedly spotted in the skies above Syria earlier this week. Two more Russian fifth generation Su-57 stealth fighters have arrived at Syria's Hmeymim Airbase, Sputnik Arabic reported, referring to local media outlets. [...]

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia's latest missiles and other new types of weaponry are unmatched anywhere in the world and capable of nullifying the effectiveness of the United States’ global missile defense, which Washington has started deploying since its withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty back in 2002, experts told Sputnik. [...]

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Freedom Party of Austria (FPO) congratulated Italy’s Lega party on achieving great results in the election, expressing hope that both parties would succeed in closing the Brenner Pass on the Italian-Austrian border, a migrant route in the eastern Alps, Roman Haider, the FPO’s foreign policy spokesman, told Sputnik on Monday. [...]

On Monday, the UN Human Rights Council voted in favor of adopting the UK-proposed draft resolution, rejecting Russia's amendments. The Russian delegation regards the refusal to take its proposal into account as a public announcement for the support of terrorists. The United Kingdom and the United States de facto confirmed their support of terrorists in Syria by rejecting Russian amendments for the [...]

Commenting on President Putin recently touting advanced Russian weapons and lawmaker Alexander Sherin signaling Moscow's readiness to stand up for its partners, including Ankara, Turkish military expert Beyazit Karatas told Sputnik that these statements indicate that Ankara does not need NATO's deterrence systems. [...]

Last week President Putin said, during his annual address to the Federal Assembly, that Russia has developed an invincible new cruise missile and warned that any use of nuclear weapons against Russia or its allies will be viewed as a nuclear attack and would trigger an immediate response from Moscow. [...]

Renowned Serbian military expert and columnist for the Serbian newspaper Politika Miroslav Lazanski spoke to to Sputnik Serbia about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s address yesterday. Lazanski said that, instead of engaging in a new arms race, Putin is living up to his promise to provide an asymmetrical response to NATO's growing presence in Eastern Europe and Asia. [...]