Russia

Snowden asks Putin LIVE: Does Russia intercept millions of citizens
Russia has "€œno mass surveillance in our country,"€ according to President Vladimir Putin, after he was asked a surprise question by whistle blower Edward Snowden at his Q&A session, adding "€œour surveillance activities are strictly controlled by the law." [...]
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Putin on Kiev op: ‘Tanks, jets against own people?! Are they nuts?!’
Putin has criticized Ukraine'€™s coup-appointed government for using tanks and jets against its own people, during a live Q&A session. Branding Kiev'€™s approach as a "€œcrime,"€ Putin said they must open dialogue with eastern Ukraine. [...]
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Kiev wants to spark war between NATO and Russia
The interim president of Ukraine Turchinov wants to beat the Russians into intervening and provoke war between NATO and Russia, as it'€™s the only reason he can hold power, foreign affairs analyst Daniel Patrick Welch told RT. Russia has called Kiev's action irresponsible and warned that it could trigger a full-blown civil war. How far do you see the situation going? [...]
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Putin to Obama: Use your influence to prevent bloodshed in Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin urged his American counterpart on Monday to use the White House's influence on the Ukrainian government to prevent further "bloodshed" from occurring in the country. United States President Barack Obama placed a phone call to Mr. Putin on Monday afternoon (EST) to discuss the ongoing and increasingly tense situation in eastern Ukraine amid growing concerns [...]
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Politicians face personal fines for ignoring reporter’€™s enquiries
A majority party MP is suggesting amendments to the Russian law on mass media, making it obligatory for civil servants and all politicians to reply to journalists' queries under threat of fines. Ilya Kostunov of United Russia submitted a draft detailing his proposal to the State Duma on Monday. He suggests new norms for the Russian Administrative Code, [...]
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French far-right leader opposes “€˜EU demonization of Russia”€™
French far-right leader Marine le Pen has spoken out in support of Russia and expressed her dismay at Paris's refusal to allow MPs to meet State Duma speaker Sergey Naryshkin, simply because of his inclusion in the US sanctions list. Speaking at a meeting with Naryshkin in Moscow, the leader of the National Front party, [...]
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“Giving out pies in Maidan not enough”€™: Putin urges West to really help Ukraine
Europe should switch from promises to real action to help Ukraine out of the economic chaos, says Russia'€™s President Putin. “What’s the problem for the near future? It’s that Russia can’t bear the brunt [of helping Ukraine] in a one-way fashion,” Vladimir Putin told the Security Council meeting on Friday. [...]
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Putin to US: It’€™s bad to read other people’€™s letters
President Vladimir Putin says it was "€œstrange"€ to learn of the US reaction on a Russian letter to the leaders of EU'€™s top gas-consuming nations, as it was in no way designed for Washington'€™s eyes. US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki has accused Russia of reneging on an agreement that offered reduced gas prices to Kiev and using “energy as a tool of coercion against Ukraine. [...]
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EU taking Putin’€™s letter on gas transit “seriously” – Merkel
The EU is taking seriously President Vladimir Putin'€™s letter to 18 European countries, in which he warned that Ukraine'€™s debt crisis could affect gas transit from Russia, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said. "There are many reasons to seriously take into account this message... and for Europe to deliver a joint European response,” Itar-Tass reported Merkel as saying. [...]
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“Ukraine can’t have it both ways”€™
It is ridiculous of Ukraine to accuse Russia of using the gas weapon because the Russians are simply charging normal market prices, Srdja Trifkovic, Foreign Affairs editor at '€˜Chronicles'€™ magazine, told RT. Ukraine's economy is in a shambles and its people are suffering. Is it morally justified to turn the taps off? [...]
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Message from the President of Russia to the leaders of several European countries
Vladimir Putin addressed a letter to the leaders of several European countries, to which Russian natural gas is supplied via Ukraine's territory. Ukraine’s economy in the past several months has been plummeting. Its industrial and construction sectors have also been declining sharply. Its budget deficit is mounting. [...]
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‘Presence of foreign mercenaries in Ukraine shows weakness of Kiev govt’
The Kiev government is having trouble holding power even in western Ukraine, where it should have firm control. Meanwhile it'€™s bringing in mercenaries to retake eastern areas, anti-war activist Daniel Patrick Welch told RT. RT: With those latest events in Lvov, could it be that the interim government is losing support there? [...]
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Russia “will not reconsider its policies”€™ despite PACE resolution blaming Moscow for Ukraine events
Russia says it will not reconsider its principles and foreign policy after the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) passed a resolution that puts all the blame for the Ukrainian crisis on Moscow. The newly-adopted resolution “does not mean that Russia will rush to reconsider its foreign policy and principles,” MP Aleksey Pushkov, the head of the Russian delegation to PACE, to [...]
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US corporations holding more than $2.1 trillion in untaxed profits overseas
According to a new report, more than $2 trillion worth of profit generated by some of the biggest United States-baseds corporation is being held overseas where it's not subject to US income tax law. The report — published earlier this month by the Audit Analytics online intelligence service — has even this week managed to capture the attention of the head of the US Senate’s Finance Committee [...]
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Lavrov: US and EU line on Ukraine “€˜unproductive and dangerous”€™
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has slammed the West for "€œaggravating internal differences"€ in Ukraine. His ministry says Kiev should stop "€œblaming Moscow for all of your problems." Writing in the UK’s Guardian newspaper, the Russian official said that Western powers “have been trying to compel Ukraine to make a painful choice between east and west, further aggravating inter [...]
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How Western Is Germany? Russia Crisis Spurs Identity Conflict
Many Germans feel a special bond to Russia. This makes the Ukraine crisis particularly dangerous for Berlin because it raises important questions about the very nature of German identity. Are we as deeply rooted in the West as most believe? [...]
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Russia can’€™t support Ukrainian economy forever- Putin
Russia can'€™t continue to prop up Ukraine's faltering economy, and this responsibility should fall on the US and EU, which have recognized the authorities in Kiev but not yet given one dollar to support the economy, President Putin has said. “The situation is - to put it kindly, strange. It’s known our partners in Europe have recognized the legitimacy of the government in Kiev, yet have don [...]
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It’s not Russia that is destabilising Ukraine
Sergei Lavrov: The west has been needlessly whipping up tension - if we don't co-operate soon, chaos may take hold, The profound and pervasive crisis in Ukraine is a matter of grave concern for Russia. [...]
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Donetsk protesters claim independence from Ukraine and ask Russia for military help |€“ video
Footage purportedly filmed inside the main administrative building in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk on Monday and to show pro-Russian demonstrators declaring their independence from Kiev and appealing directly to Russian president Vladimir Putin for support [...]
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