The German media has characterized US arms deliveries to Ukraine as a nightmare. In an interview with Sputnik, political analyst Igor Shatrov said that this opinion is shared by all Europeans who have fallen victim to Washington’s sanctions. [...]

New penalties against Moscow proposed by US lawmakers violate international law and officials in Brussels should consider countermeasures, the German economy minister said on Monday. "We consider this as being against international law, plain and simple,"Brigitte Zypries told the Funke Mediengruppe newspaper chain. [...]

Washington's relentless efforts to fence off and punish countries which protect their own national interests and maintain sovereignty will result in the isolation of the US, geopolitical analyst Gilbert Mercier predicted in his interview with Sputnik. [...]

The latest US sanctions targeting Russia's oil and gas sector will cause Gazprom some headaches in building the new gas pipeline to Germany, experts say. However, US restrictions are unlikely to stop the project. "The price of any project automatically increases," Tatiana Mitrova, director of the Skolkovo Energy Center told Reuters. [...]

Since the presidency of Barack Obama, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has demanded arms supplies from the US. However, the prospect of Washington satisfying Kiev's request frightens Germany and France, Deutschlandfunk radio station reported. [...]

Germany's gold bars have been kept abroad since the end of the WWII. The activist campaign "Bring our gold back home!" demands the return of the gold reserves to German soil. The process of repatriation is already underway. In early 2017, it was reported that Germany's Bundesbank had repatriated almost half its gold reserves from abroad. [...]

White House officials have been sending mixed signals regarding President Trump's stance on the new Russia sanctions bill. Political scientist Sergei Sudakov says Washington's uncertainty makes sense, since the bill puts the US and Europe on the path to a major trade war.   [...]

It appears that Brussels is about to pin its hopes on Libyan National Army Gen. Khalifa Haftar, who has recently liberated Benghazi from Islamists, Radio Sputnik contributor Vladimir Bychkov noted. In contrast to other Libyan "leaders" Haftar has real power, he added. [...]

“Revenge and political motives” drove a 54-year-old Tunisian immigrant to plot and execute the murder of an elderly Austrian couple over their alleged sympathy towards a far-right party, local police said. [...]

Deputies in the Czech Republic voted overwhelmingly in favor of a constitutional amendment allowing ordinary citizens to carry arms and use them in case of a public emergency such as terrorism. The Czech parliament has approved a constitutional amendment on security that allows ordinary citizens to take up arms against terrorists. [...]

France has found no traces of Russian hackers in a cyberattack on President Emmanuel Macron's campaign, the head of the French National Agency of Information Systems Security (ANSSI) told AP. [...]

Poland is drifting away from the EU, which demands that Warsaw accept refugees from the Middle East and North Africa, former Polish member of the European Parliament, Joannа Senyszyn, told Sputnik. “The EU has repeatedly warned Poland over its refusal to take in refugees and [the changes to the country’s constitutional court, which Brussels believes pose a serious challenge to the rul [...]

Berlin cannot rely on an "erratic" Donald Trump, and it remains unknown whether it can rely on the US as a whole, German chancellor candidate Martin Schulz has stated. Schulz, a Social Democrat (SPD) and the main challenger to Angela Merkel in the upcoming September election, made the comments at a party convention on Sunday. [...]

The very fact that Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have held negotiations after a long hiatus is a positive signal, Russian academic Vadim Trukhachev told Radio Sputnik, adding that Merkel's visit to Sochi may have become a step toward lifting sanctions on Russia. [...]

The small city close to the border with Germany was named Austria’s most inspiring place to visit in a recent report. What is it that makes it so special? According to a recent report published by TravelBird, the most inspiring city in Austria isn’t the capital, Vienna, or even it’s second city Graz - it’s the town of Salzburg. [...]

If the US attacks a Syrian warplane in Syrian skies, it means an act of war. And the US should give an explanation for this, demands Aleksey Pushkov, the head of Russia's Communications Policy Committee. It also means the US wants a divided Syria, he adds. US attack on Syrian plane in Syrian sky is act of war – Russian senator Nach US-Abschuss von syrischem Jet: Russischer [...]

Austrian and Germany have lashed out at Washington over new sanctions against Russia that target the planned Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to Europe. [...]

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has joined the chorus of criticism over a new US anti-Russia sanctions bill that would involve fines on EU companies contributing to joint pipeline projects, saying Washington has nothing to do with Europe’s energy policy. [...]

Under Barack Obama, America succeeded in driving a wedge between Russia and the European Union. After a few months of Donald Trump, it appears Russia is slowly moving back into the French and German good books. [...]

Trump’s overall strategy to try and break up the EU reflects his preferred way of doing business: to deal with individual states so they can be more easily manipulated, says political writer and journalist Dan Glazebrook. [...]

The Austrian parliament has passed a bill that will outlaw the wearing of the burqa, the all face-covering veil worn by some women who follow the Islamic faith. The ban is part of a wider controversial law on migrants in the country. [...]

Norway’s largest trade union body has voted in favor of economic, cultural, and academic boycott of Israel over its treatment of Palestinians. In response, Tel Aviv said that the union “placed itself shoulder to shoulder with the worst enemies of Israel.” [...]