A regional lawmaker from Germany has called Western sanctions against Russia “counterproductive,” and said accepting the choice that the Crimean people made in 2014 could bring peace to Ukraine. “I think that the sanctions introduced after Crimea held its referendum and was reunited with Russia are counterproductive. [...]

George Galloway has dismissed claims that Russia is “culpable” for the Skripal poisoning, saying it wouldn’t put a “signature” on such a crime. Moscow is preparing to expel British diplomats in retaliation for UK sanctions. Speaking to RT’s Bill Dod, the former Labour MP hit back at Prime Minister Theresa May’s allegations that Russia was behind the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and h [...]

On March 12, UK Prime Minister Theresa May stated before the British Parliament that Russia was "highly likely" responsible for the suspected poisoning in the UK of former officer of Russia’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) Sergei Skripal. She added that the substance used in the poisoning had been identified as a military-grade nerve agent of the so-called Novichok group developed in Russia [...]

Moscow believes that the threats to Damascus to use force against Syria are unacceptable, Russia's permanent representative to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons Alexander Shulgin has said on Wednesday after US envoy's to UN statement about readiness to act militarily on Syria. [...]

To cries of condemnation from the House of Commons, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn demanded concrete evidence of Russian involvement in the poisoning of Skripal before taking action against Moscow, calling for cooperation and diplomacy instead. His views are supported by the Russian Embassy - and academics with expertise in chemical weapons. [...]

Almost twenty years ago, the US Department of Defense was involved in dismantling a chemical research institute in the former Soviet republic of Uzbekistan, where the Novichok nerve agent was tested, according to the New York Times. A New York Times article published back in 1999 has revealed that the US closely cooperated with the former Soviet republic of Uzbekistan to decontaminate the Chem [...]

Speaking at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, commander of US Central Command Joseph Votel has specifically touched upon the situation in Syria and Russia's role there. Army general Joseph Votel, head of the US Central Command has admitted that Syrian President Bashar Assad's government forces are prevailing in the war in Syria. [...]

Following allegations by UK authorities that Russia was responsible for the poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal in the British city of Salisbury, the UK Foreign Office is preparing a smear campaign against the country. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on Tuesday took to Twitter to comment on the UK Foreign Office's video about Russia, saying it is waging a "propaganda" war against Moscow. [...]

Prime Minister Theresa May has announced the largest expulsion of Russian diplomats from the UK since the Cold War over the alleged attack on a former spy. Moscow has denounced May's claims as baseless. The Russian Embassy in London called the expulsion of 23 Russian diplomats announced by UK Prime Minister Theresa May over the poisoning of former intelligence officer Sergei Skripal "unacceptable, [...]

Russia has nothing to do with the alleged poisoning of Russian ex-double agent Sergei Skripal, the Kremlin said. Moscow will not accept any groundless threats or ultimatums, it added. “Moscow’s position [on the Skripal case] is well known… Moscow had nothing to do with the incident that took place in the UK,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday. [...]

The speaker of the Russian lower house has said the West’s sanctions policy has been a response to Moscow's increased competitiveness, and had crashed Western plans to put a “tame and obedient” president in the Kremlin. “It is completely obvious that Russia is a very inconvenient competitor for them in many spheres, and they try to remove it from the field, often using unfair moves,” Vya [...]

The recent boost in Russian agriculture has made food sales abroad much more profitable for the country than exports of military weapons, according to President Vladimir Putin. “Today, agriculture exports exceed arms sales by more than a third. $28.8 billion from agricultural sector, $15.6 billion from the defense industry," Putin told farmers in Krasnodar on Monday. [...]

Russia will speed up the delivery of its S-400 air defense systems to Turkey at the latter’s request, says Russian presidential aide Vladimir Kozhin. Talking to TV channel Rossiya 24, Kozhin, aide on military and technical cooperation to the president of Russia, said that Russia plans to start shipping the systems in early 2020. [...]

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has thrown his support behind UK allegations that Russia is responsible for the poisoning of former double agent Sergei Skripal in the UK, whether directly or through negligence. The poisoning is "a really egregious act" and will "certainly trigger a response," Tillerson told reporters on board an aircraft as he was returning to Washington DC from Nigeria. [...]

The bold accusation of Russia by UK PM Theresa May could have grave consequences for bilateral relations, even the severance of diplomatic ties, top officials warned, vowing Moscow will respond to any hostile actions. Earlier on Monday, British PM Theresa May claimed, while addressing the British parliament, the “attempted murder” of former double agent Sergei Skripal was either “a direct ac [...]

One week ahead of the Russian presidential election, President Vladimir Putin appeared in a feature-length promotional film, where he shared some of his core beliefs. In the movie, released today, Vladimir Putin answered how he manages self-control in different situations, saying “When somebody loses his temper, he shows weakness. [...]

Tourists from China accounted for the highest number of foreign visitors to Russia last year, according to Chinese Ambassador Li Hui. “The number of Chinese tourists in Russia reached 1.5 million in 2017. [...]

Russia, Turkey, Iran, and Syria need to team up in order to clear terrorists from Syria, Turkish political analyst Bora Bayraktar told Sputnik, adding that the US military buildup in the region, as well as the threat of the creation of independent Kurdish entities, allow for new regional alliances to blossom. [...]

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. [...]

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 [...]