Western policy in Syria and Ukraine has failed. Monday's events at the UN, suggest a change of tack. A new, more stable, international order could take hold. You almost felt sorry for Petro Poroshenko. The end for Ukraine as a major international cause célèbre was as ignominious as it was swift. As wretched as the violence on the streets of Kiev as Euromaidan began to tear Ukraine apart. [...]

The upper chamber of the Russian parliament has unanimously given a formal consent to President Putin to use the nation’s military in Syria to fight terrorism at a request from the Syrian President Bashar Assad. Consent was necessary for use of the country's military for foreign combat missions under the Russian constitution. [...]

The sovereignty of all states, including Ukraine, should be respected, Russian President Vladimir Putin told CBS’s ‘60 Minutes,’ stressing that he knows “for sure” that the US was involved in the ouster of President Yanukovich in 2014. Speaking to veteran journalist Charlie Rose, Putin said that Russia respects the sovereignty of Ukraine, adding that “at no time in the past, now or [...]

Crimean Prosecutor Natalya Poklonskaya says the so-called "food blockade" of the peninsula launched by Ukrainian far-right movements is just a futile attempt to cause Russia additional discomfort in the interests of Western opponents. “The so-called blockade does not conform to any norms of international law. [...]

It is important what you do for your country, not the names you are being called, Russian President Vladimir Putin told CBS’s ‘60 Minutes,’ saying that the nickname ‘tsar’ does not fit him. Charlie Rose sat down with Putin to discuss, among other issues, how the world views the Russian leader. CBS has published a preview of the interview. [...]

It is increasingly difficult to watch the most recent coverage of the Syrian war and not be struck by how utterly illogical and convoluted it has become. But look through the media spin and it’s clear: the Russian leader's steady moves in Syria is perplexing the US. Whether it's the latest neocon claim that the way to ‘help’ refugees is to drop more bombs and train more Al-Qaeda-linked re [...]

The Daily Beast has spectacularly failed to do math, but why should we be surprised. In fact we’re here to help. Spewing unverified and plain wrong data from years back (though falsely presenting it as relevant) they try to claim RT’s popularity ain’t all that. “Of all the YouTube clips watched over five years, 81 percent—344 million views went to videos of natural disasters, accident [...]

Let’s start with some classic Russian politics. Finance Minister Anton Siluanov is drawing up Russia's economic strategy for 2016, including the government budget. Siluanov – essentially a liberal, in favor of foreign investment - will present his proposals to the Kremlin by the end of this month. [...]

Washington is considering a Russian proposal of direct military talks regarding the situation in Syria, US Secretary of State John Kerry said as his spokesman struggled to explain the setbacks to US efforts against Islamic State militants in the region. Reporters grilled deputy State Department spokesman Mark Toner over revelations that only a handful of US-trained “moderate Syrian rebels” [...]

The UN special peace envoy to Syria has urged the international community to take advice from Russia to resolve the four-year-long civil war that has claimed 210,000 lives and left 1.5 million Syrians with injuries and disabilities. “Russia has influence on Damascus, and it’s very important that they get involved," Staffan de Mistura, who was challenged by the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-mo [...]

The Russian city of Zhukovsky in the Moscow region is hosting one of the world's biggest air shows - MAKS 2015. Major aircraft manufacturers, including Airbus and Boeing are attending with billion dollar deals on the line. Airbus' Vice President for Europe, Asia and the Pacific, Chris Buckley is speaking on the importance of cooperation with Russia despite sanctions. [...]

Russia has unveiled a full-size prototype of its lightweight, amphibious Chirok, capable of manned and unmanned flight, at the MAKS-2015 air show near Moscow. Able to take off and land most anywhere, the air-cushioned aircraft is much in demand. The aircraft is made of carbon fiber composite material, with a wingspan of 10 meters and maximum takeoff weight of 750 kilograms. [...]

Rewriting history shatters the pillars of the world order perpetuated by the UN Charter, Russia's foreign minister said in an article published in Russian and Chinese media. The world's fate cannot be held in the hands of just one state, he added. [...]

It's almost eighteen months since the people of Crimea voted overwhelmingly in a democratic referendum to join the Russian Federation. President Putin visited Crimea, an event that was greeted with an unexpected Western media reaction. Think back to March 2014, when the Crimean referendum took place. [...]

The leader of the Polish coalition of Euroskeptic and right-wing parties has approved the recent visit to Crimea by French MPs, and said that he and his allies could soon also pay a visit to the Russian republic. Founder of the Coalition for the Renewal of the Republic Janusz Korwin-Mikke told Russian daily Izvestia that when the French MPs visited Crimea they practically recognized the current [...]

The US and its allies should cooperate with Syrian President Bashar Assad in fighting Islamic State, “a common enemy” of the international community, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview on Sunday. “Our American partners and some countries in the region persistently refuse to recognize Assad as a partner, which is rather strange,” Lavrov said in an interview with [...]

Deputy head of the Federation Council’s committee for foreign affairs has said an international court must look into all US wars, in particular the Vietnam campaign that killed thousands of civilians and caused significant damage to many innocent people. Russian senator urges international tribunal into US-Vietnam war Deputy head of the Federation Council’s committee for foreign affairs ha [...]

Sukhoi PAK-FA fifth-generation fighter jet is finalizing tests of its versatile arsenal before deployment next year. Russia's Air Force chief says there will be no such target on the scene of operations that the fighter would not be able to engage. When compared to American F-22 or F-35 5G fighter jets, Sukhoi PAK-FA (T-50) is going to “outperform them in all technical aspects,” the command [...]

MPs from the German parliamentary party "The Left" have positively assessed the recent visit to Crimea by French lawmakers and said that they'd also consider the possibility of personal trip to the republic and assessment of the situation there. “I think that the French parliamentarian’s trip was a right thing to do. Being elected by the people it was their duty to tell and show the officia [...]

A senior State Duma MP has said that Russia would look into possibility of the visit to Crimea by the head of PACE'€™s Social-Democratic caucus, Andreas Gross, albeit not within the remit of the Russia-PACE dialogue. Aleksey Pushkov, chair of the lower house Committee for International Relations, told TASS that after Russian delegation withdrew its participation in PACE in protest of the sanc [...]

The United States has imposed further sanctions against Russia over the events in eastern Ukraine and Crimea. Eleven more people and 15 more companies have been put on the sanctions list. Among the newly included firms are affiliate companies of Russian oil giant Rosneft, as well as several organizations linked to one of the country’s major banks - Vnesheconombank. [...]

One of the French parliamentarians visiting Crimea has spoken his mind through fashion. Senator Yves Pozzo di Borgo from the center-right UDI party has acquired a T-shirt with Putin and Obama portraits, the caption saying: "€œObama, you're a schmuck." The senator, currently on a two-day visit to Crimea, was strolling along a picturesque quay when he reportedly came across an article of clothi [...]