The EU's top trade official has employed strong rhetoric as the row with US President Donald Trump over steel and aluminum tariffs heats up following fruitless talks. European Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstroem has promised that Europe would fight back against those who intimidate its trade after joint talks with US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Minister of Economy, Trade and I [...]

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. [...]

In startling reversal, president now says that children and schools matter more than a Mexican border wall of questionable value. Donald Trump has seen the folly of his proposal to spend $25 billion on a wall that no one wants — not the residents of the U.S. states that border Mexico, not Republican leaders in his own party, certainly no Democrats and, of course, not America’s ally and tra [...]

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. [...]

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. [...]

A first in global capitalism, US citizen consumer credit card debt has now topped $1 trillion. For the first time in history, consumer credit card debt in America has risen above the benchmark $1 trillion measure, according to Washington DC-based online personal finance website Wallethub.com. [...]

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. [...]

On February 27, US Army General Joseph Votel blamed Russia for “playing both arsonist and firefighter, fueling tensions among all parties in Syria… then serving as an arbitrator, to resolve disputes, attempting to undermine and weaken each party's bargaining positions." The United States has always introduced itself as a Messiah with the responsibility to protect. But has anyone invited Washin [...]

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 [...]