U.S. lawmakers are nearing a deal on sanctions aimed at deterring Russian President Vladimir Putin from invading Ukraine. Several lawmakers who recently returned from a trip to Kyiv told VOA’s Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gypson there is broad bipartisan unity on confronting Russia. Camera: Russian Service Produced by: Katherine Gypson …
Russia and China will discuss closer gas and financial ties during President Vladimir Putin’s trip to Beijing for the Winter Olympics, the Kremlin said Wednesday, and a long-held idea for a new gas pipeline to China is being examined. Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping will have lunch together Friday, and could sign more …
Read more “Russia, China to Discuss Closer Gas, Financial Ties During Putin Visit, Says Kremlin”
The Kremlin is ramping up a disinformation offensive aimed at demoralizing Ukraine and Western powers, using Russian state-owned broadcasters and trolls on social media platforms to portray the West as the aggressor and the government in Kyiv as a puppet of NATO, say Western officials and information war experts. Scare stories in recent days have …
Read more “Russia Ramping Up Disinformation Regarding Ukraine, Say Western Officials”
With tens of thousands of Russian troops deployed near the Ukranian border, residents in Kyiv are anxiously watching what Russian leader Vladimir Putin will do next as he continues his campaign to pressure Ukraine and NATO. Oksana Lihostova in Kyiv spoke with residents about their hopes and fears in this story narrated by Anna Rice. …
Read more “Kyiv Residents Anxious Over Possible Russian Invasion”
Speaking to VOA from his New York apartment, Dmitry Savchenko, 34, recalls the prosperous life he recently left behind. “In Belarus, we had everything. My wife had several cafes. I had two businesses myself, some real estate, an apartment, a car,” he said. Savchenko and his family had never intended to leave their home. But …
Read more “Belarus Activists Flee to US, Say Europe Not Safe”
The continuing crackdown on pro-democracy activists following the 2020 presidential elections in Belarus has spurred a wave of political asylum seekers. VOA’s Igor Tsikhanenka spoke with some who undertook a long and uncertain journey to Mexico and on to the United States in recent months. Some of them say they had no other choice because …
Read more “Belarus Activists Flee to the US, Say Europe Not Safe”
President Joe Biden is sending about 2,000 troops from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to Poland and Germany this week and shifting roughly 1,000 Germany-based soldiers to Romania, a senior administration official said Wednesday. Biden has said he will not put American troops in Ukraine to fight any Russian incursion, although the United States is supplying …
Read more “Biden Sending More Troops to Europe Amid Ukraine Tension”
Turkish leader hopes to assume a mediation role, but analysts say he faces a challenge on many fronts as he tries to do a balancing act with Russia and the West …
For the last eight years, Ukraine has lived under a permanent state of alert, with the constant threat of Russian intervention in its territory. The fear and tension have led many civilians to seek military training to be prepared in the event of a conflict. Jonathan Spier narrates this report for VOA from Ricardo Marquina …
Read more “Fear and Uncertainty in Ukraine Prompt Civilians to Prepare Arms”
Since 2014, when Russia illegally annexed Crimea and fomented a separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine, Ukrainians have lived in a permanent state of alert, facing a constant threat of further Russian incursions. With a possibility of a full-scale invasion now looming, many civilians have volunteered to undergo military training to be prepared in the event …
Read more “Ukrainian Civilians Train to Defend Their Country”
A bipartisan effort in the U.S. Senate has come together to produce what the chairman of the body’s Foreign Relations Committee has dubbed “the mother of all sanctions” to be levied against Russia in the event of a new invasion of Ukraine. According to committee chairman Robert Menendez, senators are on the cusp of agreeing …
Read more “US Senate Contemplates ‘Mother of All Sanctions’ if Russia Invades Ukraine”
The top diplomats from the United States and Russia are expected to speak by phone Tuesday, a day after United Nations representatives from the two countries faced off at the U.N. Security Council over Russian-denied allegations that it is planning a large-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine. Tuesday’s diplomatic efforts to address the crisis also include …
Read more “Blinken, Lavrov Set for Talks After US-Russia Showdown at UN”
Will Russia invade Ukraine? While the world waits, the war of words is picking up steam, with top diplomats from the U.S. and Russia going head-to-head at the United Nations and President Joe Biden vowing that the U.S. is ready “no matter what happens.” VOA White House correspondent Anita Powell reports from Washington. …
Several NATO member states are sending troops and hardware to allies in Eastern Europe as tensions with Russia escalate. The United States has put several thousand troops on alert. Moscow has over 100,000 troops amassed on the Ukraine border, and the West fears an imminent Russian invasion, which the Kremlin denies. Henry Ridgwell looks at …
Read more “High Alert: NATO Sends Troops, Warplanes East to Counter Russian Threat”
NATO member states are sending thousands of troops, warplanes and ships to allies in eastern Europe as tensions with Russia escalate over Moscow’s deployment of more than 100,000 troops to its border with Ukraine. The West fears an imminent Russian invasion, which the Kremlin denies. Four Danish F-16 fighter jets landed in Lithuania last week …
Read more “High Alert: NATO Sends Troops, Warplanes East to Counter Russian Threat “
Mali said it is expelling the French ambassador because of “hostile and outrageous” comments by former colonial power France about Mali’s transitional government. A statement read on national television Monday said French Ambassador Joel Meyer has been given 72 hours to leave the country. “This measure follows the hostile and outrageous comments made recently by …
With Russian forces poised to attack Ukraine, Turkish-made drones are set to face a big test in battle as well as a challenge to Turkey’s relations with Russia. Despite warnings from Moscow, Turkish firms have continued to supply Kyiv with armed drones. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul. …
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson apologized before Parliament Monday following the release of a report concluding that parties held at the prime minister’s official residence during the country’s COVID-19 lockdown represented “serious failures” to observe the standards set by the government. The report, conducted by senior civil servant Sue Gray, examined a series of gatherings …
Read more “UK’s Johnson Apologizes Following Release of ‘Partygate’ Report”
U.S. President Joe Biden and Qatar’s Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani are meeting at the White House on Monday, with discussions about Qatar supplying natural gas to Europe in the event of a Russian attack on Ukraine at the forefront of their talks. The emir is the first Persian Gulf leader to meet with …
Read more “Biden, Qatari Leader Discussing Energy Supply to Europe”
President Joe Biden and other Western leaders have repeatedly warned they will impose swift and punitive economic sanctions against Moscow in the event Vladimir Putin orders an invasion of Ukraine. British ministers announced Sunday they plan new legislation to make it easier to impose sanctions on “Putin’s oligarchs” and Russian officials who have investments and …
Read more “Britain Promises to Target Assets of ‘Putin’s Oligarchs’ “
Turkey’s president has ordered that steps be taken against media like TV programs that are deemed contrary to Turkey’s “fundamental values.” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in a circular posted Saturday on the Official Gazette, said the decision aims to eliminate the harmful effects of television programs with foreign content that have been adapted in …
Read more “Turkey Orders TV Programs to Protect Family Values”
Eleanor Reissa’s mother and father survived the Nazi Holocaust in Europe during the 1940’s. After the war but before they were married, they wrote letters to each other. Those letters led Eleanor on a journey to learn about her parents’ past. The result of that journey was just released in book form. Victoria Kupchinetsky has …
Read more “Holocaust-Era Letters Prompt Writer to Dive Into Family’s History”
Police in western Germany report two officers were shot and killed Monday during a pre-dawn traffic stop. Rhineland-Palatinate district police spokesman Bernhard Christian Erfort said the two officers reported via radio they were carrying out a traffic stop at 4:20 a.m. local time between Ulmet and Mayweilerhof in the west central Kusel district. A short …
Read more “2 German Police Officers Shot Dead Following Traffic Stop”
The latest developments in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine: The U.S. plans to confront Russia over its actions along Ukraine’s border at a Monday meeting of the United Nations Security Council. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Sunday the Western military alliance has no intention of sending troops to Ukraine if Russia invades its former …