Rome, Italy | AFP | A top cardinal due to meet Vladimir Putin in Moscow this month says he will be seeking to clear the way for Pope Francis to make a historic visit to Russia. Pietro Parolin, the number two in the Vatican hierarchy and its de-facto foreign minister, …
Read More »Ex-Trump campaign chief Manafort’s home raided in Russia probe
Washington, United States | AFP | FBI agents seized documents in a raid on a home of former Trump campaign chief Paul Manafort last month as the explosive probe into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election gains pace. A Manafort spokesman confirmed the raid, which the Washington Post described as …
Read More »Chelsea owner Abramovich splits from wife
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russian billionaire and Chelsea football club owner Roman Abramovich and his wife, gallerist Darya or “Dasha” Zhukova, have separated, a spokesman for Abramovich confirmed to AFP. “After 10 years together, the two of us have made the difficult decision to separate, but we remain close …
Read More »Angry Trump says Russia ties at ‘very dangerous low’
Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump claimed relations with Russia had hit an all-time and “very dangerous” low Thursday, putting the blame on Congress after he reluctantly approved sanctions against Moscow. After Moscow called the sanctions a declaration of “economic war” that had exposed the …
Read More »US grand jury impaneled for Russia probe: report
Washington, United States | AFP | Special counsel Robert Mueller has impaneled a grand jury to investigate Russia’s interference with the 2016 presidential election, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday — a step toward possible criminal indictments. The newspaper, citing two unnamed sources familiar with the matter, reported that the …
Read More »Russia says US sanctions ‘dangerous’ and ‘short-sighted’
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russia’s foreign ministry said Wednesday that new US sanctions, signed into law by President Donald Trump, are a “dangerous” and “short-sighted” policy. In a statement, the ministry said the sanctions against Russia had put global stability at risk, a matter Moscow said it and the United …
Read More »Trump grudgingly signs Russia sanctions into law
Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump reluctantly signed off on new sanctions against Russia Wednesday, bowing to domestic pressure and putting efforts to improve ties with the Kremlin in peril. Trump signed the legislation behind closed doors, after failed White House efforts to scupper or water down …
Read More »Tillerson: US-Russia ties could still get worse
Washington, United States | AFP | US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Tuesday he will meet with his Russian opposite number Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov over the weekend, but warned US-Russia ties could still get worse. Some in Moscow and Washington had hoped relations between the former Cold War …
Read More »US to cut 755 US diplomatic staff in Russia, says Putin
Moscow, Russia | AFP | President Vladimir Putin on Sunday said the United States would have to cut 755 diplomatic staff in Russia and warned of a prolonged gridlock in its ties after the US Congress backed new sanctions against the Kremlin. Putin added bluntly that Russia was able to …
Read More »Firing Russia special counsel could sink Trump: Republican senator
Washington, United States | AFP | If Donald Trump fires the special prosecutor investigating his team’s ties to alleged Russian meddling in the US election, it could mark “the beginning of the end” of the billionaire’s presidency, a senior Republican lawmaker warned Thursday. Senator Lindsey Graham, who briefly ran against …
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