Moscow, Russia | AFP | The Kremlin on Friday said Russia will not be part of a new arms race as the United States and NATO voiced concern over Vladimir Putin’s boasts of new “invincible” weapons. Putin stunned the West — and many in Russia — on Thursday by using …
Read More »US accuses Russia of breaching treaties with ‘invincible’ weapons
Washington, United States | AFP | The United States has accused Moscow of openly breaching Cold War-era treaties by developing what Russian President Vladimir Putin called a new generation of “invincible” hypersonic weapons and submarines. Putin unveiled the new arsenal Thursday in a state of the nation address, challenging Washington …
Read More »Against Putin, seven candidates and one glaring absence
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Seven candidates are lined up against Vladimir Putin in a Russian presidential election next month that he is all but guaranteed to win, extending his Kremlin term to 2024 with a fourth term in office. His competitors include a former reality TV star and a …
Read More »No programme, no debate but Putin cruising to poll win
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Running with a lacklustre slogan, no programme and refusing to debate his opponents, it sometimes seems like Russian President Vladimir Putin is not campaigning for re-election at all. But it is unlikely to matter for the 65-year-old strongman who is cruising towards victory and a …
Read More »Putin laughs off Washington’s ‘Kremlin list’
Moscow, Russia | AFP | President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday laughed off a US list of Russians tapped for possible sanctions, joking that he was offended his name was not on it, but nevertheless branded it an “unfriendly act”. The 65-year-old Russian leader — who spoke before the US Treasury said …
Read More »Putin calls for ‘pragmatic cooperation’ in New Year wishes to Trump
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russian President Vladimir Putin called for “pragmatic cooperation” in his New Year wishes to US President Donald Trump, the Kremlin said on Saturday. In a statement on the Russian president’s New Year wishes to world leaders, the Kremlin said Putin told Trump that “a constructive …
Read More »Russians endorse Navalny to challenge Putin in March vote
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Thousands of Russians on Sunday endorsed the candidacy of Alexei Navalny, seen as the only Russian opposition leader who stands a fighting chance of challenging strongman Vladimir Putin in a March vote. Thousands of people who back the charismatic 41-year-old lawyer were meeting in 20 …
Read More »Putin, Trump discuss N Korea in phone call
Washington, United States | AFP | Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump discussed the crisis over North Korea’s nuclear program in a phone call Thursday, in which the US president took the unusual step of thanking his Russian counterpart for praising America’s economy. The two heads of state discussed “the situation in …
Read More »Putin’s ex-minister risks decade in jail over $2 mn ‘bribe’
Moscow, Russia | AFP | A Russian court is set to rule Friday in the high-profile trial of former economy minister Alexei Ulyukayev, who is accused of taking a bribe from an oil boss close to President Vladimir Putin. Prosecutors have asked the Moscow court to find the 61-year-old guilty on …
Read More »Russian strongman appears as “Superputin” in new exhibition
Moscow, Russia | AFP | From a musclebound Superman to ice hockey player to jet pilot, Vladimir Putin plays various heroic roles in paintings at a Moscow exhibition called “Superputin” that opened this week as he began his campaign for a fourth Kremlin term. Displayed at an arts centre in a …
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