Russia has defended a decision by Ukraine’s Crimean authorities to hold a referendum as the standoff between Moscow and the West over the crisis-hit Eastern European country continues. Speaking by telephone to German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister David Cameron on Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said steps taken by authorities in Crimea were “based on international... 

National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden answered questions before the European Parliament on Friday, saying that the United States spy agency pressures its allies to take steps towards further enabling widespread and indiscriminate surveillance. “One of the foremost activities of the NSA’s FAD, or Foreign Affairs Division, is to pressure or incentivize EU member states to change their... 

Russia’s envoy to NATO has criticized the Western military alliance after it announced a full review of cooperation with Moscow over the Ukraine crisis. On Wednesday, Alexander Grushko said NATO was applying double standards to Russia by trying to pressure Moscow into backing down on Ukraine. “This meeting proved that NATO still has a double standard policy. And Cold War stereotypes are still... 

F-16 jets from the US Air Force fly at the Krzesiny airport near Poznan, western Poland. The United States has beefed up its military presence in Europe amid tensions in the region over the current crisis in Ukraine. Twelve F-16 fighter jets and 300 American troops are set to arrive in Poland next week in response to the crisis in Ukraine. Six F-15C Eagles and more than 60 American had also arrived... 

Participants in the “We Are Together” rally and concert to support the residents of the Crimea, at Vasilyevsky Slope, Moscow on March 7, 2014. Over 65,000 people gathered on Friday for a demonstration in central Moscow to support residents of Ukraine’s Autonomous Republic of Crimea. The mostly Russian-speaking region has become a major stumbling block in Moscow-Kiev relations. The ‘We... 

A research team at the Pentagon is studying body movements of Russian President Vladimir Putin in order to be able to anticipate his future actions. The research team is using the principles of movement pattern analysis to predict actions of Putin and several other world leaders, USA TODAY reported on Thursday. The project, named “Body Leads,” is being backed by the Office of Net Assessment (ONA)... 

EU leaders have threatened Russia with sanctions, which could include visa bans, asset freezes and various economic restrictions unless it engages in direct talks with the coup-appointed Ukrainian government. As a first step, the EU has halted G8 summit preparations and visa-free talks with Russia. The European Council President, Herman Van Rompuy, on Thursday warned that if Moscow does not manage... 

Turkey has given a US Navy Warship the green light to pass through the Bosphorus within the next two days as tensions in Ukraine’s Crimea region continue to divide world powers. Turkish sources, speaking with the Hurriyet Daily News on Wednesday, declined to elaborate on the name of the US warship. The same officials told the daily on condition of anonymity that the ship in question was not the... 

Despite the fact that the weakening of the ruble has been predicted since late 2013, the rapid devaluation of the Russian currency is now associated with political instability in Ukraine. Pravda.Ru asked experts whether the Ukrainian revolution and instability adversely affected the ruble and whether we should fear further deterioration of the situation in Ukraine. Since the beginning of the year... 

A Russian official says potential sanctions by Washington against Moscow would lead to the “crash” of the US financial system and end its global financial domination. Kremlin economic aide Sergei Glazyev said on Tuesday that Russia will reduce its economic dependency on the United States if Washington decides to impose sanctions against Moscow over the issue of Ukraine. “We would find a way... 

Russian-controlled natural gas giant Gazprom has threatened to disrupt gas supplies to Europe following warnings by John Kerry and others that harsh economic sanctions could be imposed on Moscow, as the Ukraine crisis threatens to spiral into a trade war. “Simmering political tensions in Ukraine, that are aggravated by inadequate economic conditions, may cause disruptions of gas supplies to Europe,”... 

The US has suspended forthcoming trade and investment talks with Russia over situation in Ukraine, according to a US official. In addition, the Pentagon announced that the US has also suspended all joint “military engagements” with Russia. “We have suspended upcoming bilateral trade and investment engagement with the government of Russia that were part of a move toward deeper commercial... 

Moscow’s move to occupy Crimea with Russian troops is a declaration of war on Ukraine according to interim Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk. “This is actually a declaration of war on my country. We urge Putin to pull back his troops from this country and honour bilateral agreements. If he wants to be the president who started a war between two neighboring and friendly countries, he has reached... 

US President Barack Obama has threatened Russia with sanctions as tensions between the two countries heats up over Ukraine. “The strong condemnation that Russian has received around the world indicates the degree to which Russia is on the wrong side of history,” Obama told reporters on Monday. “There are two paths that Russia can take at this point. Actions on the ground in Crimea are deeply... 

The US Secretary of State spoke today of the unacceptability of invading a sovereign country on phony pretexts in order to assert one’s own interests in the 21st century. But no, he was not speaking about the United States, as one might have thought. “You just don’t invade another country on phony pretext in order to assert your interests,” John Kerry said during an interview with NBC’s...