Merkel Warns Putin That East Ukraine Vote Must Conform to Law

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande warned Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday that any elections held in eastern Ukraine must conform to that country’s laws.

How the Newest U.S. Export May Leave Russia With Excess Gas

With the U.S. as a potential source of gas, Russia has less leverage with a once-dependent Europe.

Russia, China sign raft of deals in Moscow

MOSCOW (AP) -- Russian and Chinese leaders have signed a plethora of deals in Moscow, including billions in infrastructure loans for Russia.

EU charges Gazprom with market abuse

The Commission said its preliminary view was that the Russian energy giant was breaking EU anti-trust rules. It added Gazprom may have limited its customers' ability to resell gas, potentially allowing it to charge unfair prices in some EU member states.

Putin’s Trade Blow Throws Finland’s Exporters Into Shock

Some of Finland’s biggest exporters have been thrown into survival mode as they struggle to work out how to cope with Russian import bans unveiled yesterday.

Ukraine crisis: EU deal to be signed on 27 June

The new president of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, has said he will sign a controversial association agreement with the EU on 27 June.

Russia, China to create joint rating agency as ties grow

(Reuters) - Russia and China have reached an agreement to create a joint credit rating agency and are working on a series of measures to make trade easier, Russia's finance minister said on Tuesday, a sign of growing ties between the neighbors.

Heavier sanctions on Russia could backfire

WASHINGTON (AP) — Underlying talk about taking harsh punitive measures against Russia for its military incursion into Ukraine are economic complications and worries that sanctions levied against Moscow could backfire on the U.S. and Europe.

U.S. nears decision to split leadership of NSA, Cyber Command: sources

(Reuters) - The White House is nearing a decision on splitting up the eavesdropping National Security Agency and U.S.

Russia halts Lithuania dairy imports in trade row

Russia has halted imports of Lithuanian dairy produce amid tensions over EU plans to forge closer ties with ex-Soviet republics.

Cyprus races to avoid financial collapse

Politicians in Cyprus and European officials were engaged in emergency talks Wednesday to head off the financial collapse of the beleaguered island nation.

China, Russia resist West's sanctions push for Sudan, South Sudan

(Reuters) - China and Russia are resisting a Western push for the U.N. Security Council to threaten Sudan and South Sudan with sanctions if the two countries fail to comply with demands to halt their escalating conflict, U.N. envoys said.

China and allies back Russia against U.S. missile shield

Russia won the backing of China and other members of a regional security body in criticizing U.S. plans for a missile shield, saying on Wednesday it could undermine global security.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a security bloc grouping Russia, China and four ex-Soviet Central Asian states, signed a declaration condemning any unilateral build-up of missile defenses after their leaders met in the Kazakh capital.

Russia frets over Eurasian domino theory

By Yong Kwon

Post-Soviet Russia has been consistently perceived as anti-American. Despite several shifts in Moscow's foreign policy during the past two decades, the Kremlin's opposition to North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) operations in former Yugoslav republics, its war with Georgia and the recent protest against military action in Libya have all been attributed to Russia's designs to leverage its influence against the West.

SA BRIC membership a milestone for Africa: Zuma

Cape Town - South Africa's return to the powerful UN Security Council and the country's invitation to join the economic coalition that includes Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC) will go a long way to position the African continent amongst the global economic players, President Jacob Zuma said on Sunday.

Speaking to the SABC following the State of the Nation Address he made on Thursday, Zuma said both the UNSC seat and BRIC were a milestone for the African continent and an indication of how the world was changing.