Dmitry Peskov

By Henry Meyer & Eleni Chrepa

The journey to Moscow from Athens is a path well-trodden for Greek leaders.

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is due to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow Wednesday in the hope of reviving economic cooperation between the two countries.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras plan to discuss economic ties and the European Union's sanctions against Moscow when they meet for talks next week, a Kremlin spokesman said on Friday.

The Russian President's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists late on Thursday that Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras will visit Moscow on two dates: April 8 and May 9. Peskov said that the visit comes following an invitation that Russia sent to the Greek leader.

The Russian president has been out of sight since his meeting with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi on March 5.

Then, on Thursday, representative Dmitry Peskov assured the world that the Russian president is well and that there is “no need to worry, everything is all right,” while he even made a joke about the president’s handshake being so strong that it could “break your hand”.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced that he will attend the ceremony in Yerevan to commemorate the 1915 events.

According to a statement issued by the Russian Presidency, Putin told his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sarkisian by telephone on March 12 that he would join the commemoration ceremony scheduled for April 24 in Yerevan.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree Friday thus reducing government salaries by 10%.

According to the document, salaries of the PM, Prosecutor General, Head of the Investigative Committee, MPs and Kremlin officials will all be slashed, ITAR Tass reported.

Russia is mulling loosening its embargo on agricultural products from some European Union countries, including Greece, President Vladimir Putin?s spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.

The death of Russian opposition politician and former Deputy PM Boris Nemtsov resembles a contract killing, Russian authorities believe.

This comes after Nemtsov was shot dead on Friday, shorly before midnight local time (20:40 GMT).

Russia's President Vladimir Putin is now personally in control of the investigation, according to his spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

Russia said Feb. 9 that President Vladimir Putin would not tolerate any ultimatums over Ukraine after a report said Germany had given him until Wednesday to agree a peace plan or face new sanctions.
      
"We've already said everything about the tone of the negotiations," Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Russian radio.