Politics of Russia

Russian tanks in Ukraine "unacceptable"

KIEV -- Petro Poroshenko has announced that he told Vladimir Putin that the entry of three Russian tanks into the Ukrainian territory was "unacceptable."

This is what Poroshenko's spokesman "wrote on Facebook," agencies reported.

The Russian and Ukrainian presidents spoke on the phone.

BELGRADE - Ivica Dacic, Serbian first deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs, received a visit from Russian Ambassador in Belgrade Alexander Chepurin on Thursday to discuss the forthcoming visit of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to Serbia.

Russia has proposed a discount of USD 100 per 1,000 cubic meters of gas to Ukraine, but Kiev has said it will reject the offer.

Russia and Ukraine began fresh EU-brokered gas supply talks June 11, with Moscow extending a cut-off deadline to next week in the latest signs the worst East-West crisis in years may be easing.

Three-party gas negotiations between Russia, Ukraine, and the European Union will continue on Tuesday in Brussels after the sides failed to reach an agreement on Monday.

The main issues are Ukraine's gas debt and the future prices. Gazprom has warned that if Kiev doesn't repay its USD 5.2B debt, it can stop the delivery.

Moscow, Kiev and Brussels will restart talks on Russian gas supplies today to try to resolve a dispute over price, a Russian energy ministry official said June 8.
 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel met Russian President Vladimir Putin for the first time since the Ukraine crisis began in late 2013.

MOSCOW - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will pay a visit to Serbia on June 16-17, Alexander Lukashevich, spokesman for Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said on Thursday.

While in the Serbian capital, Lavrov will meet President Tomislav Nikolic, Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic, and First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic, Lukashevich said.

Bulgarian Foreign Minister Kristian Vigenin confirmed Wednesday preparations for a visit by his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov are under way.

Vigenin told Dnevnik.bg that no information had been officially given so far as the event was yet in the making and details could not be made public before having been settled.

World leaders urged Vladimir Putin on Wednesday to stop destabilising Ukraine or face further sanctions as they met without a Russian president for the first time since the 1990s.
      
Putin reached out a hand despite being banned from the Group of Seven summit following Russia's annexation of Crimea in March, saying that he was ready to meet Ukraine's president-elect.