HELSINKI — With relations between the West and Moscow at a post-Cold War low point, Russia’s closest EU neighbors are turning to tougher military and financial measures to send a message to Vladimir Putin. At a White House meeting last week, the presidents of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania asked Donald Trump to do more to deter Russia by bolstering U.S. forces in Eastern Europe. Trump didn’t give a clear answer. He praised the Baltic countries’ robust defense spending in recent years and said that “nobody has been tougher on Russia” than his administration. But, as he has done repeatedly despite opposition in Congress and among his own advisers, he also professed a desire for better relations with the Kremlin. “Getting along with Russia is a good thing, not a bad thing,” Trump said. “Now, maybe we will [get along] and maybe we won’t.” “There’s a position in the government to draw a line in the sand and … [Read more...] about Russia’s anxious northern neighbors toughen up
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Importing Apple Trees Instead of Apples, Russia Secures Its Food
To understand how President Vladimir Putin is weaning Russians off foreign food, look no further than the apple trees growing in the Krasnodar region near the Black Sea, where a Soviet-era orchard once flourished. They’re mostly from Italy.Russia is the world’s largest apple importer because local varieties spoil faster than those grown in Europe or China and shoppers often prefer the taste of imported fruit. When farm operator AFG National Group sought to upgrade supplies in 2015, rather than use domestic crops, the company shipped in 143,000 trees from fields 3,000 kilometers (1,900 miles) away. It’s new orchard near the Caucasus Mountains will produce about 8,000 metric tons of Gala, Red Delicious and Granny Smith apples this year.“Deciding to use the latest technology in planting orchards, we realized that, unfortunately, national research in this area lags behind the leading European and global trends,” said Oleg Ryanov, who runs the orchard unit at … [Read more...] about Importing Apple Trees Instead of Apples, Russia Secures Its Food
Russia’s missile deployment ups the stakes for Nato
Europe Jonathan Marcus Diplomatic correspondent @Diplo1 on Twitter 9 October 2016 Share this with Facebook Share this with Twitter Share this with Messenger Share this with Messenger Share this with Email Share Share this with These are external links and will open in a new window Email Share this with Email Facebook Share this with Facebook Messenger Share this with Messenger Messenger Share this with Messenger Twitter Share this with Twitter Pinterest Share this with Pinterest WhatsApp Share this with WhatsApp LinkedIn Share this with LinkedIn Copy this link http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-37600426 Read more about sharing. These are external links and will open in a new window Close share panel Related TopicsUkraine crisis Russia's deployment of nuclear-capable missiles to its Kaliningrad exclave is setting off warning bells in the Baltics and at … [Read more...] about Russia’s missile deployment ups the stakes for Nato
Russia-Skripal scandal: What we know so far
Dozens of countries have ordered the expulsion of more than 100 Russian diplomats as a major diplomatic dispute between Russia and the UK over a spy poisoning case intensifies. Australia, Canada, 23 European countries and the United States announced on Monday and Tuesday that they would be expelling 121 Russian diplomats over the coming week. The announcements come days after the UK expelled 23 Russian officials as it blamed Russia for the alleged attack on former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. Both are critically ill in a UK hospital after being poisoned with a military-grade nerve agent in the southern English city of Salisbury last month. Russia has denied any involvement in the case. How did it all start? On March 4, Skripal and his daughter were found unconscious on a bench near a shopping centre in Salisbury, 120km southwest of Britain's capital, London. Skripal is a former Russian military intelligence officer accused of spying for the … [Read more...] about Russia-Skripal scandal: What we know so far
Russia violates NATO airspace in Estonia
Estonia protested after a Russian military cargo plane has violated its airspace near Vaindloo Island in the Baltic Sea. The incident on March 12 was the first alleged airspace violation of Estonia by a Russian plane this year after the Baltic nation reported several similar intrusions in 2017 and 2016. Estonia’s military said the Il-76 plane spent less than a minute in the country’s airspace. It said the aircraft’s transponder was switched on and a flight plan had been presented to Estonian authorities, but the plane maintained no radio contact with Estonia’s air navigation service. Estonia’s Foreign Ministry handed Russia’s ambassador a protest note over the incident, though the Russian Defense Ministry denied violating Estonian airspace. “The flight was performed in strict compliance with the international rules of the use of airspace. The borders of other states were not violated, which was confirmed by objective monitoring means,” … [Read more...] about Russia violates NATO airspace in Estonia