Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation

By Zoltan Simon & Ladka Bauerova

NATO is worried that a Greek exit from the euro area could pose a security risk to the alliance, deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow said.

During a recent meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an delivered a report about human rights violations against Crimean Tatars, drafted by an unofficial Turkish delegation who visited the region. 

?pek Yezdani ipek.yezdani@hurriyet.com.tr The United States plans to store heavy military equipment in the Baltics and Eastern European nations to reassure allies made uneasy by Russian intervention in Ukraine, and to deter further aggression, a senior U.S. official said on June 13.

The European parliament (EP) has adopted a non-binding resolution asking for sanctions targeting Russia to be extended.

The reason is the country's "actions in the conflict in Ukraine." The resolution, passed on Thursday, also calls for "unity in opposing Moscow's policy."

The European Parliament adopted on Wednesday a non-legislative resolution, which deems that Russia is no longer a strategic partner of the EU.

The resolution also called on the EU to critically re-assess its relations with Russia and devise a soft-power plan to counter Moscow's aggressive and divisive policies.

World leaders warned Russia June 8 that it would face stepped-up sanctions for its "aggression" in Ukraine, as they wrapped up a G7 meeting also pledging strong action to fight climate change.

Russia is not a threat to the West, President Vladimir Putin insisted in an interview published on June 6, saying he was still committed to a Ukraine peace deal after a fresh flare-up in the country's east.

Romanian Foreign Ministry, MAE, on Saturday said it will ask for official explanations from Russia's entry ban against the five Romanians, including politicians, a businessman and a military leader.

Russian military aircraft were scrambled to head off a US warship that was acting "aggressively" in the Black Sea, state news agency RIA reported on May 30, but the Pentagon denied any unusual behavior. 

Moscow has issued a list of European Union politicians barred from Russia in response to EU's own sanctions and travel bans on Russian officials imposed over the annexation of Crimea and the Kremlin's alleged role in the conflict in eastern Ukraine, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has said.