Europe

MOSCOW, June 5. /TASS/. The statement by US National Security Advisor John Bolton on Washington’s intent to challenge Russia in the Arctic is fraught with consequences for the region, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated during Wednesday’s press briefing.

On May 22, Bolton stated that the US aims to expand the number of icebreakers in the Arctic in order to "challenge growing Russian military influence" in the region.

MOSCOW, June 5. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that he had discussed pressing global issues with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping and noted that the two countries had similar or coinciding stances on key issues.

"We spoke about pressing global topics in detail," Putin said. "We confirmed that Russia’s and China’s stances on key global issues are similar or coincide, as diplomats say."

MOSCOW, June 5. /TASS/. The Project 12700 latest minesweeper Vladimir Yemelyanov will enter dockside trials in June this year, Russian Navy Commander-in-Chief Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov said at the Navy’s enlarged board meeting on Wednesday.

"The dockside tests of the mine countermeasures vessel Vladimir Yemelyanov will begin in June," the Defense Ministry’s newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda quoted the Navy chief as saying.

BRUSSELS, June 5 (Xinhua) -- The European Commission released the draft 2020 EU budget on Wednesday, which would focus on competitive economy, security and solidarity, and climate change.

This budget is designed to optimise funding for existing programmes as well as new initiatives and to boost the European added value in line with the priorities of the Commission.

MOSCOW, June 4 (Xinhua) -- The statement by U.S. President Donald Trump about Russia notifying him that it had withdrawn its staff from Venezuela is a fake, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday.

"This is obvious to me," Lavrov said, answering a question by the RBC news agency if the Trump's statement was a fake, according to an official transcript of an excerpt from the interview posted on the Russian Foreign Ministry's web site.

KIEV, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday Ukraine will join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) but only after a referendum.

"Joining NATO will give security to our country... We have to tell the Ukrainians what NATO is and that it is not bad," said Zelensky in a TV interview.

"When the Ukrainians are ready, we will definitely put this question in a referendum, and Ukraine will join NATO," he said.

MOSCOW, June 5 (Xinhua) -- China and Russia agreed on Wednesday to upgrade their relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era.

The decision was made at a meeting between visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.

4 June 2019; DW: Russia's communications regulator said Monday that the popular Tinder dating app will be required to provide user data on demand to the country's intelligence agencies, including the FSB security service, successor to the KGB. 

The move from "Roskomnadzor," Russia's telecoms and media regulatory body, added Tinder to a growing list of online services operating in Russia that are required to provide user data.

4 June 2019; DW: Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Monday said he would step down from his post unless the ruling 5-Star Movement and League parties started to take responsibility for running the country.  

"I am asking both these political forces to make a choice and tell me if they still want to honor the government's obligations," he told a news conference. If not, "I will simply end my mandate."

MOSCOW, June 4. /TASS/: Russian Aerospace Defense Forces have successfully test-launched a new interceptor missile from the territory of Kazakhstan, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.

"Another test-launch of a new Russian interceptor missile was successfully conducted by the Russian Aerospace Defense Forces from the Sary-Shagan training range in Kazakhstan," the defense ministry said.