Russia

June 14 (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Tuesday it was "sure" that Russian-backed separatist leaders in the Donbas would be willing to listen to an appeal from Britain over the fate of two Britons sentenced to death for fighting for Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters in a conference call that London had not contacted Moscow about the issue.

MOSCOW, June 10. /TASS/: Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe expressed discontent to US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin over US interference in China's domestic political issues as they met in Singapore on Friday, China Central Television reported.

"The United States shouldn’t interfere in the internal affairs of our country," the Chinese minister was quoted as saying. "That's the only way you can save Chinese-American relations."

MOSCOW, June 10. /TASS/: Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has underscored the importance of having the Collective Security Treaty Organization’s biosecurity council up and running as soon as possible.

MOSCOW, June 10. /TASS/: Russia is able to pay its foreign debts, Governor of the Bank of Russia Elvira Nabiullina said at a press conference on Friday.

"From the point of view of financial resources, we have the possibility and the ability. We also have the desire to pay, and the Finance Ministry has shown all options. Typically, problems with paying sovereign obligations are caused by budgetary issues. We don't have such issues. Once again, we have all of the resources we need to pay off our debts," she said.

June 10 (Reuters) - Russia and China opened a new cross-border bridge in the far east on Friday which they hope will further boost trade as Moscow reels from sweeping Western sanctions imposed over its actions in Ukraine.

The bridge linking the Russian city of Blagoveshchensk to the Chinese city of Heihe across the Amur river - known in China as Heilongjiang - is just over one kilometre long and cost 19 billion roubles ($342 million), the RIA news agency reported.

VLADIVOSTOK, June 9. /TASS/: Water area around Kuril Islands, abandoned by Japanese fishermen will soon be occupied by Russian fishing companies, Deputy Prime Minister and Presidential Plenipotentiary in the Far Eastern Federal District Yury Trutnev said at a plenary meeting of the Far East media summit.

MOSCOW, June 9. /TASS/: Moscow will respond immediately if Russia is attacked with long-range weapon systems, Head of the Russian Delegation to the Negotiations on Military Security and Arms Control in Vienna Konstantin Gavrilov told the Rossiya-24 TV channel on Thursday.

MOSCOW, June 9. /TASS/: The isolation of Russia, even as far as technology goes, is impossible, despite such schemes by unfriendly countries, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Thursday.

"No one is talking about isolation. It is impossible to isolate Russia, despite the fact that countries unfriendly, or rather hostile to us, are trying to isolate us economically, politically, and in the sphere of trade. They cannot and will not succeed, because in today's world it is impossible to isolate a country, especially such a huge country like Russia."

(AP) --- When Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, it had hoped to overtake the country in a blitz lasting only days or a few weeks. Many Western analysts thought so, too.

As the conflict marked its third month Tuesday, however, Moscow appears to be bogged down in what increasingly looks like a war of attrition, with no end in sight and few successes on the battlefield.

There was no quick victory for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s powerful forces, no rout that would allow the Kremlin to control most of Ukraine and establish a puppet government.

MOSCOW, May 23. /TASS/: American multinational chain of coffeehouses Starbucks has decided to leave the Russian market.

"Starbucks has made the decision to exit and no longer have a brand presence in the market. We will continue to support the nearly 2,000 green apron partners in Russia, including pay for six months and assistance for partners to transition to new opportunities outside of Starbucks," the press release says.