Russia

MOSCOW, October 15. /TASS/: Russia is already holding consultations with Germany on concluding a new contract for gas transit with Ukraine after 2024, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak told reporters on the sidelines of the Russian Energy Week.

"We are meeting with [Georg Graf] Waldersee, Germany’s representative [on gas transit through Ukraine]. We are already consulting on this situation," he said in response to a question on when negotiations on a new gas transit contract through Ukraine after 2024 will be held.

MOSCOW, October 15. /TASS/: Russia sees as extremely dangerous US pressure on the Central Asian countries, being exerted with the aim of making them accommodate military and intelligence facilities, the director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s third department of the CIS countries, Alexander Sternik, told a conference entitled Afghanistan in the System of Regional Relations at the MGIMO University on Friday.

MOSCOW, October 15. /TASS/: Russian President Vladimir Putin is not planning to meet with the Taliban radical militant group (outlawed in Russia) who is expected to arrive in Moscow in October for consultations, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.

When asked by TASS if a meeting between Putin and Taliban representatives was being planned, the Russian presidential spokesman replied "No."

The Russian leader said at a CIS summit on Friday that it was necessary to interact with the Taliban but there should be no haste to officially recognize them.

MOSCOW, Oct 15 (Reuters) - Russia said one of its military vessels chased away a U.S. naval destroyer that attempted to violate Russian territorial waters during Russian-Chinese naval drills in the Sea of Japan on Friday.

There was no immediate comment from the U.S. side.

The Russian defence ministry said the crew of a Russian anti-submarine vessel, the Admiral Tributs, had radioed a warning to the USS Chafee that it was "in an area closed to navigation due to exercises with artillery fire".

MOSCOW, October 13. /TASS/: Russian President Vladimir Putin during a plenary session of the Russian Energy Week forum said that German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s remarks that she "doesn’t blame Russia for anything" were a big exaggeration but noted that she had always supported Nord Stream 2.

MOSCOW, October 13. / TASS /: Russia and the US will continue consultations on the settlement of the conflict in eastern Ukraine if the agreement on special status of Donbass is reached, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office Dmitry Kozak said on Wednesday following talks with US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland held in Moscow.

MOSCOW, October 13. /TASS/: The Sputnik Light coronavirus is currently undergoing registration procedures in 30 countries, Russian Direct Investment Fund said in its statement on Wednesday.

"The Sputnik Light has been registered in over 15 countries and is currently undergoing registration procedures in 30 more countries," the statement says.

The Fund noted that this vaccine is planned for production in more than 10 states, including India, China, South Korea, Vietnam, Mexico, Argentina, Serbia, and Turkey.

MOSCOW, October 13. /TASS/: Russia insists on the need for an honest and open dialogue with European countries and is ready to work to prevent problems in the energy markets of Europe, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the plenary session of the Russian Energy Week.

"What is happening today in the energy markets of Europe is, to a certain extent, a man-made result of short-sighted policy. But these are their problems. We are ready to participate in preventing such problems. We just need, I repeat, an honest and open dialogue," he said.

MOSCOW, Oct 13 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Claims in the British press that Russian spies stole the blueprint for the British-made Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine are unfounded, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

An Oct 10 article in The Sun newspaper, a popular daily tabloid, recently alleged that Russian spies “stole” the formula of the vaccine, developed by UK-Swedish company AstraZeneca, to create Russia’s Sputnik V jab.

MOSCOW, October 12. /TASS/: Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan have begun talks in the Kremlin. This is their fourth face-to-face meeting this year.

Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday Putin and Pashinyan would have a conversation and a working dinner.