Russia

MOSCOW, June 25. /TASS/: The position of the Baltic states and Poland, which are amassing NATO forces on their territories while speculating about a Russian threat, is illogical and harmful, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.

These are the countries opposed to the idea of holding a summit between Russia and the European Union (EU), Peskov emphasized.

MOSCOW (AP) — They tried grocery giveaways and lotteries for new cars and apartments. But an ambitious plan of vaccinating 30 million Russians by mid-June still has fallen short by a third.

So now, many regional governments across the vast country are obligating some workers to get vaccinated and requiring the shots to enter certain businesses, like restaurants.

MOSCOW, June 24. /TASS/: Moscow is shocked by the hypocritical calls of NATO and the EU against dismantling the Treaty on Open Skies in response to Russia’s decision to pull out from the treaty after Washington did the same, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said during the Moscow Conference on International Security.

MOSCOW, June 24. /TASS/: Nord Stream 2 AG, the operator of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline construction project, has applied for a precautionary certification as an independent transmission system operator, the company reported on Thursday.

The application has been submitted in accordance with the German Energy Industry Act (EnWG) following the request of the country’s Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur - BNetzA).

SOCHI, June 24. /TASS/: Consultations between Russia and the United States on strategic stability can take place in July, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Thursday.

"I very much hope for that. We do not conceal that we are interested in this event to take place without delays," the senior Russian diplomat said, responding to a question about whether the first round of consultations with the United States on strategic stability could take place in July.

SOCHI, June 24. / TASS /: The Indian Delta COVID-19 strain has spread to almost 90 countries across the world, Russian Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing’s Head Anna Popova said on Thursday. 

"According to foreign experts, the new Delta [COVID-19] strain has spread to almost 90 countries," Popova stated at the 3rd International Scientific and Practical Conference ‘Global Threats to Biological Security. Problems and Solutions’.

MOSCOW, June 24. /TASS/: The Kremlin voiced regret over the incident with the British destroyer in the Black Sea, dismissing this as deliberate and prepared provocation, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Thursday.

"We consider that the British destroyer has carried out provocation. Moreover, we regret as this was deliberate and prepared provocation," Peskov said, commenting on the June 23 incident in the Black Sea.

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia will be ready to fire to hit to protect its borders, a senior diplomat warned Thursday in the wake of a Black Sea incident in which a British destroyer sailed near Crimea in an area that Russia claims as its territorial waters.

Russia said one of its warships fired warning shots and a warplane dropped bombs in the path of British destroyer Defender Wednesday to drive it away from the area near Sevastopol, but Britain denied that account and insisted its ship wasn’t fired upon.

MOSCOW, June 23. /TASS/: Russia won’t face the shortage of COVID-19 vaccines, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday.

"We do not consider this (such a risk - TASS). We believe that this should not be and it won’t be," Peskov said in a comment on how the presidential administration assessed a potential risk of the shortage of COVID-19 vaccines in the country.

MOSCOW, June 23. /TASS/: The threat posed by international terrorism remains, actions of the West often create a breeding ground for it, Chief of the Russian General Staff Valery Gerasimov told the Moscow Conference on International Security on Wednesday.

"The international terrorism threat persists. At the same time, the actions of the West aimed at imposing ‘democratic changes’ often lay down a breeding ground to foster terrorists," he said.