Romania
Sunday 20 May 2018
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Anatoly Antonov
Russian Ambassador to the U.S.
“After receiving this information I’ve expressed a strong protest regarding today’s unlawful actions by the United States of America and I emphasized that to this day there is not a single bit of evidence of Russia’s interference in the investigation of the case (Skripal) as such, as well as of Russia’s involvement in this tragedy that took place in Salisbury.”
Read more...The United States has acted in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, to which Russia is a signatory, and joins Britain and other allies in accusing Russia the poisoning of its former spy. -
Igor Shuvalov
First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia
“We have not yet discussed this issue in the cabinet”
Read more...As the number of retirees overtakes the number of Russians in the labor market, there is broad discussion in society and in government on an increase in the retirement age. -
Anatoly Antonov
Russian Ambassador to the U.S.
“We understand full well what the Americans and NATO members are doing. They are shifting [warships in and out of the Black Sea]. As a matter of fact, this is so-called shuttle presence. It is no secret that such activity, provocative activity, became more obvious after 2014, following the events that resulted in Crimea’s return to the Russian harbor.”
Read more...The U.S. and NATO allies have indeed rotated warships in the Black Sea. But they have done so not to provoke Russia but to show support for allies and partners after Russia annexed Crimea and embarked on the unprecedented naval buildup on the peninsula. -
RIA Novosti
Russian Government news agency
“The American anti-missile defense system base in Romania is threatened by a flock of sheep.”
Read more...Sheep on a farm located just 10 meters from a U.S. anti-missile defense base in Romania have repeatedly triggered the base's security alarm. This, according to the U.S. Command, "undermines the minimum security requirements and is incompatible" with running the base. -
Sergey Shoigu
Russia’s Defense Minister
I will start with an assessment of increased threats. Since 2012, the number of military contingents deployed by NATO near Russia’s western frontiers has increased threefold. Four battalion tactical groups have been deployed in the Baltics and Poland as well as a U.S. Army armored brigade and command staffs of NATO’s multinational divisions in Poland and Romania. The number of engagement-ready forces of the alliance has grown from 10,000 to 40,000 troops, while their notice period has been reduced from 45 to 30 days.
Read more...While NATO has bolstered its presence near Russia’s frontiers, it is insignificant compared to Russia’s build-up. NATO’s deployments are also rotational, were initiated as a deterrence tool in response to Russia’s military actions in Ukraine, and serve as “tripwires” in case of a Russian attack. -
Leonid Ivashov
a former top Russian defense ministry official
“It indicates that they, the Americans in the first place, are preparing to start a war in Europe, and you can wage a war in Europe against Russia only.”
Read more...NATO’s recent deployments in Eastern Europe are minuscule compared to Russia’s capabilities on its western flank and would be insufficient for a successful attack on -- or a war with -- Russia. Rather, the U.S. and NATO are enhancing the deterrence posture and collective defense of NATO members. -
Bryan MacDonald
Russia-based journalist
“[A] U.S. State Department claim that Russia’s military strength eclipses that of European Union states is especially ludicrous... [I]t [Russia] is not stronger than the European Union, by any measure, and the State Department’s [Brian] Hook [senior policy advisor to the U.S. Secretary of State] is spreading clear disinformation. All to serve an agenda that has nothing to do with Europe’s security.”
Read more...The EU does not have a military, and the U.S. and NATO have some military disadvantages in Europe, while Russia’s rapid military modernization and actions in Georgia, Crimea, and eastern Ukraine make it a conventional military threat to the region. -
Vladimir Putin
President, Russian Federation
“When a country joins NATO it becomes next to impossible for it to resist pressure from major NATO leaders such as the United States, and hence, it may deploy anything – a missile defense system, new bases, or if need be, missile strike systems.”
Read more...The Russian president says the United States and other major NATO members use the alliance to exert pressure against Russia by forcing Eastern European members to establish missile defense systems. But Eastern nations say they are the ones demanding more military installations and troops. -
Sergei Ryabkov
Russian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs
"The appearance of such launchers on land is considered by us as a direct violation of the U.S. Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty."
Read more...Russia says a U.S. missile defense system installed in May in Romania violates a missile treaty. The U.S. says the system is not designed to attack and experts say turning a defensive system into an offensive one is a complex endeavor.