Trump and Putin plan Paris meeting
US President Donald Trump and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin plan to meet in Paris next month, amid a continuing dispute over a key nuclear arms treaty.
Russia
Russia supports Syria, Iran ramps up support to Hezbollah
Iran reportedly delivered GPS components to Hezbollah in Lebanon that will allow the group to transform rudimentary projectiles into precision-guided missiles, thereby increasing the threat to Israel. Western intelligence services believe Tehran has shifted its strategy by increasingly shipping weaponry directly to its proxy in Beirut, with a view to evading Israeli air strikes.
Report: Russia transfers upgraded S-300 missile batteries to Syria
Moscow has transferred three advanced S-300PM anti-aircraft batteries to the Syrian regime, Russian news outlet Izvestia reported on Friday.
Trump confirms U.S. to abandon nuclear arms treaty with Russia
President Donald Trump on Saturday said the United States will pull out of a decades-long nuclear deal signed between Washington and Moscow during the Cold War.
Russians ‘will go to heaven’ in event of nuclear war: Putin
Russians will ‘go to heaven’ as martyrs in the event of nuclear war because Moscow will only ever use nuclear weapons in retaliation, President Vladimir Putin said Thursday.
Russia, Turkey extend deadline to clear Syria’s demilitarized zone
Russia and Turkey agreed Thursday to allow opposition groups more time to exit Syria’s western Idlib province as they work to establish a demilitarized zone, the United Nations said.
Israel, US send secret delegation to Ukraine to train against S-300
Israel and the United States sent a secret military delegation to Ukraine to test the Russian-made S-300 missile defense system, which Moscow recently provided to Syria, Hadashot TV news reported Monday, citing Syrian and Russian news outlets.
Mueller ready to deliver core findings on Trump probe after midterms: report
Special Counsel Robert Mueller is set to issue findings of some of the core aspects of his investigation into the alleged collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia shortly after the November midterm elections, Bloomberg reported.
FBI Has Evidence That ‘Directly Refutes’ Premise of Trump-Russia Probe, GOP Rep Says
Republican lawmakers have hinted for months that the FBI failed to provide federal judges on the surveillance court with information that undercut the government’s premise for opening the Trump-Russia probe in 2016.
EU paves way for Russia sanctions over chemical weapons
The European Union on Monday unveiled a legal framework to allow sanctions against the use of chemical weapons.
Journalist’s disappearance hardens U.S. Congress stance on Saudi arms deals
The disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi has hardened resistance in the U.S. Congress to selling weapons to Saudi Arabia, already a sore point for many lawmakers concerned about the humanitarian crisis created by Yemen’s civil war.
Study: Economic Boom Largely Ignored as TV’s Trump Coverage Hits 92% Negative
In four weeks, Americans go to the polls for the midterm elections that the news media are casting as a referendum on the Trump presidency. Over the summer, the broadcast networks have continued to pound Donald Trump and his team with the most hostile coverage of a President in TV news history — 92 percent negative, vs. just eight percent positive.
Russia says it provided Syria with 24 advanced S-300 launchers for free
Russia provided the advanced S-300 air defense system to Syria’s military free of charge, transferring three battalions with eight launchers each to the Assad regime, Russia’s state news agency TASS reported Monday.
Netanyahu, Putin to meet for first time since crisis
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet shortly for the first time since relations were badly strained following last month’s Syrian downing of a Russian intelligence plane.
Israel can beat Russian-supplied S-300 air shield in Syria: minister
An Israeli official played down on Wednesday the Russian upgrading of Syria’s air defenses, saying the newly supplied S-300 missile system could be defeated by Israel’s stealth fighters and possibly destroyed on the ground.
Pompeo: Russian delivery of S-300 to Syria a ‘serious escalation’
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday the Russian delivery of the S-300 air defense system to Syria was ‘a serious escalation.’
US ambassador to NATO threatens to ‘take out’ Russian cruise missile
The U.S. ambassador to NATO put Russia “on notice” Tuesday, threatening to destroy an intermediate-range missile that sits well within range of NATO allies.
Russia completes delivery of S-300 air defense system to Syria
Russia said Tuesday it had completed delivering its S-300 advanced anti-aircraft system to Syria, weeks after it blamed Israel for the downing of one of its spy planes by a less-sophisticated Syrian air defense missile.
Israeli official: S-300 delivery to Syria ‘a complex challenge’ for Israel
A senior Israeli official said that Russia’s decision to provide advanced anti-aircraft systems to Syria posed a serious challenge for the Jewish state, but added that Israel was working on ways to prevent the development from becoming a major threat to the country’s security.
Mueller probe sheds more attorneys
Special counsel Robert Mueller is shedding more attorneys, another sign that his team of prosecutors has begun winding down parts of their investigation.