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Tag: Putin

  • Buhari congratulates Putin on re-election

    President Muhammadu Buhari has extended “sincere congratulations” to President Vladimir Putin of Russia on his victory in the recent presidential election.

    The President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, disclosed this on Tuesday in a statement in Abuja.

    Buhari’s congratulatory message was contained in a letter on behalf of himself, the government and people of Nigeria.

    He noted that Putin’s “success for the fourth time in the election is a clear testimony of the confidence” Russians have in his leadership.

    The president also urged his Russian counterpart to “see this victory as a base to continue to promote international peace and stability.”

    Buhari assured Putin of “Nigeria’s commitment to a stronger and mutually beneficial relation with the Russian Federation under your watch.”

    He said he looked forward to continue working with the Russian leader “to strengthen our defence, trade and technical partnerships as well as promotion of private sector participation in all sectors of our economies.”

    The Russian Central Elections Commission said Putin scored 76.7 per cent of votes cast at Sunday’s presidential election to defeat his nearest challenger, the Communist Party candidate Pavel Grudinin, who received 11.8 per cent of the vote.

    Vladimir Zhirinovsky came third with 5.7 per cent.

  • Putin, Erdogan discuss military coordination in Syria – Reports

    Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan have agreed to strengthen coordination between the two countries’ military and security services in Syria in the fight against terrorism, the Kremlin said on Thursday.

    According to the statement issued by the Kremlin, Putin and Erdogan, during a telephone conversation, discussed the prospects for new contacts between Russia, Turkey and Iran on Syria.

    Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that a possible summit meeting between the leaders of the three countries was discussed, but no date had been agreed upon, RIA news agency reported.

    Turkish state-run Anadolu news agency also reported that following the conversation, “Turkey, Russia and Iran will hold a summit in Istanbul soon.

    “The phone call focused on the Syrian regions of Afrin and Idlib.’’

    The last time such meeting took place in Sochi, Russia, in November.

    Turkey is engaged in an ongoing military offensive in Afrin against Kurdish militants.

    In Idlib, the last province under control of Syrian rebel forces, heavy fighting has been going on in recent days between opposition fighters and the Syrian government forces.

    A Russian warplane was shot down near Idlib, an area dominated by Islamist factions, including militants linked to al-Qaeda, leading to a further escalation.

    The three nations are the guarantors of the Astana process, a forum for holding talks on ceasefires in Syria based in the Kazakh capitals.

     

  • Putin thanks Trump for CIA’s help in stopping terror attacks

    Russian President Vladimir phoned U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday to thank him for a tip-off provided by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

    The information had helped to prevent a terrorist bomb attack on a cathedral in the Russian city of St Petersburg, the Kremlin said.

    The Kremlin said in a statement on its website that information provided by CIA allowed Russian law enforcement agencies to arrest the would-be attackers before they could carry out their plan.

    The foiled attack was to have been carried out on Kazansky Cathedral, in Russia’s second city of St Petersburg, and on other locations in the city where large numbers of people gather, the Kremlin statement said.

    The cathedral is a popular tourist site, according to reports.

    Russian media reported last week that the Federal Security Service had detained followers of the Islamic State group who had been planning a suicide bomb attack on Kazansky Cathedral on Dec. 16.

    “The Russian President thanked his American colleague for the information passed on by the Central Intelligence Agency, which helped detain a group of terrorists preparing explosions in St Petersburg’s Kazansky Cathedral and other busy sites in the city,” the Kremlin said.

    In their phone call, Putin asked Trump to pass on his thanks to the CIA officers who had gathered the intelligence, according to the Kremlin statement.

    Putin said Russia would alert U.S. authorities if it received information about any attack being planned on the U.S., the Kremlin said.

    White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders confirmed in a tweet on Sunday that the leaders had spoken and said the White House was preparing to release a readout of the call.

    Later in a readout of the call released on Sunday afternoon, the White House said Trump “appreciated the call” and “stressed the importance of intelligence cooperation to defeat terrorists wherever they may be.”

    “Both leaders agreed that this serves as an example of the positive things that can occur when our countries work together,” the readout said.

  • Putin condemns North Korea nuclear test, sues for calm

    Putin condemns North Korea nuclear test, sues for calm

    Russian President Vladimir Putin said Sunday that Pyongyang’s claim it had successfully tested a hydrogen bomb was a threat to regional peace and issued an appeal for calm.

    North Korea’s sixth and most powerful nuclear test “torpedoes the global non-proliferation regime, violates UN Security Council resolutions and international law, and creates a threat for regional peace and stability,” Putin said in a phone call with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, according to the Kremlin.

    Putin said the crisis on the Korean peninsula problems “should be resolved only by political and diplomatic means,” a Kremlin statement said.

    The international community “should not yield to emotions, (but) act in a calm and balanced manner”, he added.

    Earlier, the Russian foreign ministry said Pyongyang’s “disregard” of UN Security Council resolutions and international law deserved “the strongest condemnation”.

    The ministry said it regretted that the leadership of North Korea was “creating a serious threat” for the region and warned that “the continuation of such a line is fraught with serious consequences” for Pyongyang.

    “We call on all interested parties to immediately return to dialogue and negotiations as the only possible way for an overall settlement of the problems of the Korean peninsula,” it said.

    The ministry said Moscow remained committed to a joint Russian-Chinese proposal that would see Pyongyang halt weapons tests in return for the United States suspending military exercises in the region.

  • Trump signs Russia sanctions bill, Putin retaliates with U.S compound seizure

    Trump signs Russia sanctions bill, Putin retaliates with U.S compound seizure

    U.S. President Donald Trump has signed legislation imposing new sanctions on Russia into law after he was overwhelmed by majorities in Congress.

    Meanwhile, Russia has retaliated by expelling more than 755 U.S diplomats and seizing a compound belonging to America.

    Trump signed into law the new sanctions against Russia on Wednesday, a White House official has confirmed. The move is in contrast with his frequently stated desire to improve relations with the country.

    Putin and Trump The sanctions bill targets Russia’s mining and oil industry, and aims to punish the country for interfering in the 2016 presidential election as well as for its military aggression in Ukraine.

    The U.S. Congress voted last week by overwhelming margins for sanctions to punish the Russian government over interference in the 2016 presidential election, annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea and other perceived violations of international norms.

    Trump, who has made clear he wanted to improve relations with Russia, grudgingly accepted the new congressional sanctions, which also included Iran and North Korea.

    The bill had enough support in Congress to override a presidential veto. Trump’s signing of the bill followed some conflicting signals from the administration in recent days about the sanctions.

    U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told reporters on Tuesday that he and Trump did not believe the new sanctions would “be helpful to our efforts” on diplomacy with Russia. Vice President Mike Pence said that the bill showed Trump and Congress were speaking “with a unified voice.”

    White House adviser Kellyanne Conway confirmed the signing during an interview with Fox News. Trump’s desire for better relations with Moscow has been hamstrung by findings of U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia interfered to help the Republican against Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

    U.S. congressional panels and a special counsel are investigating. Moscow denies any meddling and Trump denies any collusion by his campaign. The Russian rouble weakened slightly following the initial report that Trump had signed the bill. Russian President Vladimir Putin has already announced retaliation for the sanctions; the U.S. has to cut its embassy and consulate staff in Russia by 755 people by Sept. 1.

    “It’s impossible to endlessly tolerate this kind of insolence towards our country,” Putin said of the sanctions at a news conference on July 27. The bill also applies new sanctions to Iran and North Korea. Notwithstanding the multiple investigations and the cloud Russian interference has cast over Trump’s presidency so far, the two leaders have seemed to be developing a friendly relationship.

  • Russia 2018: I’m yet to decide rerunning for presidency – Putin

    President Vladimir Putin on Friday said he had yet to decide whether to run for re-election in 2018, but promised not to change the constitution to allow him to keep on running for Russia’s top political post indefinitely.

    Putin, who has dominated Russia’s political landscape for the last 17 years and boasts strong popularity ratings, is widely expected to run for, and win, his fourth presidential term in March 2018.

    He was speaking during a question-and-answer session with school children in the Black Sea resort of Sochi which analysts said was designed to widen his support base among young people.

    “Do I need to continue my work in this capacity, I haven’t decided yet.

    “I have not yet decided whether to leave my post as president or not. After I address this issue, I will think about what to do next,’’ he said.

    When asked whether he had a presidential successor in mind, Putin did not name any names, saying that the choice would be up to the Russian people.

    Putin served two presidential terms before stepping down in 2008 to become prime minister to avoid a constitutional bar on running for a third consecutive term.

    He returned to the presidency in 2012 for another term and is legally entitled to serve for a fourth term as well.

    Some political commentators have suggested, however, that Putin could change the constitution to allow him to stay on as president for a fifth term past 2024.

    The Russian leader ruled that out on Friday.

    “I had an opportunity, they even asked me to change the constitution. But I didn’t do it, and I don’t intend to do it in the future,’’ Putin said.

    School children peppered Putin with a range of non-political questions as well, asking him what he did in his spare time and about his childhood memories.

    They, however, frequently applauded his answers.

    When asked what were the three most important values in life were, Putin said “life itself, love and freedom.”

    When asked which events had made the greatest impression on him, he named the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, something he has previously called the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the twentieth century.

    Putin, citing a heavy workload, said he did not really use the Internet but relied on advisers instead.

  • BREAKING: Trump, Putin in closed door meeting #G-20

    BREAKING: Trump, Putin in closed door meeting #G-20

    US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin began their first formal face-to-face talks Friday on the sidelines of the G20 summit.

    “It’s an honour to be with you,” said Trump, while Putin told the US leader: “I’m delighted to meet you.”

  • G20 summit: Trump, Putin set to meet as protests get more intense

    G20 summit: Trump, Putin set to meet as protests get more intense

    …Hamburg police call for reinforcements

    Anti-capitalist protesters on Friday set fire to cars, barricades, rubbish bins and wooden pallets on Friday as leaders from the world’s top economies convened for a summit in the northern German city of Hamburg.

    Police said violence that erupted during marches on Thursday continued into Friday, with protesters slashing the tires of a car belonging to the Canadian delegation to the G20 summit and smashing windows of the consulate of Mongolia.

    At least 29 protesters were detained and 111 police officers had been injured as of Friday morning, including three officers who required treatment in hospital.

    A police spokesman said only small numbers of far-left or anarchist protesters were involved in violence, with the majority of an estimated 100,000 demonstrators in the city remaining peaceful.

    Some 12,000 took part in the main march.

    Authorities said 15,000 police were on hand from each of Germany’s 16 states, authorities said they asked for reinforcements late on Thursday after realising the situation on the streets of Hamburg was proving more difficult than expected.

    “We have asked nationwide if police forces are available and those requests are being reviewed,” a police spokesman said.

    Police said on Friday, smaller groups of protesters attacked both manned and empty police cars, one of which was hit by a petrol bomb.

    According to a statement by the police, one of the many police helicopters patrolling the skies was nearly struck by a rocket flare.

    On Thursday the pilots of another helicopter sustained eye injuries after a laser was directed against them.

    Police said they continued to dispel street blockades throughout the port city.

    Meanwhile, German media are reporting that US first lady Melania Trump has been unable to leave her Hamburg residence to take part in the summit’s programme for leaders’ partners because of the presence of demonstrators.

    “We have no security clearance from the police to leave the guest house,” a spokeswoman told German news agency DPA.

    Other partners, including Brigitte Macron, the wife of France’s president Emmanuel Macron, Theresa May’s husband Philip and Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, the wife of Canada’s prime minister Justin Trudeau, are on a sightseeing tour with German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s husband, Joachim Sauer.

  • Putin extends Russian-counter sanctions on EU till 2018

    President Vladimir Putin has extended Russian counter-sanctions on the European Union until the end of 2018, according to a presidential decree published on Friday.

    On Wednesday the EU formally extended its economic sanctions on Russia, imposed in July 2014 in response to Moscow’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea region and Moscow’s support for separatists in eastern Ukraine.

    NAN reports that the EU formally extended its economic sanctions on Russia, imposed in July 2014 following Moscow’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea region and Moscow’s support for separatists in eastern Ukraine.

    Moscow denies direct involvement in the conflict despite NATO’s assertions its troops are supporting the rebels.

    Russia banned wholesale imports of fresh food products from many Western countries in 2014 in retaliation for the EU sanctions.

    Moscow says the counter-sanctions are helping spur the development of Russian agriculture.

     

  • Putin dabbles into US politics, offers asylum to ex FBI director Comey

    Putin dabbles into US politics, offers asylum to ex FBI director Comey

    Russian President, Vladimir Putin, has once again dabbled into domestic American politics by making an asylum offer to the former director of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), James Comey, who recently appeared before the American congress over disagreements he has with President Donald Trump, who fired him.

    Comey who was sacked by the American President had suggested that President Trump had wanted him to pledge personal allegiance to him instead of to the United States of America among other reasons.

    Putin who could not resist poking fun at America said that Comey’s release of records of his conversations with President Donald Trump equated to being an activist, like former U.S. intelligence contractor Edward Snowden, who lives in Russia under asylum.

    If Comey, who was fired by Trump, continues to be persecuted, Putin said on national television “we will be ready to provide him political asylum.”

    It will be recalled that Comey had accused President Donald Trump of firing him to try to undermine the FBI investigation into possible collusion between his 2016 presidential campaign team and Russia.

    Trump dismissed Comey on May 9 and the administration gave differing reasons for the action.

    Trump later contradicted his own staff and acknowledged on May 11 that he fired Comey because of the Russian probe.

    Asked at a U.S. congressional hearing why he was fired, Comey said he did not know for sure.

    “Again, I take the president’s words. I know I was fired because of something about the way I was conducting the Russia investigation was in some way putting pressure on him, in some way irritating him, and he decided to fire me because of that.”

    Comey earlier told the Senate Intelligence Committee in the most eagerly anticipated U.S. congressional hearing in years that he believed Trump had directed him to drop an FBI probe into the Republican president’s former national security adviser as part of the Russia investigation.

    He would not say whether he thought the president sought to obstruct justice.

    Comey said the administration had told lies and defamed him and the FBI after the president dismissed him.

    The implications of Putin’s offer, though not lost on the American government, the Trump administration is yet to dignify it with an answer. Comey too had kept a sealed lips.