Germany says nobody wants new sanctions but Russia must observe ceasefire
BERLIN, Jan 29 (Reuters) - German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel said on Thursday that Europe had no interest in imposing tougher new sanctions on Russia over Ukraine, but the only way forward was to abide by the terms of last year's ceasefire agreed in Minsk.
"Of course nobody in Europe and certainly not in Germany has any interest in further, tougher sanctions and Europe and the whole world clearly needs Russia as a partner to solve global conflicts and challenges," Gabriel told the German parliament.
"But the way to a new breakthrough in European-Russian relations, the way for example to free trade from Lisbon to Vladivostok, goes via Minsk and the steps agreed there to end the armed intervention in Ukraine," he said.
Poland says more sanctions against Russia needed - minister
WARSAW, Jan 29 (Reuters) - European Union should impose further sanctions on Russia, Polish foreign minister Grzegorz Schetyna said on Thursday.
"There are sanctions (already). There should be further ones," Schetyna told state broadcaster TVP Info, ahead of a Thursday meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.
"Russia has to draw conclusions, it has to realise that it faces united, unanimous stance of the whole world ..." Schetyna added.
From AFP:
Russia's gas giant Gazprom on Thursday said its profits were down 61 percent in third quarter 2014 as supplies were suspended to Ukraine, one of its main customers.
The group's profits between July and September amounted to 105.7 billion rubles ($1.5 billion) but revenues in that quarter were down 6 percent year-on-year to 1.133 billion rubles ($16.5 million).
From AFP:
The last Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev on Friday accused the United States of drawing Russia into a new Cold War and said he feared hostilities could escalate into armed conflict.
"America... has already drawn us into a new Cold War," Gorbachev said in an interview with the Interfax news agency. "Unfortunately I can't say for sure that a Cold War won't lead to a 'hot' one. I fear they could take the risk."
EDITOR'S NOTE: A careful reader, Travis Johnson, rightly pointed out that while the "New York Times" piece highlights a situation that some members believed threatened to create "splits," it appears to be a stretch by @lginiger to describe actions by the Association for Slavic, East European and Eurasian Studies -- insisting on a board vote before approving fellowships that would include Cohen's name -- or other actions taken as described in the "Times" article as "discipline." Further, Mr. Johnson also notes that as a professor emeritus of Russian studies and politics at New York University, tenure is not an issue. Thought we should clarify that. Thanks, Mr. Johnson.