Mogherini says EU sanctions to stay:
By RFE/RL
European Union foreign-policy chief Federica Mogherini says that Brussels wants better ties with Russia but cannot pretend Moscow did not annex Crimea, and that sanctions will remain in place.
Mogherini, on her first official visit to Moscow in her current role, was speaking at a joint press conference after talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on April 24.
She also criticized Moscow over evidence of violence and abuse against gay men in the Chechnya region, saying it is the Russian government's responsibility to protect the rights of all its citizens.
Mogherini said there was no point in pretending that real problems in relations between Russia and the EU do not persist.
The EU, United States, and other countries imposed sanctions on Russia after it seized control of the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.
The West has also imposed sanctions over Russia's support for separatists fighting government forces in eastern Ukraine in war that has killed more than 9,900 people since April 2014.
Mogherini and Lavrov also differed over what Western countries say was a deadly sarin-gas attack on April 4 by the Syrian government, which has Russia's strong support. (w/Reuters, AP, and Interfax)
Central Europe raises military spending amid Russia fears:
Countries in Central Europe showed the largest relative increases in military spending in 2016, at least partially as a result of the perceived increased threat from Russia, a new study says.
"The growth in spending by many countries in Central Europe can be partly attributed to the perception of Russia posing a greater threat," the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said in a report released on April 23.
The study said spending in Central Europe increased 2.6 percent, the largest amount relative to population.
Russia increased military expenditures by 5.9 percent last year to $69.2 billion, making it the third-largest spender after the United States and China.
Russia's military spending in 2016 was 27 percent of the combined total of European NATO members, SIPRI said.
The United States increased military spending by 1.7 percent to $611 billion, while China hiked outlays 5.4 percent to $215 billion.
Saudi Arabia's military spending declined sharply. In 2015, it was the third-largest spender, but it fell to fourth for 2016 after expenditures declined 30 percent to $63.7 billion as oil prices declined and the country underwent an austerity program.