UPDATE 1-Ukraine calls for path into NATO after Russia masses troops Reuters 2 hrs ago
(Adds Pentagon declining to comment, updated Ukraine death toll, paragraphs)
By Pavel Polityuk and Vladimir Soldatkin
KYIV, April 6 (Reuters) - President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called on NATO on Tuesday to lay out a path for Ukraine to join the Western military alliance, after days in which Russia has massed troops near the conflict-hit Donbass region.
Zelenskiy s comments drew an immediate rebuke from Moscow, which said Kyiv s approach to NATO could further inflame the situation in Donbass, where violence has increased in recent days.
The Pentagon, perhaps due to the sensitivities, flatly declined a request to comment on Zelenskiy s request at a news briefing.
UPDATE 1-Ukraine approves Chinese vaccine as COVID-19 cases hit new record high Reuters 15 hrs ago
(Adds Sinovac approval)
KYIV, April 3 (Reuters) - Ukraine has approved China s Sinovac vaccine to fight the coronavirus pandemic, the health ministry said on Saturday, after the country recorded a record rise in new COVID-19 cases for the second day in a row.
Ukraine received its first batch of 215,000 Sinovac doses in March to boost its vaccination program, which has lagged behind many other European countries and it has so far relied on a single batch of AstraZeneca vaccines from India.
But authorities delayed using the Chinese vaccine, saying its local supplier had not provided the necessary paperwork and that the vaccine needed additional laboratory checks.
Russia warns new Donbass conflict could destroy Ukraine, NATO rebukes Moscow Reuters 4/1/2021 Social media footage shows Russian military movements Suggests Moscow building up forces near Ukraine Kyiv, NATO accuse Moscow of whipping up tensions Russia says its moves are purely defensive
By Tom Balmforth and Natalia Zinets
MOSCOW/KYIV, April 1 (Reuters) - Russia warned on Thursday that a serious escalation in the conflict in Donbass could destroy Ukraine as NATO voiced concern over what it said was a big Russian military build-up near eastern Ukraine.
Unverified social media footage has suggested Russia has been moving large quantities of tanks, armoured personnel carriers and other equipment to regions that border Ukraine as well as to Crimea, which Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
By Reuters Staff
(Adds quote, details, background)
KYIV, March 11 (Reuters) - The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) on Thursday rejected the Belarusian entry for this year’s Eurovision Song Contest and said the country risked being disqualified if it did not change its entry or submit a new one.
The Belarusian entry, by a band that has released songs mocking protests against President Alexander Lukashenko, has sparked a backlash from opposition figures and fuelled calls by a European Parliament lawmaker for Belarus to be suspended from the popular competition.
“It was concluded that the song puts the non-political nature of the Contest in question,” the EBU said in a statement. “In addition, recent reactions to the proposed entry risk bringing the reputation of the ESC into disrepute.”
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CHISINAU Moldova’s constitutional court on Thursday rejected a request by the pro-Western President Maia Sandu to be allowed to appoint new ministers, prolonging a months-long standoff between Sandu and her Russia-friendly predecessor Igor Dodon.
Sandu won the presidential election in November in the country of 3.5 million, where the West and Russia vie for influence, but has clashed with a parliament dominated by lawmakers aligned with Dodon.
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Try refreshing your browser, or Moldovan top court rejects pro-EU president s bid to appoint new ministers Back to video
She is pushing to hold a snap general election which Dodon’s Socialist party opposes. Both sides are also at odds about appointing a new government in the interim after the previous administration, appointed under Dodon, resigned, prompting her to turn to the court.