Europe

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s foreign minister called for Europe to strengthen its financial independence from the United States and set up independent payment channels as he laid out proposals for a future “balanced partnership” with the U.S.

Heiko Maas wrote in a piece for the daily Handelsblatt Wednesday that he envisions taking a “balanced share of responsibility” and being “a counterbalance when the U.S. crosses red lines.”

LONDON, August 21. /TASS/. Intimidating people with the so-called Russian threat, the UK government only compromises its own international authority and strips itself of a possibility for constructive dialogue with Moscow, the Russian embassy in the United Kingdom said on Tuesday, commenting on UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt’s speech at the US Institute for Peace.

MOSCOW, August 21. /TASS/. The US ban to export high-tech dual-purpose products to Russia, to come into force on August 22, will affect certain sectors of the Russian economy, but the impact will not be critical, Russian Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov said in a statement on Tuesday.

"The ban on exporting dual-purpose electronic devices and components to Russia will undoubtedly affect certain high-tech sectors, including the defense industry, but not critically," he said.

HELSINKI, August 22. /TASS/. In April 2017, Russia’s Supreme Court declared Jehovah’s Witnesses to be an extremist organization and outlawed its activity throughout Russia, thereby upholding the Justice Ministry’s requests

More than 200 members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses organization (outlawed in Russia) have asked for asylum in Finland, the Aamulehti daily reported on Wednesday.

20 Aug 2018; DW: Ahead of Turkish President Erdogan's trip to Germany in September, the SPD's Andrea Nahles has said German aid is a possibility. It comes as tensions between the US and Turkey rise over the house arrest of a US pastor.

The head of Germany's Social Democratic Party (SPD), Andrea Nahles, has said there could be circumstances in which Germany would provide financial assistance to Turkey during its economic crisis.

MOSCOW, August 20. /TASS/. Russia’s state-run hi-tech corporation Rostec will demonstrate stealth camouflaging for troops and military hardware at the Army-2018 international military and technical forum outside Moscow, Rostec CEO Sergei Chemezov told TASS on Monday.

The camouflage developed on order from Russia’s Defense Ministry changes its pattern and color depending on the environment and will be used as coating for military hardware and the soldiers’ outfits.

MOSCOW, August 20. /TASS/. Russia, Turkey, France and Germany regularly hold consultations on convening a summit on Syria, Russian Presidential Envoy for the Middle East and Africa and Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov told reporters on Monday.

MOSCOW, August 20. /TASS/. Russia is determined to work towards ending the crisis in Russian-US relations, but "it is not going to grieve" if Washington fails to reciprocate, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the media on Monday.

"The Russian president hopes for the best. He would like to end the deepest crisis in our relations. He has repeatedly said so himself. This intention remains, but at the same time nobody is going to grieve, if we do not see Washington’s reciprocity on that score," he said.

MAGADAN, August 19. /TASS/. Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) and the Russian defense ministry plan to sign a contract for the firth batch of Su-57 fighter jets by the end of this summer, probably at the 2018 Army forum, UAC President Yuri Slyusar said on Sunday.

MOSCOW, August 20. /TASS/. Russian ombudsperson Tatiana Moskalkova stated that treatment of Russian citizen Maria Butina, arrested in the US, is "inhumane and degrading", the ombudsperson’s website informed on Monday.

"I would like to express my utmost concern at the actions of US prison authorities during the transfer of Russian citizen Maria Butina from Washington to Alexandria (Virginia State) prison. <…> There are clear signs of cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment, punishment by the US government and violation of the rules of international law," the message states.