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St. Petersburg International Economic Forum 2016

Government has nothing to do with Nord Stream-2 as it is purely commercial project — Putin

Russian President added that stakeholders had agreed on the construction of its second thread while the construction of the first one was underway

ST. PETERSBURG, June 17. /TASS/. Nord Stream-2 is a purely commercial project, with the Russian authorities having nothing to do with it, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday at a meeting with CEO’s of the world’s leading news agencies organized by TASS on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

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Wintershall sees neither technical nor legal obstacles for Nord Stream-2 — CEO

"It is a purely commercial project, the government has nothing to do with it," he said, adding that stakeholders had agreed on the construction of its second thread while the construction of the first one was underway.

The Russian president reminded that the initiative to build Nord Stream-2 had come from the international consortium. The project is of interest not only to Russia, but also to France, the Netherlands and Great Britain. The project, according to Putin, stems from declining gas production in Northern Europe and growing demand in gas. He said he doubts that shale gas from the United States could be a competitive source to satisfy this demand due to the technical complexity and expensiveness of its production, processing and transportation to European consumers.

South Stream, in Putin’s words, has never been sees as an alternative to Nord Stream. The former project was meant just to diversify Russian gas supplies to Europe. Russia had to abandon the South Stream construction due to the ban of the Bulgarian authorities but is not dropping this project for good, he added.

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Vladimir Putin Oil & Gas SPIEF 2016

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US, West have no capabilities to intercept new Russian hypersonic missile — expert

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Ex-German Chancellor considers dialog with Russia necessary to settle conflict in Ukraine

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Maria Zakharova quoted the US Senator, who called the ICC a "Kangaroo court" and ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan a "deranged fanatic"

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Conflict in Ukraine no longer regional war — German defense minister

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Russia’s Medvedev warns Europe could face ‘catastrophic damage’ from Oreshnik missile

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Kiev forces lost over 260 troops in Kursk direction in 24 hours — Russian Defense Ministry

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Japanese lawmaker praises Putin's restraint amid decision to strike deep into Russia

Top EU diplomat Josep Borrell confirmed that the US administration had lifted restrictions for US-supplied missiles to be used for strikes up to 300 kilometers inside Russia

Europe unable to wage war attrition on Russia — Ukraine’s ex-commander-in-chief

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Russia will not artificially impede process of terrorist status lifting from Taliban

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Russia’s updated nuclear doctrine is a signal to the West, Kremlin confirms

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Strike with Oreshnik missile was a timely and effective response to the West — Kremlin

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Russian armed forces defeat Ukrainian assault Battalion Shkval in DPR

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Kurt Campbell said that it is important to 'keep attention on the horizon'

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Enemy losses, mercenary intrigue, humanitarian aid: situation in Kursk Region

Over the day, the enemy lost 150 troops, four motor vehicles, an artillery piece and two mortars

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Putin invites Tajik leader to attend celebration of 80th anniversary of victory in WWII

He recalled that Tajikistan will hold presidency in the Commonwealth of Independent States next year

US missile defense base in Poland long among Russian army’s targets — Foreign Ministry

Maria Zakharova stated that the US-NATO construction project, ongoing for nearly a decade with complete disregard to Russian security concerns, has consistently been a focus of Russia's attention

Western countries should 'be afraid, tremble' after Putin's statement — lawmaker

Andrey Kartapolov added that the special military operation in Ukraine "will continue its course until all tasks are completed"

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Russian embassy warns UK about dangers of calling for Moscow’s ‘defeat’

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The Jusiyah checkpoint is located on the border with Lebanon in the al-Qusayr area in the Syrian Homs governorate

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Commissioning of Oreshnik and new developments: Putin’s meeting with defense specialists

Here are the key statements, made during the meeting

T-90M tank shows itself as best in the world in real fight — Medvedev

Many experts believe this is the best tank of our time, compared to Western counterparts in particular, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council said

Russia will respond ‘in every way’ to Seoul’s arms supply to Kiev — MFA

Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Andrey Rudenko called on South Korean to soberly assess the situation and refrain from "reckless steps"

NATO countries engaged in full-fledged war against Russia — Medvedev

According to him, the alliance is "fully engaged" in the Ukrainian conflict

Putin, Turkish president hold phone talks — Kremlin

The leaders also discussed some international issues

UK mercenary taken prisoner in Russia’s Kursk area — source

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Kremlin spokesman says EU will look back on its foreign policy under Borrell with shame

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US, Europe openly side with Kiev by supplying it with weapons — top Turkish diplomat

He stressed that today "it is vital prevent economic and political confrontation in certain regions of the world from growing into a real war."

Russia to toughly respond to Japan’s steps against it — Deputy Foreign Minister

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West irrational, fails to understand it cannot intercept Russia's new missiles — Kneissl

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Russian MFA withholds public comment on nominee for new ambassador to US

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Ukraine should consider territorial concessions to Russia in return for peace — magazine

Foreign Policy pointed out that Western officials should stop insisting in public speeches on the need to achieve a strategic defeat for Russia

Western air defense systems unlikely to intercept Russian missiles — France’s Le Monde

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Russia encircles largest Ukrainian fortification in southern DPR — security services

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Biden’s actions on Ukraine meant to 'muck things up' for Trump — Lavrov

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Weapons supplied to Ukraine cannot reach Russian territory, Spanish defense minister says

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Russian forces eliminate Ukrainian MiG-29 on ground

Additionally, Russian units eliminated one munitions depot

France only finishes off Ukraine by allowing it to strike inside Russia — diplomat

Zakharova said earlier that no attempts by "French warmongers" would change the outcome of the conflict

Moscow not ruling out Trump’s meeting with North Korean leader

The restart of the negotiating process between the United States and North Korea "on previous conditions appears problematic", Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said

Zelensky’s actions make Ukraine vulnerable to coup, says politician

"Democratic institutions in the country have been destroyed, rendering dialogue between the government and the people impossible," Viktor Medvedchuk said

France, UK will have to pay for their helping Ukraine strike inside Russia — diplomat

Russia’s Permanent Representative to the Vienna-based international organizations Mikhail Ulyanov said that what has been done by the White House is very dangerous

Gazprombank’s UnionPay cards no longer serviced in several countries

Ukrainian frontline may 'collapse' under onslaught of Russian forces — BBC

According to the experts, Ukraine’s incursion into Russia’s borderline Kursk Region turned out to be a "strategic catastrophe" amid "manpower shortages"

Ukraine hopes to see US peace plan in January

Zelensky said he doesn’t know when he will be able to meet with Trump but this will obviously happen after his inauguration

Kremlin explains why Oreshnik missile came as surprise

"I am sure that neither of us is even aware right now of any new future developments.", Peskov said

PREVIEW: First tour of presidential election to be held in Romania

Almost 19,000 polling stations will be opened in the country

Man opening fire near Israeli Embassy in Jordan killed — TV

Three security guards were wounded

Taiwan reports 25 Chinese aircraft, 7 ships approaching island

The Taiwanese army responded by employing aircraft, navy vessels, and coastal missile systems to monitor the targets

Comprehensive partnership agreement between Russia, Iran to cover defense sphere

The agreement on comprehensive strategic partnership is called to become the most important stage in development of bilateral relations

Oreshnik missile to change course of Ukrainian conflict, Medvedev believes

Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said it in an interview

NATO secretary general, US President-elect hold first meeting

On Friday, Rutte held his first meeting with Trump in Florida

Trump ‘incredibly concerned’ about escalation in Ukraine, his NSA pick Waltz says

Trump is "incredibly concerned" about the escalation that is taking place and "where it’s all going," he said on Fox News

German politician slams Ukraine’s ‘irresponsible’ strike on Russia with UK-made missiles

"A diplomatic search for balance and mutual understanding should be the goal, instead of further escalation," Alice Weidel said

Signal to West and 'red card': experts weigh in on Putin’s missile launch statements

The important message in Vladimir Putin’s speech was that "Russia does believe that the West has shifted from a proxy-war to direct war" and that the parties find themselves in "a global conflict" now, Dmitry Suslov said

Oreshnik can reach targets across entire Europe — missile troops commander

"Based on the tasks and the range of this weapon, it can hit targets across entire Europe, which sets it apart from other high-precision long-range weapons," Sergey Karakayev said

Ukraine conflict entering decisive phase, Polish PM says

According to Donald Tusk, "no one knows how the conflict will end"

Russian military to warn Ukrainian civilians of future Oreshnik attacks — Kremlin

Earlier, the Russian Armed Forces carried out a precision strike on Ukraine’s Yuzhmash defense industry facility in retaliation for the use of US-and UK-made weapons for strikes on Russia

Putin to address parliament next year, preparations underway — Kremlin

"Certainly, it is being prepared in advance, this is a lengthy process," the Kremlin official said