Europe

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.

LONDON, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- Scotland Yard on Saturday said that the suspect who slammed his car into security barriers outside the British Parliament on Tuesday was charged with the attempted murder of members of the public and the attempted murder of police officers.

Salih Khater, the 29-year-old British citizen of Sudanese origin, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after the car crash.

He allegedly drove his Ford Fiesta into commuters and towards police officers before hitting a security barrier outside Parliament on Tuesday morning.

BERLIN, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks in north of Berlin on Saturday, with the topics ranging from Syria, Ukraine, Iran as well as the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project.

The meeting came after Merkel's visit to Sochi in May. Before holding talks at the Schloss Meseberg outside Berlin, the two leaders addressed reporters.

"I am of the opinion that controversial issues can only be addressed in dialogue and through dialogue," Merkel said.

Moscow, Aug 18, IRNA – Russian Foreign Ministry in a Friday statement announced that the second nuclear fuel consignment has become ready to send to Iran.

By Bayram Altug

GENEVA; 17 Aug 2018; AA: The United Nations invited Yemen’s warring parties to Geneva for peace talks on Sept. 6, a UN spokeswoman confirmed on Friday.

“I can confirm that the office of UN special envoy to Yemen [Martin Griffiths] sent an invitation to the Yemeni government and Ansarullah [Houthi movement],” UN spokeswoman Alessandra Vellucci told a Geneva news briefing.

BERLIN, August 17. /TASS/. The German authorities need to change the policy towards Russia and discuss the possibility of continuing cooperation in the G8 format. For its part, Moscow should likewise make efforts to become a reliable partner again, leader of the liberal German Free Democratic Party (FDP) Christian Lindner told the Passauer Neue Presse daily.

MOSCOW, August 17. /TASS/. The Kremlin will not comment on reports claiming that Russian leader Vladimir Putin at his Helsinki meeting with US President Donald Trump allegedly supported the idea that Iran must withdraw from Syria, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

"I will not comment on that," he said. "We have already said everything we had to say about the Helsinki summit, we have nothing to add," Peskov pointed out.

MOSCOW, August 17. /TASS/. Moscow has issued a note of protest to Washington over violations of international law with respect to Russia’s diplomatic missions, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday.

"In connection with persisting gross violations of international law by the US with respect to the Russian diplomatic and consular missions in the US, the Russian Foreign Ministry lodged strong protest to the US Department of State sending a corresponding note through diplomatic channels," the ministry said.