A deal by a state-owned Russian oil company Rosneft and others to buy India's Essar Oil for $12.9 billion does not run afoul of U.S. sanctions on Russia, the State Department said.

• October 20, 2016

European Union leaders at a summit in Brussels were considering a draft text on Thursday that would condemn attacks by the Syrian and Russian military on Aleppo and threaten further sanctions on individuals and entities if they continue.

• October 20, 2016

The Syrian military said on Thursday a unilateral ceasefire backed by Russia had come into force to allow people to leave besieged eastern Aleppo, a move rejected by rebels who say they are preparing a counter-offensive to break the blockade.

• October 20, 2016

Russian warships off the coast of Norway are carrying fighter bombers that are likely to reinforce a final assault on the besieged Syrian city of Aleppo in two weeks, a senior NATO diplomat said on Wednesday, citing Western intelligence.

• October 19, 2016

Finland is becoming increasingly worried about what it sees as Russian propaganda against it, including Russian questioning about the legality of its 1917 independence.

• October 19, 2016

Germany and Russia played down prospects of four-way talks on Wednesday achieving a breakthrough in the stalled Ukraine peace process at the first such meeting in just over a year.

• October 19, 2016

London's High Court said on Tuesday it would rule "as quickly as possible" on whether British lawmakers, and not the government alone, must trigger the formal process of leaving the European Union, in a case closely watched by politicians and markets.

• October 18, 2016

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said "no wonders" should be expected at talks on a stalled peace plan for eastern Ukraine which she will host on Wednesday with the leaders of Russia, France and Ukraine.

• October 18, 2016