LONDON, Sept. 5 (UPI) -- The third quarter will mark the end of the recession as the Russian economy will grow, the country's finance minister says.

MINSK, Belgium, May 29 (UPI) -- Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko told members of his Cabinet Friday they should focus on finding financial partners other than Russia.

MOSCOW, May 27 (UPI) -- Russian Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin said Russia expected to spend $10 billion on International Monetary Fund bonds to support struggling countries.

MOSCOW, May 2 (UPI) -- Swine flu cannot be spread through food, U.S. trade officials said Saturday in urging China and Russia to lift a ban on raw pork from the United States.

WASHINGTON, April 21 (UPI) -- The Russian Federation currently operates 10 nuclear power plants housing 31 reactor units, which supply approximately 16 percent of Russia's energy needs. The government of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has ambitious expansion plans; during an April 15 meeting on the development of the country’s nuclear-energy program with Russia’s State Atomic Energy Corp. head Sergei Kiriyenko, Putin said starkly, "We need to build 26 units." He added, "We have formed extremely ambitious, but fully realistic, plans. By 2030, the share of nuclear generation in (Russia's) overall energy production should total 25-30 percent."

Maliki to seek Russian debt relief; U.S. may stay on in Mosul; Iran, Iraq talk economics; Amnesty calls for transparency at Bagram; Biden pledges holistic approach to Afghanistan; Obama's Afghan strategy raises eyebrows

MOSCOW, March 4 (UPI) -- As Russia crafts a new budget to fight the deepening recession, rival loyalists of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and President Dmitry Medvedev square off.

ROME, Feb. 17 (UPI) -- Russian Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin said Moscow and Rome are moving in tandem on plans for the South Stream natural gas pipeline.

MOSCOW, Feb. 14 (UPI) -- Inflation in Russia could reach 14 percent in 2009, an official said, blaming increased borrowing from reserve funds to cover the nation's budget deficit.