RUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List table of contents :: JRL 2018-122 :: Thursday, 5 July 2018

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Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2018-#122:: Thursday, 5 July 2018
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1. AP: Russia’s Confidence Sky-High for Croatia Quarterfinal.
2. TASS: More than 5 million tourists visit FIFA World Cup host cities in Russia.
3. RFE/RL: Team Russia Scores Surprise Goal At 2018 World Cup: National Unity.
5. Sky News (UK): World Cup 2018: How to get to Russia to watch England v Sweden.
6. www.rt.com: Novichok strikes (but doesn’t kill) again, and all the old questions re-emerge.
7. Irrussianality: Paul Robinson, ENGLAND V. RUSSIA.
8. The Blog Mire: Rob Slane, An Open Thread on the Latest Skripal Developments.
9. Moon of Alabama: British Government Peddles Warmed Over Novichok Muck.
11. Wall Street Journal: How Russia Gave Itself a Facelift for the World Cup. Eager to change its international reputation amid high political tensions, Russia has handled its role as hosts seamlessly-so far.
12. www.rt.com: Football World Cup matters more for Russians than upcoming pension reform – poll.
13. Interfax: Almost 90% of Russians oppose raising retirement age – poll.
14. TASS: Home sweet home: Majority of Russians want to live in Russia, poll indicates.
15. Christian Science Monitor: Fred Weir, Upcoming Trump-Putin summit gives Russians hope for US thaw. Despite its early hopes, the Kremlin has found the Trump presidency to be soberingly antagonistic. So the fact that Russians are upbeat about the Helsinki summit suggests a real opportunity for diplomacy.
16. Carnegie Moscow Center: Dmitri Trenin, Despite the Helsinki Summit, the Hybrid War Is Here to Stay. Since 2014, Russia and the US have been engaged in a hybrid war, characterized by conflict in financial, technological, and ideological spheres. Regardless of the results of the summit, this hybrid war is likely to continue for the foreseeable future. However, the relationship can and must be stabilized through clear understanding by both parties of the other side’s behavior and motivations.
17. Sputnik: ‘Bear’ and ‘Infant Child’: How Western MSM See Trump-Putin Summit.
[Text with links and graphics https://sputniknews.com/russia/201807041066044344-trump-putin-meeting/]
18. Paul Goble: With Trump, Shifts on One Issue Won’t Lead to Shifts on Others, Kortunov Warns.
19. Izvestia: Russian analyst says ‘Trump needs’ Putin summit. (Kirill Koktysh)
20. Valdai Discussion Club: Andrey Sushsentsov, RUSSIAN-AMERICAN SUMMIT: MOSCOW’S FEARS AND EXPECTATIONS. The visit to Moscow of the US National Security Advisor John Bolton received a positive media reaction in Russia. However, this does not mean that the Russian-American summit, scheduled for July 16 in Helsinki, will become an easy walk. Many problems have accumulated in bilateral relations and their priority is different for Russia and the United States.
21. Moskovsky Komsomolets: Experts predict no ‘breakthroughs’ at Putin-Trump summit.
22. Moscow Times: Poll: Trust in Putin Drops Below 50 Percent.
23. BBC Monitoring: Russia to bolster media foreign agent law.
24. Novaya Gazete: Paper says Russia’s ruling party split over pension reform.
25. The National Interest: Lyle Goldstein, Moon Shines in Moscow. Russia’s role in the denuclearization of North Korea could further cement its relationship with the South.
26. Moscow Times: Guy Archer, Russian Americana. Despite the gloom, Moscow remains a strangely familiar place for Americans.
27. Interfax: Volodin favors giving up blacklists for sake of developing Russia-U.S. relationship.
28. www.rt.com: ‘US officials wouldn’t shake my hand fearing they would be fired’ – Russia’s ambassador to US.
29. Newsweek.com: Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia: Putin ‘Obviously’ Helped Trump Win, With Propaganda and Hacking. (McFaul)
30. National Public Radio (NPR): Former Ambassador To Russia Looks Ahead To Trump’s Summit With Putin. Michael McFaul, who sat in on meetings between Putin and Obama, warns that the Russian president “doesn’t meet just for the sake of a meeting; he seeks to advance Russian interests.” (excerpt)
31. www.strategic-culture.org: Patrick Armstrong, Psychoanalysing NATO: Projection.