MOSCOW, December 18 (RIA Novosti) US President Barack Obama dealt a sharp reprimand to Russia over its anti-gay laws on Tuesday by including two openly homosexual athletes in the official delegation to the Winter Olympics in Sochi and declining to attend the Games himself. The White House announced that Billie Jean King, a gay former tennis champion, and Caitlin […]
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WASHINGTON, December 9 (By Carl Schreck for RIA Novosti) The United States and Russia face a potential renewed blacklist war as a deadline looms this week for Washington to report on controversial sanctions against alleged Russian rights abusers. The US administration has until Saturday to submit to Congress its inaugural annual report on any additions to the so-called “Magnitsky […]
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[The Stakes in Ukraine: The U.S. should warn Putin not to stoke violence in Kiev. – Wall Street Journal editorial – December 9, 2013 – http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304014504579246330793547224] The Wall Street Journal covers the protests in Ukraine, noting that even with divisions within the country, the majority of Ukrainians want a closer relationship with Europe and a Ukraine with greater democratization: Ukraine […]
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TBILISI. Nov 17 (Interfax) – U.S. President Barack Obama has sent a message to Georgian president elect Giorgi Margvelashvili on his inauguration due in a few hours. “On behalf of the American people, I congratulate the people of Georgia as they celebrate the inauguration of a new President and mark the first time a presidential transition has taken place as […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Ivan Nechepurenko – November 12, 2013) Russia looks to outdo the U.S. in pivoting toward Asia, with two state visits scheduled this week to Vietnam and South Korea. When President Vladimir Putin was asked at last month’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in Bali what he thought about U.S. President Barack Obama’s absence due to a […]
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MOSCOW. Oct 31 (Interfax) – Russian political scientists believe that U.S. business magazine Forbes decided to place Russia’s President Vladimir Putin at the top of its Most Powerful People rating largely thanks to his influence and the effectiveness of his initiative aimed at tackling problems linked to the conflict in Syria “The reasons why Putin was chosen to head this […]
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MOSCOW, October 30 (RIA Novosti) – Russian President Vladimir Putin was named the most powerful person on the planet by Forbes magazine Wednesday, knocking US President Barack Obama off the number one spot. Forbes said that Putin, who ranked third last year, showed his dominance in diplomatic maneuvring during the international crisis over Syria, and the fate of fugitive US […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – October 12, 2013) Employees at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow may soon join an estimated 800,000 U.S. government workers furloughed in the midst of a partial government shutdown following U.S. Congress’ failure to approve a spending bill for the new fiscal year. Should the embassy run out of funding, only key diplomats and the consular […]
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(Interfax – MOSCOW, October 9, 2013) Moscow expects that a meeting between the Russian and U.S. presidents will take place and will become another important stage in the development of bilateral relations, the Russian Foreign Ministry said. “We do not need meetings just for the sake of having meetings. The Russian president has said this very clearly. We conduct intensive […]
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(Moscow News – themoscownews.com – Anna Arutunyan, Editor andCcorrespondent at themoscownews.com – October 8, 2013) “I don’t like Putin, but I respect that guy. He is tough. He delivers what he says he’ll deliver. He presents himself as a real He-Man.” That wasn’t a congratulatory note to President Vladimir Putin on his birthday. That was Fox News. More specifically, it […]
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(Interfax – BALI, October 7, 2013) The absence of U.S. President Barack Obama from the APEC Bali summit is quite understandable, Russian President Vladimir Putin said. He said he would have done the same. “We can see what is going on in U.S. domestic politics and this situation is not easy. I think the decision of the U.S. president not […]
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(RIA Novosti – MOSCOW, October 3, 2013) Russia is hopeful that Presidents Vladimir Putin and Barack Obama will meet on the sidelines of an Asia Pacific regional summit in Indonesia on October 7, a Kremlin official said Thursday. Presidential aide Yury Ushakov said that the planned meeting during the upcoming APEC summit was Russia’s initiative, that it was “immediately […]
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(RIA Novosti – WASHINGTON, September 26, 2013) Americans think Russian President Vladimir Putin was far and away the most effective world leader in dealing with the Syrian chemical weapons crisis, with US President Barack Obama trailing him in a distant second place, a new poll shows. Nearly half of 1,000 American adults polled 49 percent said Putin […]
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(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Alexander Yakovenko, special to RBTH – September 24, 2013) Alexander Yakovenko, Russian Ambassador to the United Kingdom, talks on Syria. It is widely agreed that the latest proposal to put Syrian chemical weapons under international control and subsequently destroy them has drastically changed the terms of debate on the conflict. The New York […]
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(Interfax – TBILISI, September 24, 2013) U.S. President Barack Obama gave a positive assessment of the activities of his Georgian counterpart Mikheil Saakashvili, the Georgian president’s administration said. Saakashvili leaves a reformed and democratic society, the administration quoted Obama as saying during a meeting with the Georgian president in New York in a video of the meeting that was posted […]
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(The Weekly Wonk – weeklywonk.newamerica.net – Joshua Tucker – September 12, 2013) It is hard to imagine a more interesting—and confusing—time to take stock of modern U.S.-Russian relations. My Twitter feed is currently ablaze with reports of the possibility that the #US will adopt the #Russia plan for solving the current #Syria crisis. At the same time, Vladimir Putin has […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Ivan Nechepurenko – September 13, 2013) Vladimir Putin, peacemaker. Such a title would have seemed almost unimaginable even a few weeks ago for a man who rose to power in part by waging a bloody war in Chechnya, where he vowed to “rub [the rebels] out in the outhouse.” But with his foreign minister pushing […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Michael Bohm, Opinion Page Editor – September 13, 2013) President Vladimir Putin loves to set traps for U.S. President Barack Obama. The only thing Putin loves even more is when Obama falls smack into one. Trap No. 1. Putin set his latest trap Monday with a seemingly attractive proposal to have international monitors identify and […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – September 12, 2013) Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office and the U.S. Justice Department have agreed to sign a memorandum on cooperation in order to work together on criminal matters, in a move that could put the thorny issue of extradition between the two countries up for discussion. The agreement was reached at a meeting that took […]
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(kremlin.ru – September 12, 2013, also posted by the New York Times on September 11, 2013, as “A Plea for Caution From Russia” at http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/12/opinion/putin-plea-for-caution-from-russia-on-syria.html) The article by Vladimir Putin published in The New York Times. Recent events surrounding Syria have prompted me to speak directly to the American people and their political leaders. It is important to do so […]
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(RIA Novosti – September 6, 2013 – Fyodor Lukyanov, is Editor-in-Chief of the Russia in Global Affairs journal, authoritative source of expertise on Russian foreign policy and global developments) Responding to an opponent, Barack Obama said: “I stood up and opposed this war at a time when it was politically risky to do so because I said that not only […]
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(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Nikolay Surkov, RBTH – September 5, 2013) Russian pundits believe that the U.S. is hesitating to strike Damascus alone, but it is not willing to give up, either. Moscow does not believe the U.S. intelligence information that claims government forces in Syria used chemical weapons, and it does not intend to reconsider its […]
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(Interfax – Moscow, September 4, 2013) The veterans of the Russian human rights movement, Lyudmila Alekseyeva, Lev Ponomarev and Svetlana Gannushkina, have given up on taking part in a meeting with US President Barack Obama in St Petersburg since its date is constantly being changed. “They have changed all this business several times: at first 5 September then 6 September, […]
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(Kremlin.ru – Novo-Ogaryovo, Moscow Region – September 4, 2013) On the eve of the G20 Summit, Vladimir Putin gave an interview to Channel One and the Associated Press news agency. The interview was recorded in Novo-Ogaryovo on September 3. JOHN DANISZEWSKI: Thank you for inviting us into your home and for answering questions for the AP’s worldwide audience. I know […]
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(RIA Novosti – September 4, 2013) Russian experts believe that President Vladimir Putin’s statement that Moscow is ready to act decisively if the use of chemical weapons in Syria is proved beyond doubt is a diplomatic manoeuvre ahead of the G20 summit in St Petersburg, Russian RIA Novosti reported on 4 September. “This is a diplomatic manoeuvring. Russian diplomats are […]
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Date: Thu, 22 Aug 2013 From: Dmitri Daniel Glinski <dmitri@rccmb.org> Subject: Collective appeal to President Obama to make August 22 Russian-American Freedom Day We hope the attached letter signed by 4 Russian-American organizations and 2 Russian-American elected officials will be of interest to your readers. It was sent out this morning and is also on our website, http://amrusrights.wordpress.com, with our […]
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(Interfax – August 23, 2013) The majority of Russians think that the refusal of U.S. President Barack Obama to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin will not have any impact on the countries’ bilateral relations and they support Moscow’s decision to grant asylum to former employee of U.S. special services Edward Snowden, sociologists said. Half of Russian citizens (50 percent) […]
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(RIA Novosti – MOSCOW, August 22, 2013) US President Barack Obama’s official visit to Russia has been postponed, not cancelled, a Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Thursday. “The visit has been postponed, not cancelled,” Alexander Lukashevich said. “The invitation that Mr. Obama has is still in force, and we hope that he will use it at some point in […]
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(Institute of Modern Russia – imrussia.org – Donald N. Jensen – August 16, 2013) The cancellation of the bilateral meeting between Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin that had been scheduled for next month is being seen as a long-awaited acknowledgment from the White House that its “reset” policy had failed. Donald N. Jensen, Resident Fellow at the Center for Transatlantic […]
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(Interfax – August 13, 2013) The pause in U.S.-Russian relations suggested by U.S. President Barack Obama will be temporary, Federation Council International Affairs Committee Chairman Igor Morozov said. “The absence of a strategic dialogue between Washington and Moscow will be inconsistent with the national interests of both countries because neither Russia nor the United States can solve pressing problems threatening […]
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(Interfax – MOSCOW, August 12, 2013) U.S. President Barack Obama has sacrificed relations with Russia in order cooperate with the Republicans in the promotion of domestic policy interests, experts told Interfax. “Obama has to make a choice. The term of his presidency is running out. He is supposed to leave a legacy, such as the endorsement and completion of his […]
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(Interfax – MOSCOW, August 12, 2013) The administration of U.S. President Barack Obama has not yet given up Cold War methods in its relations with Moscow, thus, it supports the anti-Russian rhetoric voiced by other U.S. authorities and mass media, Russian State Duma Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Alexei Pushkov said. “In my point of view, regarding Russia, Obama again walks […]
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From: Wayne Merry <wmerry@earthlink.net> Subject: Obama as Non-Statesmen Date: Sun, 11 Aug 2013 I often criticized Bill Clinton and George W. Bush for their tendency to condescend to other countries in their public statements, and especially toward Russia, but Obama’s press conference really takes the cake. He has learned nothing since his foolish remarks at the start of his presidency […]
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(The White House – Office of the Press Secretary – August 9, 2013) Q Thank you, Mr. President. I wanted to ask about some of the foreign policy fallout from the disclosure of the NSA programs that you discussed. Your spokesman said yesterday that there’s no question that the U.S. relationship with Russia has gotten worse since Vladimir Putin took […]
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(Interfax – August 8, 2013) A number of political analysts interviewed by Interfax are of the view that U.S. President Barack Obama’s decision to cancel his one-on-one meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in September will not be followed by Washington’s skipping other forums hosted by Moscow, and the situation itself will be played down. “In this situation, the matter […]
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(Interfax – August 7, 2013) Russian political analysts believe that the cancelation of plans of U.S. President Barack Obama to have a one-on-one meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin stems from strong pressure on the U.S. president on the part of hawks in the Congress and Senate. “This indicates that Obama is failing to lead relations with Putin toward […]
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(The White House – Office of the Press Secretary – NBC Studios – Burbank, California – August 7, 2013) For Immediate Release Q Now, were you surprised that Russia granted Snowden asylum? THE PRESIDENT: I was disappointed because even though we don’t have an extradition treaty with them, traditionally we have tried to respect if there’s a law-breaker or an […]
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(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Terry Atlas & Margaret Talev – August 8, 2013) President Barack Obama’s decision to snub Russian President Vladimir Putin sends their relationship to a new low. In effect, Obama is replacing his effort to “reset” relations between the two nations with Cold War-style realpolitik, after a series of Russian actions contrary to U.S. interests. Even before […]
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(RIA Novosti – MOSCOW, August 5, 2013) Russia has not received any official notification that US President Barack Obama intends to cancel a planned bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow next month, Putin’s spokesman said Monday. “We haven’t received any changes, or any notifications. We don’t, therefore, have any information,” Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s spokesman, told Russian […]
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(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Ilya Arkhipov & Olga Tanas – August 2, 2013) Russian President Vladimir Putin is showing his gamesmanship on a global stage by giving his voters what they want with the asylum granted to ex-U.S. contractor Edward Snowden, while leaving the White House flustered. The decision is backed by almost twice as many Russians as those against […]
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(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Terry Atlas & Nicole Gaouette – Aug. 2, 2013) Russia’s decision to grant temporary asylum to fugitive National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden is a blow to President Barack Obama’s desire to “reset” U.S. relations with its Cold War enemy. The Russian action yesterday puts in doubt a summit planned for next month between Obama and […]
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( RIA Novosti – Simon Saradzhyan, researcher at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center – Aug. 1, 2013) So Snowden has left the building. The NSA leaker’s departure from Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport, for an undisclosed location in Russia, on Thursday is turning into a real blessing for the US-Russian relationship. It may sound perverse, but both Barack Obama, and, to a […]
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(Interfax – July 11, 2013) Russian Prime Minister Dmitriy Medvedev has said he hopes the upcoming visits of US President Barack Obama and US Vice-President Joe Biden to Russia will strengthen Russian-US economic ties. He was speaking at the Innoprom industrial trade fair in Yekaterinburg on 11 July, as reported by Russian privately-owned Interfax news agency. “I hope that the […]
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(Business New Europe – bne.eu – MOSCOW BLOG – July 9, 2013) The Russian government has just approved the next three-year budget that runs to 2016 that has cut spending on education and health in favour of boosting it on reequipping the armed forces. Relations between Russia and the west are probably at their lowest ebb since the fall of […]
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(Interfax – KAZAN, Russia, July 8, 2013) The U.S. ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul, has promised to do his best to satisfy a request from Russian human rights group Agora that the human rights situation in Russia be put on the agenda of the planned Russian-American summit this autumn, Agora’s leader said. “The proposal was raised during our meeting with […]
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(RIA Novosti – MOSCOW, July 4, 2013) Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated his US counterpart Barack Obama on Independence Day and expressed hope that the two states will eventually overcome their differences and find solutions to many bilateral issues. In his congratulatory telegram, Vladimir Putin noted that Russia and the United States bear a special responsibility for guaranteeing global security […]
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(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Alexander Kolbin, special to RBTH – June 26, 2013 – Alexander Kolbin is a research fellow and coordinator of the Russia and Nuclear Non-proliferation Program at the PIR Center) U.S. President Barack Obama’s recent speech in Berlin indicates that he remains an “idealist without illusions” when proposes more vigorous nuclear reduction. Addressing a […]
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(By Carl Schreck for RIA Novosti – WASHINGTON, June 19, 2013) US President Barack Obama’s desire to pursue nuclear arms cuts with Russia offers fertile ground for cooperation with Moscow but is above all about securing an enduring security legacy, a range of experts said Wednesday. “The nuclear issue itself is a special interest of Obama’s he’s deeply […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Jonathan Earle – June 19, 2013) Russia and the United States have a signed a bilateral agreement for protecting, controlling, and accounting for nuclear materials, continuing important aspects of a now-defunct program that was seen as a cornerstone of post-Soviet cooperation between the former foes. President Barack Obama hailed the deal as an example of […]
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(Interfax – June 17, 2013) Analysts believe that the leaders of Russia and the United States at their bilateral meeting in the framework of the G8 summit in Northern Ireland are likely to pay most of their attention to the Syrian conflict and preparations for the Geneva conference on Syria. “I believe with a probability of 60 percent or even […]
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