(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Diana Kulchitskaya – May 7, 2014) Visa and MasterCard will hold fast to Russia despite a new law that forces them to pay over $3.8 billion as a security deposit to the Central Bank. Both international firms consider the measures taken as too severe and think that they will not only make work in Russia […]
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(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – May 7, 2014 – Daryna Krasnolutska, Terry Atlas and Ilya Arkhipov) The U.S. and its European allies urged Ukraine to proceed with its May 25 presidential election, rejecting Russia’s calls to postpone the vote as an offensive against separatists in the country’s east and south continued. Russia hasn’t lived up to its commitments in an accord […]
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Testimony Victoria Nuland Assistant Secretary, Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Statement Before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hearing on the United States, Ukraine and Russia. Washington, DC May 6, 2014 As prepared Chairman Menendez, Ranking Member Corker, thank you for inviting me to testify today on our efforts to counter Russia’s de-stabilizing, provocative actions in […]
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Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hearing on the United States, Ukraine and Russia. May 6, 2014 Testimony by Dr. Angela E. Stent Director, Center for Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies, Georgetown School of Foreign Service. Chairman Menendez, Ranking Member Corker, Members of the Committee: Thank you for giving me this opportunity to testify before the Foreign Relations Committee at this […]
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(Business New Europe – bne.eu – MOSCOW BLOG, Ben Aris in Moscow – May 6, 2014) With the violence in eastern Ukraine escalating by the day, the West’s policy of imposing sanctions on Russia is bound to fail. All this policy has done is to paint both the Kremlin and Washington into their respective corners, making the chances of military […]
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MOSCOW, May 6 (RIA Novosti) – The next US ambassador to Moscow should not expect his mission to be easy, a Russian deputy foreign minister told RIA Novosti Tuesday. “We had gone through a very difficult period when Michael McFaul was the ambassador. Under present circumstances, the future US ambassador will have a very difficult job, no matter who is […]
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(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Stephen Bierman – April 29, 2014) Exxon Mobil (XOM) Corp.’s dream of drilling in the Russian Arctic may risk running aground on the politics of Ukraine. The company plans to start drilling in August in the Arctic’s remote Kara Sea — the centerpiece of Exxon’s global alliance with Russian state-controlled OAO Rosneft. (ROSN) The partnership, which […]
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MOSCOW, April 29 (RIA Novosti), Daria Chernyshova – Western sanctions against Moscow are unlikely to disrupt existing business ties with Russia, Renaissance Capital economist Oleg Kouzmin told RIA Novosti. “We do not think that sanctions would damage the existing business relations with Russia and its trading partners,” Kouzmin said. “Probably they may become an additional obstacle for attracting new foreign […]
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MOSCOW, April 29 (RIA Novosti), Victoria Matsneva – The second wave of US sanctions has scared neither Russian officials nor businesses, affecting only the assets controlled by the already-sanctioned businessmen Gennady Timchenko and brothers Arkady and Boris Rotenberg, as well as Bank Rossiya. None of the 17 companies targeted by the US sanctions trades its stock on exchanges and only […]
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(RFE/RL – rferl.org – Carl Schreck, Luke Johnson – April 28, 2014) When the United States last month imposed visa and financial sanctions on wealthy businessmen seen as close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Russian leader laughed it off, saying: “I think I need to stay away from them.” Putin might have a harder time staying away from the group of senior officials […]
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The White House Office of the Press Secretary For Immediate Release April 28, 2014 Background Conference Call on Ukraine Sanctions Manila, Philippines 9:24 P.M. PHT MS. HAYDEN: Hi, everyone. Thanks for joining. We’re here to talk about the new sanctions that will be going out today on Russia. We have senior administration officials to speak with you on background. There […]
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(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Indira A.R. Lakshmanan, Ilya Arkhipov and Kasia Klimasinska – April 29, 2014) The latest U.S. penalties against Vladimir Putin’s inner circle may provoke the Russian president into escalating the Ukraine crisis without crippling key sectors of his nation’s economy. The sanctions imposed by the Obama administration yesterday on seven officials and 17 companies won’t go unanswered, […]
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(Stratfor.com – George Friedman – April 29, 2014) The United States announced new sanctions on seven Russian government officials April 28. A long-used tactic, sanctions can yield unpredictable effects or have no effect at all, depending upon how they are crafted. It is commonly assumed that sanctions are applied when a target country’s actions are deemed unacceptable. The sanctioning nation presumably chooses […]
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(mccain.senate.gov – Washington, D.C. – April 28, 2014) U.S. Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) today released the following statement on the Obama Administration’s latest round of sanctions against Russia and the situation in Ukraine: “The Obama Administration’s latest round of sanctions is days late and dollars short. While a unified U.S. and European response to Russia’s aggression […]
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(RFE/RL – rferl.org – WASHINGTON – April 28, 2014) A fresh round of U.S. sanctions against top Russian officials amounts to little more than a “slap on the wrist” and will do little to halt the unrest in Ukraine, Republican lawmakers said. Members of Congress in recent days had called for the Obama administration to impose sanctions on key economic players in Russia, such […]
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US Department of State Remarks on Ukraine John Kerry, Secretary of State State Department Press Briefing Room Washington, DC April 24, 2014 It has now been a week since the United States, the European Union, Russia, and Ukraine met in Geneva. We did so after a phone call between President Putin and President Obama, in which both leaders expressed a desire […]
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(Interfax – April 24, 2014) The USA and the EU have tried to carry out a “colour revolution” in Ukraine, Russia Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said, as reported by privately-owned news agency Interfax on 24 April. Speaking at the Moscow State Institute for International Relations, Lavrov sai d: “Let’s call a spade a spade, the USA and the EU […]
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MOSCOW, April 24 (RIA Novosti) – The West, first and foremost the United States, is pretending that it can ignore Russia’s opinion in Eu ropean affairs and is harming Moscow’s interests, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday. “Our Western partners, first and foremost the US, have attempted to behave like they were the winners in the ‘Cold War’ and […]
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MOSCOW, April 24 (RIA Novosti), Daria Chernyshova – The US has done nothing to persuade Kiev authorities to follow the agreement reached in Geneva last week to de-escalate the crisis in Ukraine, Jon Hellevig, co-author of the book “Putin’s New Russia,” told RIA Novosti. “The Americans have not done anything to persuade the Kievan regime to follow the road map […]
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The White House Office of the Vice President For Immediate Release April 21, 2014 Background Press Briefing on Vice President Biden’s Trip to Ukraine Aboard Air Force Two En Route Kyiv, Ukraine 2:00 P.M. (Local) MR. SPECTOR: Just a reminder at the top this is on background as a senior administration official. He will give some brief remarks at the […]
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(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Georgy Manaev, RBTH – April 20, 2014) In 1867, Russia sold the territory of Alaska to the U.S. for $7.2 million. A mere 50 years later, the Americans had earned that amount back 100 times over. How could the imperial officials have given up such a choice parcel? RBTH sorts out the muddled […]
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MOSCOW, April 22 (RIA Novosti) – The continuation of chaos in Ukraine could lead to a negative outcome not only for the country itself, but also for the US and Europe, a former special assistant to President George W. Bush said Monday. “We don’t have a consolidated Ukrainian state and it’s been remarkable how rapidly the state disappeared,” said Thomas […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Ali Sar – HOLLYWOOD, April 22, 2014) An image of young women clad in colorful outfits peeping through ski masks while being detained and clobbered by the police has been a part of evening newscasts in the U.S. for some time, most recently during the Sochi Olympics. Casual viewers have little understanding of the motivation […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – April 21, 2014) While the U.S. is yet to officially nominate its next ambassador to Moscow, the Russian media have widely reported that the likely candidate for the job, former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine John Tefft, would take up the position. “John Tefft, Ukraine expert, appointed new U.S. ambassador to Russia,” ran a headline on […]
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MOSCOW, April 21 (RIA Novosti), Daria Chernyshova – Relations between Russia and the US will normalize within the next seven years as the two countries bear significant global responsibilities and must cooperate on numerous international issues, the director general of the Eurasian Communication Center told RIA Novosti. “I believe the situation will normalize in 3-7 years,” Alexei Pilko said. “Russia […]
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MOSCOW, April 21 (RIA Novosti) – The United States runs the risk of making a huge foreign policy blunder by simultaneously antagonizing two major world powers, Russia and China, a senior Russian lawmaker said Monday. “For the United States, Russia is an enemy and China is a potential enemy. But the confrontation course with both major powers is a strategic […]
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(Voice of America – Mil Arcega – April 21, 2014) Western sanctions are hurting Russia’s economy. That’s according to the country’s economic minister, who says Russia’s economic output is shrinking as investors take their money elsewhere. But some western companies are bucking that trend – expanding business interests in Russia – even as the U.S. and European allies consider wider […]
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Subject: RUSSIA REPORT on PUTIN Date: Sun, 20 Apr 2014 From: Sharon Tennison <sharon@ccisf.org> [President and Founder, Center for Citizen Initiatives, www.ccisf.org] As the Ukraine situation has worsened, unconscionable misinformation and hype is being poured on Russia and Vladimir Putin. Journalists and pundits must scour the Internet and thesauruses to come up with fiendish new epithets to describe both. Wherever […]
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(RFE/RL – April 18, 2014) Ukraine, Russia, the United States, and the European Union have reached an agreement in Geneva on a series of steps to de-escalate tensions in Ukraine. We take a look at the key points in the agreement and the steps taken — or not taken — thus far to implement them. “All sides must refrain from […]
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(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, April 18, 2014) What the US, the EU and Ukraine itself agreed to in Geneva is “worse than Munich” because Kyiv joined in giving international sanction to actions of the Russian aggressor and opening the way for the transformation of the internal arrangements of Ukraine regardless of what Ukrainians want, according to […]
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[“U.S., EU, Russia Talks Working Toward Joint Statement on Ukraine; First Sign That Geneva Discussions are Making Progress” – Wall Street Journal – Laurence Norman – April 17, 2014] The Wall Street Journal reports on unfolding talks in Geneva between the foreign ministers of Ukraine, Russia, the U.S. and the European Union. While there reportedly was mention of a joint statement as a sign […]
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(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, April 17, 2014) Some see the rising tide of anti-Americanism and anti-Western attitudes in Russia as a recrudescence of the Cold War, but in fact, the attitudes that the Putin regime is promoting now are very different and much worse than those which his Soviet predecessors sponsored, according to Georgy Mirsky. In […]
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MOSCOW. April 17 (Interfax) – Russian President Vladimir Putin said U.S. President Barack Obama would save him if he was drowning because he is a decent and courageous person. When asked by six-year-old Albina, whether Obama would save him if he was drowning, Putin said: “I can not say that we have some special personal relations with the U.S. president. […]
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(Interfax – April 15, 2014) New U.S. sanctions against Russia may impact the global economy but may in the end stimulate economic reforms in Russia, businessmen’s rights commissioner Boris Titov said. “Of course, we would like to avoid sanctions. Money loves tranquility that is why the economy can develop only when international relations in the world are aimed at reducing […]
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(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Sangwon Yoon – April 14, 2014) The U.S. readiness to impose new economic sanctions on Russia over Ukraine is offset by the European Union’s reluctance to introduce stronger measures that could threaten its already fragile economic recovery. While the Obama administration said yesterday that it’s prepared to ramp up sanctions, possibly to target specific sectors of […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – April 15, 2014) Liberal Democrat Party leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky’s call to close all McDonald’s restaurants in Russia received a lot of media attention, and a recent poll shows that most Russians would be glad to see the back of the fast food chain. Sixty-two percent of respondents support the closure of all McDonald’s in Russia, […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber – April 14, 2014) The West is imploring Russia to help de-escalate tensions in eastern Ukraine after pro-Russia armed men seized government buildings in multiple towns over the weekend, even as Russia continues to deny involvement in the confrontations. Amid the West’s calls for a peaceful resolution to the mushrooming unrest, Ukraine’s central […]
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US Department of State Evidence of Russian Support for Destabilization of Ukraine Media Note Office of the Spokesperson Washington, DC April 13, 2014 On April 12, armed pro-Russian militants seized government buildings in a coordinated and professional operation conducted in six cities in eastern Ukraine. Many of the militants were outfitted in bullet-proof vests and camouflage uniforms with insignia removed […]
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US Department of State Dipnote April 13, 2014 Ukraine: Choosing Diplomacy Over Aggression By Douglas Frantz Douglas Frantz serves as Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs. This was no peaceful spring weekend for Ukraine. Coordinated, well-armed Russian-backed militants attacked government buildings in a professional operation in six cities in eastern regions. Many of the attackers were carrying Russian-origin weapons […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Michael Bohm – April 11, 2014) Michael Bohm is opinion page editor of The Moscow Times. Russian leaders often look uninformed – or desperate – when they try to justify abuses of power by claiming that the U.S. is guilty of similar infractions. Take, for example, President Vladimir Putin’s comparison of Russia’s selective legal assault […]
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Commission on Security & Cooperation in Europe: U.S. Helsinki Commission “Ukraine: Confronting Internal Challenges and External Threats” April 9, 2014 Testimony :: Ambassador Motsyk Ambassador of Ukraine to the United States – Ukraine Embassy Washington, DC Dear Members of Congress: Today’s hearing comes at a time of great challenge and grave danger not only for Ukraine, but also for the […]
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Commission on Security & Cooperation in Europe: U.S. Helsinki Commission “Ukraine: Confronting Internal Challenges and External” [hearing transcript] Commission Members Present: Senator Benjamin Cardin (D-MD); Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI); Senator John Boozman (R-AR); Representative Michael Burgess (R-TX) Representative Steve Cohen (D-TN) Speaker: Victoria Nuland, Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs, U.S. Department of State The Briefing Was Held From […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber – April 11, 2014) The Justice Ministry has ordered the Russian branch of American Councils, a U.S.-based nonprofit organization that administers student exchanges and other educational programs, to cease its operations indefinitely, in what appears to be part of an ongoing crackdown on NGOs funded by the U.S. and other foreign governments. American […]
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(RIA Novosti – April 10, 2014) The allegations that the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) declined to provide its American counterparts with comprehensive information about Tamerlan Tsarnayev, one of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects, is another manifestation of “anti-Russian hysteria”, Igor Korotchenko, the editor in chief of the Natsionalnaya Oborona (National Defence) magazine and a member of the public council […]
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MOSCOW. April 11 (Interfax) – The U.S. Department of Energy has barred Russian scientists from its leading physics laboratories, Kommersant wrote on Friday. “Visits of Russian citizens to Department of Energy facilities, including the Brookhaven National Laboratory, have been suspended indefinitely,” the newspaper quoted a letter sent to scientists collaborating with the U.S. leading research center on April 7. U.S. […]
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(Interfax – April 10, 2014) Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said that he believes that US congressmen, who uphold an anti-Russian position, for example over events in Ukraine, are thus trying to undermine US President Barack Obama’s positions, privately-owned Russian news agency Interfax reported on 10 April. “A huge number of facts point to the idea that those who […]
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MOSCOW, April 11 (RIA Novosti) – US and EU energy companies would not tolerate the delays in payment by Ukraine that Russia has faced, an economist at the London Vanguard investment firm told the Voice of Russia radio station Friday. “Historically, since the end of the USSR, Ukraine has repeatedly failed to pay for its Russian gas. This is an […]
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MOSCOW. April 10 (Interfax) – A member of the Human Rights Council, a Kremlin advisory body, has defended Moscow’s decision not to renew a contract to broadcast Voice of America in Russia. “Russian officials were not proactive in this situation. In this information war, which hasn’t been unleashed by Russia, it’s Moscow that’s been behaving in a gentlemanly way, and […]
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(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Viktor Litovkin, special to RBTH – April 10, 2014) The START III Treaty on arms reduction came into force in 2011 and is not due to expire until 2021. How effective is the agreement as a measure to limit the strategic offensive capabilities of Russia and the U.S., and do recent political differences threaten […]
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(US Department of State – April 9, 2014) Testimony Victoria Nuland Assistant Secretary, Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Statement Before the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Commission) Washington, DC April 9, 2014 As prepared Thank you, Chairman Cardin and Co-Chairman Smith, for inviting me to testify before you today on the situation in Ukraine. It is […]
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