The war in Ukraine has become “a war of attrition,” and Western nations must prepare for “the long haul,” NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg warned on June 2 following talks with U.S. President Joe Biden [….]
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“Russia … warned the West that there would be a tough military response to any further attack on Russian territory, accusing the United States and its key allies of undermining European security by openly inciting Ukraine to assault Russia. Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine has killed thousands … displaced millions more and raised fears of the most serious confrontation […]
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“… All this points to a long war. … mostly in Ukraine’s east and south …. The elements of a strategy for a long-term, open-ended war …: provide Ukraine with … weapons, ammunition, training, and intelligence … to defend itself …; make sure … NATO remains strong enough to discourage Russia from escalating the conflict or … [blocking Ukrainian] supplies […]
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“Soldiers, plus military brass and overseers in parliament, have been transformed from a rigid Soviet-style force into a modern army that thinks on the move.” “… [There has been] a little-publicized effort by [NATO] countries … that transformed Ukraine’s military up and down the ranks, from foot soldiers to the defense ministry to overseers in parliament. It is one big […]
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“A new strategy would mark a return to containment after years of seeking cooperation and coexistence with Moscow.” “… At NATO and the [EU] … and at the State Department … Pentagon and allied ministries, blueprints are being drawn up … [for] new policies across virtually every aspect of the West’s posture toward Moscow, from defense and finance to trade […]
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“A Western aversion to casualties and fears of Russian nuclear use are impeding NATO intervention against a vastly inferior opponent.” “… Russia’s indiscriminate attacks against Ukrainian civilians … bombing hospitals and schools … [and] us[ing] of horrific weapons, such as cluster bombs and white phosphorus [] should drive the West to reevaluate … and take a more active role … […]
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“Russia [reportedly] is no longer requesting Ukraine be ‘denazified’ and is prepared to let Kyiv join the EU if it remains militarily non-aligned …. Russia and Ukraine] [reportedly] are discussing a pause in hostilities as part of a possible deal that would involve Ukraine abandoning its drive for NATO membership in exchange for security guarantees and the prospect of joining […]
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“… [T]he embarrassing underperformance of the Russian military in Ukraine and the bite of Western sanctions suggest that Putin is no genius mastermind strategist but a risk taker who has bitten off more than he can chew. … [T]he West has also made a dangerous gamble of its own: expecting that it can stay out of the war and also […]
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“… Russia’s huge but incompetent army has been stymied in its attempts to seize … Kyiv[] and other cities. Ukraine’s defenders have put up a heroic fight, but civilians in besieged towns are suffering a terrible toll. …. Each side thinks it still has a chance to outlast the other. … [Yet] officials from both countries have suggested possible compromises. […]
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“… Opening the NATO summit, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance is ‘determined to continue to impose costs on Russia to bring about the end of this brutal war.’ …. [I]nstead of swiftly toppling Ukraine’s government, [Russia’s] forces are bogged down in a grinding military campaign and its economy is laboring under punishing international sanctions. … [I]n many areas, Ukrainian […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Feb. 14, 2022) Ukraine’s ambassador to Britain walked back controversial remarks Monday that suggested Kyiv was ready to accept Russia’s key demand to never join NATO in order to avoid war. Ambassador Vadim Prystaiko had told BBC radio earlier that Kyiv could be “flexible” over its constitutionally enshrined goal of joining NATO and the European […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Felix Light – Feb. 4, 2022) As the Winter Olympics get underway in Beijing, Russia has assumed a pivotal role in an event billed as a display of China’s might on the world stage. With much of the international community shunning the Games on human rights grounds, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s presence at the opening […]
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The military build-up has sparked fears that Russia is planning an invasion, spooking NATO and its members in the region and prompting the Western alliance to explore bolstering its own deployments […]
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(Russia Matters – russiamatters.org – RM Staff- Jan. 27, 2022) This week, with Washington rejecting two of Moscow’s three key security demands, Russian military equipment massing near the border with Ukraine and NATO “prepared for the worst,” the question dominating global affairs remains: Will Russia invade Ukraine?The White House answer is a qualified yes, the Kremlin’s a qualified no. Two […]
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“… The nuanced Kremlin reaction made clear that Russia was not rejecting the U.S. and NATO responses out of hand or closing the door to diplomacy. … [W]ritten U.S. and NATO responses were not made public, but both had already rejected [various] demands while expressing willingness to engage on other issues such as arms control, confidence-building measures and limits on […]
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The meeting of allies comes a day before Secretary of State Antony Blinken heads to Geneva for talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Jan. 20, 2022) The United States has given the green light for Baltic nations to rush U.S.-made weapons to Ukraine, with Lithuania on Thursday saying it hoped to deter “aggressor” Russia. A State Department official in Berlin, where Secretary of State Antony Blinken is holding crisis talks on Ukraine, said Washington was “expediting authorized transfers […]
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According to the White House, U.S. intelligence officials believe Russia has deployed operatives to rebel-controlled eastern Ukraine to carry out acts of sabotage and blame them on Ukraine, in a ‘false-flag operation’ to create a pretext for possible invasion […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Jan. 18, 2022) Russia is still awaiting the U.S. and NATO’s response to its sweeping demands for a new security settlement in Europe, Russia’s top diplomat said Tuesday as tensions between Moscow and the West over Ukraine continue to mount. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said after a series of high-level talks last week that the […]
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At the very least, several experts said recent talks appeared to be a baby step in the right direction. Or simply not a step in the wrong direction […]
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The latest round of talks concluded, there is some disagreement about whether Putin’s December threat of a “military-technical solution” to the Ukraine crisis is probable or even inevitable […]
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“The United States and NATO [at the NATO-Russia Council’s first meeting in over two years] rejected key Russian security demands for easing tensions over Ukraine but left open … the possibility of future talks with Moscow on arms control, missile deployments and ways to prevent military incidents …. That Russia’s delegation did not walk out … and remained open to […]
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(U.S. Department of State Press Briefing – excerpt with Victoria Nuland – WASHINGTON, D.C., Jan. 11, 2022) MR PRICE: Good afternoon. Very sorry for the delay, but as you can see, we have a special guest joining us today for the second time, at least in this current iteration. She is no stranger to all of you. Victoria Nuland, the Under Secretary of State […]
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“… NATO … Article 5 war guarantees … oblige the United States to wage war against Russia to restore … [the] sovereignty and territorial integrity [of NATO allies] if [they are] attacked. … Why would we commit to risk war with a nuclear-armed Russia on behalf of nations no one has ever regarded as vital interests of the United States […]
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“Kremlin tests the alliance by undermining former Soviet republics, sowing disinformation and exploiting divisions.” “The U.S. and other NATO members have deployed thousands of troops and invested heavily in weaponry to rebuild the alliance’s front line facing Russia. Moscow has parried that strategy by opening up new fronts just beyond NATO’s reach. … Rather than confront NATO head-on … Putin […]
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Russian leaders have used deception for strategic ends in ways that shed light on their geopolitical goals […]
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Talks on European security underway between the U.S. and Russia will be difficult because the two countries don’t trust one another, not even a little […]
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“In tightening grip over neighbors, president seeks to signal that his country is a superpower to be both feared and respected.” “… The [Russian-led CSTO] venture into Kazakhstan, at the request of the country’s leader, follows nearly 15 years of Russian interventionism in Georgia, Belarus, Ukraine and elsewhere aimed at pulling [them] even closer to Russia … propping up [Kremlin-aligned] […]
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(The White House – whitehouse.gov – Via Teleconference – 1:11 P.M. EST – Jan. 8, 2022) MODERATOR: Hi, everyone. Good afternoon. And thanks for joining us on a Saturday. Today’s call will be on background, attributed to a “senior administration official,” and the contents will be embargoed upon [until] conclusion. For your information only, the speaker today is going to […]
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NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg, meeting foreign ministers of the alliance on Friday, said there remained real risks of a Russian invasion […]
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(Russia Matters – russiamatters.org – Robert Legvold – Jan. 6, 2022) Robert Legvold is Marshall D. Shulman Professor Emeritus in the department of political science at Columbia University. As senior Russian officials prepare for talks on European security with Western counterparts, three aspects of the latest crisis around Ukraine point to its seeming intractability, but also lay bare an elemental […]
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“… Perhaps [Putin] wants Ukraine to fail because, were it to become a thriving democracy, it would … rebuke … his claim that Western values are unworkable in Orthodox, Slavic Russia. He may also intend to divide and weaken NATO … [and] to create an enemy abroad … to justify repression at home …. But … Ukraine is as populous […]
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“… Much contained in … documents … Moscow has made public — a draft agreement with NATO countries and the offer of a treaty between Russia and the United States — appears to be a non-starter [for NATO] …. NATO would have to agree to halt all membership plans, not just with Ukraine, and end military exercises close to Russia’s […]
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“Leader accuses West of stoking anti-Russian sentiment in neighboring nation, warns against NATO expansion.” “… [Putin’s] comments … were a response to claims by the U.S. and Europe that Russia’s massing of tens of thousands of troops on its border with Ukraine is a prelude to an invasion of its smaller neighbor …. Putin has set Ukraine’s proposed [NATO] membership […]
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Following Putin’s comments, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance will “not compromise” on Ukraine’s right to “choose its own path” and seek NATO membership […]
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“Moscow’s ‘red lines’ viewed as not credible, but pressure mounts to find diplomatic solution.” “… Western officials have in private rejected almost all of the demands as implausible, not credible and in contradiction to post-cold war treaties guaranteeing sovereign states’ rights to choose their defence policies. But they admit that closing the door on Moscow’s initial diplomatic offer could make […]
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Russia currently has about 100,000 troops near the border with Ukraine in what the United States says could be preparations for an invasion […]
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In addition to closing Ukraine’s door to NATO membership, the Russian president demands that the Western military alliance halt weapons deployment on its western border […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Dec. 15, 2021) President Vladimir Putin said Russia has sent the United States its proposals on mutual security guarantees amid high tensions between the countries over Ukraine, Interfax reported Wednesday. Russia’s Foreign Ministry passed the offer to U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Karen Donfried, who is in Moscow after visiting Kiev amid fears of Russia […]
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Russia will respond “militarily” to what it perceives as NATO’s encroachment on its western borders, a senior diplomat said […]
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Skeptical capitals including Berlin persuaded of the need to draw up threat of robust sanctions […]
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“… Moscow has been calling for a new post-Cold War security deal with the West since 2008, when … Medvedev offer[ed] the EU a … deal during his first foreign trip. … [which was] was dismissed out of hand. Putin brought the issue up again during a … speech where he ordered Russian diplomats to get a new security deal […]
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“For the first time in our history, we have combat-ready battle groups in the Baltic region … in Latvia and … Lithuania,” Stoltenberg said …. NATO also conducts air policing and has an increased naval presence … in the Baltic region […]
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The Kremlin has vowed to safeguard its borders in the face of actions by countries it accused of trying to “contain” Russia and sought to walk back a Belarusian threat of a cutoff of Russian natural gas to Western markets […]
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“… Russia has bristled at … U.S. and other NATO ships … [T]ensions between Moscow and the West have sunk to post-Cold War lows after Russia’s 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula, … [the] insurgency in eastern Ukraine and other irritants. … Russia suspended its [NATO] mission … and ordered the closure of [NATO’s] office in Moscow after NATO … […]
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Moscow will withdraw its diplomats and close the alliance’s Russian office following NATO’s expulsion of Russian officials as spies […]
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Ukraine, which is not a NATO member but has long sought closer ties with the West and its militaries, immediately rejected the statements saying it would determine its own security policy […]
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Ukraine has decried the lack of progress in NATO’s “open-door” policy to Ukrainian membership and said it could not comprehend why it wasn’t invited to the bloc’s summit […]
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