Category: United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
NEWSLINK: “A NATO Message for Mr. Putin. A new combat brigade could deter ‘a little green men’ incursion” – Wall Street Journal
NEWSLINK: “For Putin, For Stalin. Fearful of unrest, Russia’s president is using the memory of Stalin to exhort his people to sacrifice.” – Foreign Policy/Hannah Thoburn
NEWSLINK: “The Pentagon’s Top Threat? Russia” – New York Times
NEWSLINK: “U.S. ambassador to Ukraine on Abromavicius: One of Ukrainian government’s great champions” – Interfax-Ukraine
What do the U.S. presidential candidates think about Russia?
On Feb. 1 the first important stage of the selection of presidential candidates from the Republican and Democratic parties – the Iowa Caucus – was held in Iowa. The subject of relations with Moscow is a key geopolitical trump for participants in the U.S. election race, with even those who are not too savvy in international politics making their position […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK: “Fighting for Iowa Voters, Bernie Sanders Leads in Yaroslavl. Soviet Union trip in 1988 created small but ardent Russian outpost of Bernie Sanders fans.” – Wall Street Journal
NEWSLINK: “Eastern Europe Cautiously Welcomes Larger U.S. Military Presence” – New York Times
NEWSLINK: “U.S. Fortifying Europe’s East to Deter Putin” – New York Times
Is There A Non-West for Russia to Lead?
(PONARS Eurasia – ponarseurasia.org – Keith Darden – January 28, 2016 – ponarseurasia.org/memo/non-west-for-russia-to-lead) Keith Darden is Associate Professor in the School of International Service at American University. (PONARS Eurasia Policy Memo) Recently, Russian policymakers and strategists have articulated a vision of a vibrant non-Western world, one in which the United States and European leaders are increasingly marginal and where Russia […]
» Read moreTranscript of Ambassador Tefft’s Interview with Russian Wire Services
(US Embassy Moscow – January 28, 2016) Ambassador John F. Tefft: I thought I’d start and say a couple of words, and then I’d take your questions to focus on what you want to talk about. I was back in Washington for a few weeks to see my children and my grandchildren. Like a good grandfather, I should be going […]
» Read moreRussia Sanctions Can Be Lifted If Minsk Implemented – U.S. Ambassador
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – January 29, 2016) Sanctions against Moscow can be lifted after it implements the Minsk peace agreement with Ukraine, including restoration of Kiev control over separatist eastern regions, the U.S. Ambassador in Moscow John Tefft said in an interview published on the U.S. Embassy’s website Thursday. Washington has the full backing of its European allies in […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK Militarytimes.com: “Russian aggression a top concern in U.S. European Command’s new military strategy”
NEWSLINK Militarytimes.com: “U.S. vs. Russia: What a war would look like between the world’s most fearsome militaries. VLADIMIR PUTIN’S BRAZEN MOVES IN SYRIA AND UKRAINE RAISE NEW QUESTIONS ABOUT AMERICA’S CONTINGENCY PLANS.”
NEWSLINK RBTH/Vzglyad: “Are Russia and the U.S. building military bases in Syria? The global media are increasingly reporting that the U.S. and Russia are building military bases in Syria”
Russian Entente Nears as Allies Give Ukraine Sanctions Hint
(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – January 26, 2016) After almost two years on the outside, signs are growing that Russia may soon be invited in from the cold. The worsening of crises from Syria to Libya are forcing the international community to reconsider sanctions slapped on President Vladimir Putin’s government over Ukraine as a way of getting a key diplomatic power […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK UNIAN (Kyiv): “Ukraine gets $266 mln from U.S. over two years – Pyatt”
Schooling in Moscow: A Mixed Bag
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Vasily Kolotilov – January 25, 2016) “Some of the boys called my son “Obama’s little spy,” says Jynks Burton. “But they’re at that age I suppose, always looking for something to tease other boys about …” Burton’s eight-year-old son, Alex, makes a scowling face. He says he doesn’t want to talk about the incident. The […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK: “McDonald’s to open more than 60 restaurants in Russia in 2016” – Reuters
NEWSLINK: “A U.S.-Russia Fabergé Exhibit on Ice. Stalled Fabergé exhibit points to chill between American and Russian museums.” – Wall Street Journal
Buzzfeed.com: Marco Rubio: U.S. Has No Choice But To Try To Improve Relations With Russia. “We have no choice but to meet with and look for ways to improve the relationship,” Rubio said Thursday.
NEWSLINK: “What the Falling Oil Price Means for Russia and Ukraine” – Atlantic Council/Anders Aslund
NEWSLINK The Guardian/Shaun Walker: “Caught between Russia and the US? The curious case of Ukraine’s Dmytro Firtash. Critics say the oligarch now living in exile pushed Putin’s agenda during Maidan revolution while a US arrest warrant appeared politically motivated.”
Kudrin: Sanctions against Russia could start to ease late 2016-early 2017
(Interfax – January 22, 2016) Relations between Russia and the West are normalizing and sanctions will be lifted, Alexei Kudrin, a former Russian finance minister, said. “I’m sure the sanctions will start to soften at the end of this year or start of next year. Nobody in Russia wants to keep up confrontation. I think the Minsk accords will be […]
» Read moreU.S. Beats Russia in ‘Most Powerful’ Ranking
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – January 22, 2016) Russia is second only to its former Cold War foe the United States in terms of its power to influence the global agenda but lags behind many other countries in most categories, a new ranking presented at the Davos World Economic Forum said. Moscow scored a 9.4 in the “Power” category, which […]
» Read moreInterfax: Revocation of accreditation from Russia’s honorary consuls in U.S. continues Washington’s line towards scaling down of relations with Russia – Russian Foreign Ministry
MOSCOW. Jan 22 (Interfax) – Moscow is outraged by the revocation of accreditation from five of Russia’s honorary consuls in the United States, and sees it as a continuation of Washington’s line towards the scaling down of relations with Moscow, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said. “We are outraged by Washington’s decision to recall accreditation from five of the […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK “White House slams Russia over killing of former spy” – The Hill
Russia Pushing for An Endgame in Ukraine
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Matthew Bodner – January 21, 2016) The appearance of one of President Vladimir Putin’s most enigmatic associates, Vladislav Surkov, at a meeting with U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland last Friday has sparked speculation that Moscow and Washington are approaching an endgame in Ukraine after two years of conflict. “That is was Surkov, and […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK: “In Ukraine, an Opportunity for Progress Between Russia and the West” – Stratfor
Peskov: Surkov, Nuland hold expert dialogue on settlement in Ukraine
(Interfax – January 20, 2016) The negotiations held between Russian Presidential Aide Vladislav Surkov and Victoria Nuland, Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs at the United States Department of State, in Kaliningrad with regard to the settlement in Ukraine were an expert exchange of opinions between Moscow and Washington, which is not a member of the ‘Normandy […]
» Read moreU.S., Russia Start Syria Negotiations Amid Threat to Peace Talks
(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Henry Meyer – January 20, 2016) The top U.S. and Russian diplomats began talks in Zurich Wednesday to try to bridge divisions over which belligerents in Syria’s five-year civil war should be labeled “terrorist,” an issue that threatens to hold up the start of peace talks. John Kerry and Sergei Lavrov need to strike a deal […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK Russia Direct: “It’s too early to talk about an improvement in US-Russia relations”
Interfax: Mutko anticipating rivalry between Russian and US athletes at Olympic Games
(Interfax – January 19, 2016) The Summer Olympic Games cannot be imagined without a rivalry between Russian and American track and field athletes, Russia’s Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said. “Track and field athletics is the queen of sport. [Athletes] will compete for 47 medals [at the Olympic Games]. I will also say that I cannot imagine any tournament without a […]
» Read moreNetflix’s Desire for World Domination Reaches Russia
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Eva Hartog – January 15, 2016) China, the world’s most populous country, might have slipped through its fingers, but with Russia Netflix in January pocketed the largest country by landmass and the promise of tapping into a booming online market. Netflix’s move into Russia, along with 129 other countries, was heralded by its CEO as […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK Russia Direct: “Russia, China and the US need to work together in 2016. At the Gaidar Forum in Moscow, Russian and foreign experts discussed the role of the great powers in shaping the current system of international relations, as well as the potential ability for Russia and the U.S. to find common ground in 2016”
NEWSLINK AFP: “U.S., Kremlin officials meet at Russian border for Ukraine talks”
Seven powerful politicians from around the world that speak Russian
Russian is considered one of the most difficult languages to learn yet there are many influential politicians around the world that have taken it up. (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – NATALIA MASHINISTOVA, SPECIAL TO RBTH – January 12, 2016) [Videos with Michael McFaul and Condoleezza Rice here: rbth.com/arts/lifestyle/2016/01/12/7-powerful-politicians-from-around-the-world-that-speak-russian_558729] Most Russian-speaking politicians live in former Soviet republics and other […]
» Read morePutin’s Crude and Desperate Propaganda
From: John Evans <EvansinAmerica@aol.com> Date: January 5, 2016 To: letters@washpost.com Subject: Putin’s Crude and Desperate Propaganda To the Editor: With all due respect to Paula Dobriansky and David Rivkin, and with prior apologies for engaging in “Whataboutism,” I question the authors’ one-sided excoriation of Russian media and officials (Op-Ed, Jan. 5) for some racist and decidedly off-color remarks and representations, […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK The Stanford Political Journal: “Michael McFaul on Europe, Russia, China, and the Middle East”
NEWSLINK The Guardian: “Nuclear weapons risk greater than in cold war, says ex-Pentagon chief. William Perry lists a series of factors that he says mean the chance of a ‘calamity’ is higher today than in the 1970s and 80s”
NEWSLINK The National Interest/Nikolay Pakhomov: “The Truth About Sanctions Against Russia. Western sanctions have failed to deliver a ‘devastating blow’ but they also seem here to stay.”
2015: The Year Putin Bounced Back
(RFE/RL – Carl Schreck – December 29, 2015) In December 2014, U.S. President Barack Obama fielded a question about Russia while addressing a group of American business leaders in Washington. President Vladimir Putin’s incursion into Ukraine and “backward-looking” policies, Obama said, are “isolating Russia completely internationally.” If it was Russian expansionism last year that triggered this isolation, it was Putin’s […]
» Read morePutin’s Pivot: Out of Ukraine, Into Syria
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Matthew Bodner – December 24, 2015) “How great is it that our nation is ruled by a man that we can be so proud of?” To be honest, this is a first in my life.” This was the praise given to President Vladimir Putin in the wake of his speech before the United Nations General […]
» Read moreWhat’s behind John Kerry’s festive goodwill to the Kremlin?
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s official visit to Moscow this week for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov caught Russian pundits off guard, with Kerry striking a conciliatory tone and insisting that the U.S. was not seeking to isolate Russia. But can any serious change in Washington’s stance be read into Kerry’s comments? (Russia […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK Christian Science Monitor: “Kerry in Moscow as pressure grows for US-Russia compromise on Syria. If the United States and Russia can overcome their two main sticking points – on ‘moderate’ rebels and Assad’s role in future talks – Syrian diplomacy can move forward, analysts say”
NEWSLINK Forbes/Mark Adomanis: “Sanctions On Russia: They’ll Be Around For Awhile.”
NEWSLINK The National Interest/Paul Starobin: “Kremlin Caricature: Washington’s Distorted View of Russia and Putin. Gleeful jokes come as more thoughtful consideration of the U.S.-Russia relationship is sorely needed.”
U.S. Comprehensive Strategy Toward Russia
(Heritage Foundation – heritage.org – James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., Ted R. Bromund, Ph.D., Dean Cheng, Luke Coffey, Lisa Curtis, Helle C. Dale, Michaela Dodge, David Inserra, Bruce Klingner, Daniel Kochis, Ryan Olson, James Phillips, Ana Quintana, Bryan Riley, Brian Slattery and William T. Wilson, Ph.D. – December 9, 2015) Introduction Since the end of the Cold War, the U.S. has […]
» Read moreInterfax: U.S. to never recognize ‘annexation’ of Crimea – Biden
KYIV. Dec 8 (Interfax) – U.S. Vice-President Joseph Biden has reaffirmed the unwavering position of his country and said the United States will never recognize Crimea’s accession to Russia. The United States will never recognize attempts to ‘annex’ Crimea, Biden said in Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada on Tuesday. [featured image is file photo]
» Read moreInterfax: West unfoundedly accuses Russia of INF breach to deflect similar accusations against itself – Naryshkin
MOSCOW. Dec 10 (Interfax) – The West, including the United States, is breaching the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) and is accusing Russia of doing so in order to deflect accusations against itself, State Duma Speaker Sergei Naryshkin has said. “Political speculations aimed at deflecting lawful accusations and at misleading the global public on the subject of Russia have become […]
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