RUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List table of contents :: JRL 2018-83 :: Wednesday, 9 May 2018

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Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2018-#83
Wednesday, 9 May 2018
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1. Harriman Institute May 9 5pm: Stephen Cohen and Michael McFaul debate THE NEW U.S.-RUSSIAN COLD WAR-WHO IS TO BLAME? Will be live streamed.
2. Irrussianality: Paul Robinson, THE RUSSIA HANDS.
3. William Hill: Comment on Keith Gessen’s “The Russia Hands”
4. Additional comments on Keith Gessen’s “The Quiet Americans Behind the U.S.-Russia Imbroglio.” With Richard Hofer, James Carden, Nicolai Petro, and Hank Gaffney.
5. Financial Times: Mary Sarotte, The big chill: the alarming decline in US-Russian relations. A candid expert account suggests little will change under the current leadership. (re Michael McFaul)
7. Intellinews.com: Putin inaugurated Russian president for fourth time.
8. Christian Science Monitor: Fred Weir, To pay for a ‘Russia first’ agenda, Putin takes ax to military spending. Amid the current worries in the West over Russia, the idea that Russia would be cutting its military spending seems counterintuitive to us. But that’s just what Vladimir Putin is doing with his new budget, in which plans for a major infrastructure boost are coming at the expense of some of the Kremlin’s more ambitious defense projects.
9. Intellinews.com: Putin reshuffles Cabinet, signs development decrees.
10. TASS: Izvestia: President Putin outlines agenda for his new six-year term.
11. www.rt.com: Russian oil & gas revenues surge through March.
12. Wall Street Journal: As Putin Starts Fourth Term, Higher Oil Prices Give Him a New Edge. The Russian leader has used the country’s energy bounty to rebuild the military, could serve as buffer for sanctions.
13. TASS: Putin urges to strengthen national economic sovereignty.
14. TASS: Putin signs new ‘May Decree’ spelling out Russia’s development goals to 2024.
15. TASS: Putin: Implementation of May decree will require extra $126 bln.
16. Kremlin.ru: The President took part in a State Duma plenary session.
17. TASS: Medvedev vows to do utmost for Russia’s development, if approved as prime minister.
18. www.rt.com: Russian parliament approves Medvedev as prime minister.
19. Bloomberg: Leonid Bershidsky, Some Sanctioned Russian Firms Thrive on Adversity. The better-managed companies have used the restrictions to their advantage.
20. TASS: Kommersant: Bill on Russian countersanctions headed for deep discussion.
21. Russiafeed.com: Alexander Mercouris, Rusal, Deripaska and the US’s latest sanctions debacle. US sanctions on Oleg Deripaska and Rusal create chaos in world aluminium market, hurt US pension funds, force US Treasury to backtrack.
22. Valdai Discussion Club: Andrey Sushentsov, WHY DOESN’T RUSSIA HAVE A LOBBY IN THE UNITED STATES?
23. Der Spiegel: The Great Divide. Is Germany’s Special Relationship with Russia at an End? Germany’s new foreign minister has adopted a sharper tone than his predecessors on Russia. There are plenty of reasons to do so, but it is a significant break with tradition. Berlin is casting about for a happy medium.
24. Interfax: Russia won’t allow forgetting who saved world from slavery, extermination – Putin.
25. RFE/RL: Putin Hits Out At U.S. In Red Square Parade Speech.
26. Interfax-Ukraine: Poroshenko urges Ukrainians not to fall under Kremlin propaganda.
27. www.rt.com: Trump’s decision to withdraw from Iran deal shows US unable to negotiate – Russian Foreign Ministry.
28. Moscow Times: Vladimir Frolov, Why Russia Wants the Iran Nuclear Deal . Keeping the deal alive would prove a diplomatic coup for the Kremlin.
29. CNBC.com: Young Arabs now prefer Russia over the US as a ‘partner’
30. Reuters: How Russia Played Silent Kingmaker in Armenia’s Revolution.
31. Variety: Russian Filmmakers Rock the Boat to Critical Acclaim. Cannes entry ‘Leto’ exemplifies a willingness in Russia to explore a broad range of genres.
32. Vesti.ru: No Closure to the Skripal Case: Sergey Still in Hospital While Daughter Held Under Lock and Key by MI5.
33. CBSNews.com: U.S. trains troops for front line in “hybrid war” with Russia.
34. Washington Post/AP: Senators: Extent of Russian election intrusion still unknown.
35. AP: Russians Posed as ISIS Hackers to Threaten US Military Wives.
36. Washington Post: David Ignatius, Gina Haspel is tainted by her torture involvement. But she understands Russia.