Yanukovych: Ukrainian economy needs at least $20 billion a year to shift to European standards

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KYIV. Nov 27 (Interfax) – The Ukrainian economy needs at least $20 billion a year in order to shift to European standards, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych said. “In all, approximately $160 billion are needed in the period until 2017,” the presidential press service quoted Yanukovych as telling Ukrainian television channels on Tuesday evening. “This [association agreement] does not mean Ukraine’s […]

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Ukraine Offers New Deadline for EU Deal

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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Anatoly Medetsky – November 27, 2013) President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday told EU officials to refrain from strong language over Ukraine’s decision last week to freeze preparations for a trade agreement with Europe in favor of tighter ties with Russia. Russia and Ukraine are part of a free-trade zone, Putin said, and the lowering of […]

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EVENT: Sixth Annual Conference on Doing Business with Russia [Wednesday, December 4 in Washington, D.C.; registration requested]

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Subject: 6th Annual Conference Doing Business with Russia From: eurasiamail@aol.com Date: Tue, 26 Nov 2013 6th Annual Conference Doing Business with Russia The Eurasia Center & The Eurasian Business Coalition December 4, 2013 At The Russian Trade Representation & The Embassy of the Russian Federation Washington, DC To Register please visit www.eurasiacenter.org  and see Agenda. This event will allow participants […]

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Yanukovych to Explain U-Turn on EU as Premier Denies Russia Deal

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(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Daryna Krasnolutska – November 26, 2013) Ukraine’s president vowed to explain his snub of a European Union trade pact as Prime Minister Mykola Azarov denied a financing package had been completed with Russia, which opposed the accord. Viktor Yanukovych, who hasn’t spoken publicly since Ukraine decided last week to abandon plans to sign an EU association […]

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Interfax: “Kudrin: Ukraine to lose from association with EU in the first 5-10 years”

Alexei Kudrin file photo

(Interfax – November 26, 2013) Ukraine might have had short-term losses from its association with the European Union but gained in the long-term, former Russian Finance Minister, head of the Committee for Civil Initiatives Alexei Kudrin said. “I think that the reasons mentioned by the Russian president and Ukrainian entrepreneurs are quite rational. Most probably, Ukraine will lose from entering […]

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Interfax: Economic problems worst issue in Ukraine’s EU drive – Yanukovych

File Photo of Cash, Coins, Line Graph

KYIV. Nov 25 (Interfax) – Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych said economic problems are the most difficult issues in Ukraine’s European integration. “We have passed a long way and we have yet to go a long distance. Economic problems have been the most difficult issues on this road,” he said in an appeal to the nation, posted on his website. “But […]

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RIA Novosti: Ukraine-EU Association Deal Still In View – Foreign Minister

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KIEV, November 26 (RIA Novosti) ­ Ukraine has not abandoned plans to sign a landmark trade deal with the European Union, the country’s top diplomat said Monday. “Ukraine is not rejecting the agreement on association [with the EU], we are simply talking about suspension of its signing,” Foreign Minister Leonid Kozhara told reporters in the capital, Kiev. “Neither Ukraine nor […]

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Ukraine’s president tries to calm tensions as clashes continue

Map of Ukraine and Environs and Ukrainian Flags

(Business New Europe – bne.eu – November 26, 2013) Huge pro-European crowds were out on the streets across Ukraine for a second night running on November 25, resulting in more clashes with riot police, who struggled to keep order. Seeking to diffuse some of the popular anger against his government’s decision to freeze talks with the EU about an association […]

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Interfax: Premier explains suspension of association agreement signing by economic situation in Ukraine

Map of Ukraine and Environs and Ukrainian Flags

KYIV. Nov 22 (Interfax) – Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov has said that the government’s decision to suspend preparations for the signing of an association agreement with the European Union is tactical and stems from the current economic situation in the country. “The decision to suspend the signing of the association agreement with the EU was difficult, but it is […]

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Ukraine halts EU trade talks, asks for three-way meeting with Russia

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(Business New Europe – bne.eu – November 22, 2013) Ukraine shocked European officials on November 21 when Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych announced he was freezing negotiations with the EU and called for a three-way summit that includes Russia. Tensions have been rising ahead of an EU summit due to be held in Vilnius on November 28-19 at which Kyiv is […]

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NEWSLINK: Ukraine drops plan to go West, turns East

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[Ukraine drops plan to go West, turns East – Reuters – Richard Balmforth and Pavel Polityuk – November 21, 2013 – reuters.com/article/2013/11/21/us-ukraine-eu-idUSBRE9AK0S220131121] Reuters reports on Ukraine’s sudden shift from a pending deal with the European Union back towards Russia: Ukraine’s government announced it was suspending preparations for a landmark trade pact with the European Union … [saying] it would renew […]

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RIA Novosti: Ukraine Ditches Plans for EU Deal, Turns to Russia

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KIEV, November 21 (RIA Novosti) ­ Ukraine’s government decided Thursday to call off the planned signing of landmark agreements with the EU that could have weakened the former Soviet nation’s bonds with Russia. The Cabinet said in a decree that the decision was motivated by the need to consolidate economic ties with Russia and members of the Kremlin-led Customs Union […]

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Browder Expects Broader Magnitsky List Sanctions for Russian Officials in U.S., Europe

Memorial Flowers and Photo of Sergei Magnitsky

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – November 20, 2013) The United States may publish the extended version of the “Magnitsky list” as early as next month, while Europe is expected to pass a  similar measure, Hermitage Capital investment fund president and bill supporter William Browder said. The Magnitsky Act, enacted by the U.S. Congress in December 2012 and named after late […]

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Ukraine’s Choice: East Or West?

File Photo of Ukrainians with Ukrainian Flag in Public Square Near Tower with Golden Dome

(RFE/RL – rferl.org – Robert Coalson – November 15, 2013) “Ukraine at the Rubicon.” “Kyiv at a geopolitical crossroads.” “The battle for Ukraine.” The headlines have been dire and the expectations high as the clock ticks down to the European Union’s Eastern Partnership summit in Vilnius at the end of this month. With less than two weeks to go, the […]

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Lavrov: Russia, U.S. need more trade, mutual investment

File Photo of John Kerry and Sergei Lavrov at Separte Podiums, Kerry with a Visible Earpiece; Adapted from Photo at state.gov

MOSCOW. Nov 13 (Interfax) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has called for boosting trade between Russia and the United States and for more extensive mutual investment. “Russia and the United States possess all the necessary resources for more extensive collaboration in countering modern threats and challenges and in trying to settle regional crises and conflicts. I am convinced that […]

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Lawmakers From 21 Countries Form Magnitsky Group

Memorial Flowers and Photo of Sergei Magnitsky

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – November 13, 2013) Lawmakers from 21 countries have formed a commission to promote sanctions against Russian officials implicated in the prison death of whistle-blowing lawyer Sergei Magnitsky in 2009. The Justice for Sergei Magnitsky commission, which was holding its inaugural meeting at the European Parliament in Brussels on Wednesday, includes lawmakers from Canada, Britain, France, […]

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Interfax: Russia may file 3-4 lawsuits in WTO in next 2-3 years – ministry

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MOSCOW. Nov 12 (Interfax) – Russia may file three to four lawsuits in the WTO over the next two to three years, Maksim Medvedkov, the head of the Economic Development Ministry’s trade negotiations department, said at a roundtable during a business strategy conference organized by Vedomosti newspaper in Moscow on Tuesday. “In the next two to three years I see […]

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Thaw between Moscow and Tbilisi to benefit everyone

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(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Sergei Markedonov, special to RBTH – November 11, 2013) Sergey Markedonov is a Russian political analyst. Since May 2010 he has worked as a visiting fellow at the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. There is obvious demand for a normalization of the Tbilisi-Moscow relations. Even a limited thaw would open up […]

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Interfax: Russia, Georgia quickly rebuilding economic ties – official

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TBILISI. Nov 9 (Interfax) – The Georgian prime minister’s special commissioner for relations with Russia, Zurab Abashidze, is due to have his fifth meeting with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin on November 19-23 in seeking to restore economic ties between the two countries. The meeting will be held in Prague . “It will be our fifth meeting, one at […]

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Russia Hinders East Europe Growth Rebound, Development Bank Says

File Photo of Cash, Coins, Line Graph

(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Agnes Lovasz – November 11, 2013) Russia’s deepening economic slowdown is impeding eastern Europe’s recovery as lower oil prices hurt the world’s largest energy exporter, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development said. Russia, the largest of 34 economies from Morocco to Mongolia where the London-based EBRD invests, will grow 1.3 percent in 2013 and 2.5 […]

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Russian brands find it tough to compete in global value survey

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(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Tatyana Lisina, special to RBTH   – November 8, 2013) The most expensive Russian brands are conceding significantly in value to brands from developed countries. Experts believe this is because of a lack of investment into brand marketing. Brand consultants Interbrand recently presented ratings for the top 40 most expensive brands of 2013. Gazprom […]

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Indo-Russian Summit Highlights Emerging Trends in Asian International Relations

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(Eurasia Daily Monitor: Volume 10, Issue 199 – Stephen Blank – Jamestown Foundation – jamestown.org – November 6, 2013) Indian Premier Manmohan Singh’s October 21–22 visit to Moscow not only reaffirmed traditional Indo-Russian amity, it also revealed significant trends in Asian developments that affect both parties as well as other key players like the United States, China and Pakistan. In […]

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Yanukovych Defends Ukraine EU Trade Pact as Competitiveness Lags

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(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – James M. Gomez & Kateryna Choursina – November 6, 2013) Ukraine needs a free trade agreement with the European Union to help the eastern European nation kickstart the economy and regain competitiveness on global markets, President Viktor Yanukovych said. “By choosing to get closer to the European Union, we are making a pragmatic choice for optimal […]

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Russia and China Move Closer to Energy Partnership

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(Institute of Modern Russia – imrussia.org – Donald N. Jensen – November 5, 2013) The visit by Russian Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev to China once again highlighted the strategic importance that Moscow attaches to Asia. Donald N. Jensen, Resident Fellow at the Center for Transatlantic Relations at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, notes that the prospects for […]

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RIA Novosti: Gazprom Says Ukraine Far From Paying Off Gas Debt

Russian Gas Facility file photo

MOSCOW, November 5 (RIA Novosti) ­ Ukraine is far from paying off hundreds of millions of dollars in debt to Russian gas export monopoly Gazprom despite several payments, a company spokesman said Tuesday. “We have received several small installments for gas supplies in August, but it’s too early to speak about complete payment of the debt,” spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov told […]

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IMF deal in cards as Ukraine said to cave in to demands on gas tariffs

File Photo of Blue Flame from Natural Gas

(Business New Europe – bne.eu – November 4, 2013) Facing down Russian bullying on one side and an economic collapse that could only be months away, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has reportedly caved into long-standing pressure from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on November 4 by saying his government would hike domestic gas tariffs. Ukraine’s hard currency reserves have been […]

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Business Council Meeting Sees Two New Partnerships

Cash, Calculator, Pen

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Anatoly Medetsky – November 1, 2013) Russian government officials, led by two deputy ministers, met with U.S. business representatives and lobbyists for a two-day conference in Houston to exchange their views on doing business in Russia. Deputy Economic Development Minister Sergei Belyakov gave a keynote speech during the Oct. 29 to 30 meeting organized by […]

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Ukraine’s Final Declaration of Independence

File Photo of Ukrainians with Ukrainian Flag in Public Square Near Tower with Golden Dome

(RIA Novosti – Fyodor Lukyanov, Editor-in-Chief of the Russia in Global Affairs journal, authoritative source of expertise on Russian foreign policy and global developments – November 1, 2013) Over the 22 years of Ukraine’s independence, people have grown used to its endless maneuvering. Ukraine began by proclaiming the goal of European integration, which was common to the logic of Eastern European […]

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Interfax: Medvedev: Ukraine association agreement with EU spells end to ‘exclusive’ Russia relations

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MOSCOW. Nov 1 (Interfax) – Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has advised Ukraine to look to Brussels to raise standby loans in future. “They constantly turn to us for credits, for example,” Medvedev is quoted by Reuters as saying. “In the end, if they have such advanced relations with Brussels … let them get credits from Brussels,” he said. Russia has […]

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Business New Europe: Tough words from the IMF for Kyiv, but EU getting ready to pay the bill

Russian Naval Vessel in Ukrainian Port

(Business New Europe – bne.eu – November 1, 2013) The IMF issued a tough statement yesterday listing all the things that the Ukraine will have to do before it gets access to a new and desperately needed Stand By Agreement. But despite the tough talk, the IMF’s statement was all posturing. The EU and the IMF are in emergency talks, […]

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Government Sees WTO Dividend One Year On

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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Guennadi Moukine – October 30, 2013) Membership in the World Trade Organization, or WTO, has increased Russia’s overall economic competitiveness, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Tuesday at a review of the impact of the country’s participation a year after ascension. However, Russia needs to learn how to fully utilize the opportunities presented by membership, including […]

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Medvedev: New influential alliances must be monitored

Dmitry Medvedev file photo

GORKI. Oct 29 (Interfax) – Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has urged the government to analyze the emerging alliances, such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the free trade zone between Ukraine and the European Union which, he said, could impact Russia’s economic interests. “While tacking issues related to the World Trade Organization one cannot disregard other processes in the global economy. […]

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Can Ukraine afford a divorce from Russia?

Russian Naval Vessel in Ukrainian Port

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Fyodor Lukyanov, special to RBTH – October 29, 2013) Fyodor Lukyanov is a political scientist and editor-in-chief of the journal Russia in Global Affairs. Relations between Russia and Ukraine are about to cross the Rubicon. That is how many interpret the Association Agreement Kiev intends to sign next month with Brussels. The deal […]

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BRICS should consolidate efforts to defend themselves within WTO – Russian Chamber of Commerce head

File Photo of Flags of BRICS Nations and BRICS Logo from Past Summit

NOVO-OGARYOVO. Oct 28 (Interfax) – Sergei Katyrin, the head of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, has suggested to President Vladimir Putin that the BRICS countries should consolidate their efforts in defending their positions in the World Trade Organization (WTO). “We consider the possibility of working together with BRICS. Separately, we probably do not exceed the leading countries or […]

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Interfax: Medvedev urges maximum use of WTO protection mechanisms

Dmitry Medvedev file photo

(Interfax – October 29, 2013) Russia should fully use the dispute settlement opportunities provided by the World Trade Organization (WTO), Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said. “It is important to correctly use the opportunities provided by WTO membership, to use the allowed mechanisms and procedures to furthest possible extent, including the WTO dispute settlement body,” he said at a conference devoted […]

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Putin Has Last Crack at Yanukovych’s EU Dream

File Photo of Ukrainians with Ukrainian Flag in Public Square Near Tower with Golden Dome

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Alexander Panin – October 25, 2013) Turkey is interested in joining the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, and India also wants closer ties with the organization, President Vladimir Putin said at the EurAsian Economic Community summit in Minsk on Thursday. But some political analysts saw the summit in Minsk, which for the first […]

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Gazprom Completes First Solo Offshore Project

Map of Northern Japan, Kurill Islands, Sea of Okhotsk, Portions of Russian Far East

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Anatoly Medetsky – October 25, 2013) Gazprom has started to operate the first offshore field that it has developed on its own, in a test of its power to perform the challenging task without foreign partners. Sitting off the Pacific island of Sakhalin, the Kirinskoye field will feed natural gas to Asia, as demand from […]

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Interfax: We won’t close market for Ukrainian goods but no more benefits – Putin

Russian Naval Vessel in Ukrainian Port

MOSCOW. Oct 24 (Interfax) – Russia will not close its market for goods from Ukraine if the latter signs an association with the European Union, but Ukrainian products will no longer enjoy benefits, Russian President Vladimir Putin said. There is a free-trade zone in the CIS of which both Russia and Ukraine are participants, he said at a press conference […]

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Putin: Ukraine cannot be simultaneously EU associated member, Customs Union member

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MINSK. Oct 25 (Interfax) – Russian President Vladimir Putin has stressed once again that Ukraine cannot be simultaneously an EU associated member and a Belarusian-Kazakh-Russian Customs Union member. Speaking to journalists in Minsk on Friday, Putin pointed out that the association agreement between Ukraine and the EU says that all possible integration associations Ukraine would wish to join in the […]

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Medvedev China Visit Sees Deal-signing Flurry

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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – October 22, 2013) Russia’s state-owned development bank, VEB, agreed to borrow $1.9 billion from Chinese lenders, as part of Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev’s visit to Beijing on Tuesday. But Medvedev used the occasion to call for more direct investment between the two countries, which would take economic ties up a notch, rather than relying on […]

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Putin and Singh Seek $9Bln Boost in Trade

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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Gabrielle Tetrault-Farber – October 22, 2013) President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met for bilateral talks in Moscow on Monday, signing a series of agreements to enhance economic and scientific cooperation, but failing to reach a consensus on the future of a Russian-operated nuclear power plant in southern India. Putin and Singh […]

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Medvedev doesn’t see Ukraine’s association with EU as dramatic or fatal

File Photo of Ukrainians with Ukrainian Flag in Public Square Near Tower with Golden Dome

(Interfax – KALUGA. October 15, 2013) Moscow does not consider Kyiv’s choice in favor of association with the European Union to be fatal or dramatic, although this would pose certain difficulties for the Belarusian-Kazakh-Russian Customs Union’s and Russia’s market, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said. “Do we think that this is a dramatic or fatal choice? Of course we don’t […]

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Putin Builds North Korea Rail to Circumvent Suez Canal

North Korea Map and Flag

(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Ekaterina Shatalova and Nicholas Brautlecht – October 15, 2013) Vladimir Putin is inching closer to his goal of turning Russia into a major transit route for trade between eastern Asia and Europe by prying open North Korea, a nuclear-capable dictatorship isolated for half a century. Russia last month completed the first land link that North Korea’s […]

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Russia Preparing Property Restrictions for Foreigners – Paper

Aerial View of Moscow From Beyond Stadium, file photo

(RIA Novosti – MOSCOW, October 16, 2013) Russia is drafting changes to the law that will bar foreigners from owning or renting real estate in the country without official permission, a state-owned newspaper said Wednesday. The Economic Development Ministry told Rossiiskaya Gazeta that it is in consultation about the legislation with law enforcement and migration agencies including the Federal Security […]

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RIA Novosti: Russia Has No Plans to Talk Ukraine Out of EU Bid – Government

Russian Naval Vessel in Ukrainian Port

(RIA Novosti – MOSCOW, October 15, 2013) ­ Moscow has no plans to dissuade Kiev from signing a free-trade deal with the European Union, a Russian government spokesman said ahead of Tuesday’s meeting between Russian and Ukrainian premiers. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev will meet with his Ukrainian counterpart Mykola Azarov in Kaluga, a city some 150 kilometers (93 miles) […]

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Georgia Gets Russian Agricultural Access After Seven-Year Ban

Tblisi, Georgia, File Photo with Building with Tower on Hillside and City Buildings in Valley in Distance

(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Helena Bedwell – October 14, 2013) Georgia regained access to Russian markets for its fruit, vegetable and nut exports, seven years after its northern neighbor banned the produce, according to the Black Sea country’s National Food Agency in Tbilisi. Russian inspectors have carried out sanitation checks in Georgia, Giga Kurdovanidze, a spokesman for the agency, said […]

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Kremlin Adviser Likens Greenpeace Piracy Charge to Gang Rape

Polar Map of Major Rail Lines in Russia, Canada and United States, With Hypothetical Additional Route Drawn In Connecting Them Across Bering Strait

(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Ilya Arkhipov & Henry Meyer – October 11, 2013) President Vladimir Putin’s human rights adviser urged prosecutors to drop piracy charges against Greenpeace activists for an Arctic protest, saying it’s as stupid as accusing them of raping the oil platform they scaled. “These charges are laughable because there isn’t the slightest justification for accusing the crew […]

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RIA Novosti: Russia Hits Back After Ukraine Threatens to Cut Gas Ties

File Photo of Blue Flame from Natural Gas

(RIA Novosti – KIEV, October 11, 2013) ­ Russia has hit back at Ukraine after the Ukrainian prime minister threatened to stop all natural gas imports from Russia within the next few years unless the current gas contract is reviewed. On Thursday, Ukraine’s Prime Minister Mykola Azarov told RIA Novosti and Rossiya 24 TV channel that “Ukraine may stop buying […]

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Putin Leads Assault on Ukraine Favoring EU Over Russian Ties

Russian Naval Vessel in Ukrainian Port

(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Stepan Kravchenko & Daryna Krasnolutska – October 11, 2013) Russia is mounting a last-ditch offensive to torpedo Ukraine’s shift toward Europe as President Vladimir Putin seeks to salvage his dream of a common economic space in the former Soviet Union. As Ukraine pursues an accord on European Union integration, Russia has disrupted regional trade and sent […]

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Putin: Obama’s decision not to attend APEC Bali summit justified, I would have done the same

File Photo of Vladimir Putin Leaning Towards Barack Hussein Obama With Flags Behind Them

(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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