… Obama has targeted … Putin for criticism … suggesting … the Russian president has put … thirst for power over scruples and calling him the leader of a government that resembled a “criminal syndicate” […]
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… Putin resembles a local “ward boss” with nuclear weapons and a UN Security Council veto … Obama wrote […]
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“Russia has escalated its provocative encounters in the North Pacific this year, harassing boats in U.S. fishing waters and sending bombers toward Alaska’s shores.” “The crew … was laying out … long cod-catching line well within U.S. fishing territory in the Bering Sea when a voice crackled over the … radio … issuing commands: The ship was in danger, it […]
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Russians have traditionally been among the most convinced believers of American exceptionalism […]
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“… [With the agreement] due to expire in February … START treaty [renewal] is a golden opportunity for the West to squeeze … real concessions out of Russia… [T]he Kremlin badly wants to renew the deal. … [I]ts economy suffering from the double whammy of an oil price collapse and … the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the last thing [Russia] wants […]
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The events of recent years are less representative of a shift in Russian strategy than they are of the fragmentation of the international order […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – November 9, 2020) The Russian ruble and stock market soared Monday, hitting their strongest levels in months as global markets cheered positive news from one of the frontrunners in the coronavirus vaccine race. American pharma giant Pfizer and German BioNTech said their vaccine, currently in Phase 3 medical trials, was 90% effective in preventing Covid-19 […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – November 9, 2020) Russia will not yet recognize Joe Biden as President-elect of the United States, the Kremlin said Monday as world leaders rushed to congratulate the Democratic Party challenger after U.S. television networks declared him the winner. “We believe it’s correct to wait for the official results of the elections to be announced,” Kremlin […]
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(Article text ©2020 RFE/RL, Inc., Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty – rferl.org – Mark Raczkiewycz – KYIV, Nov. 8, 2020 – article text also appeared at https://www.rferl.org/a/more-than-just-an-onlooker-ukraine-largely-relieved-at-u-s-election-result/30937071.html) When U.S. media began to call the presidential race in Joe Biden’s favor on November 7, it was about 6:30 p.m. in Kyiv. Within hours, a former president tweeted that his country was “blessed,” […]
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Many of Russia’s politicians and state-media commentators have done little to hide … schadenfreude over the bitterly contested U.S. presidential election. … However, many Russians … offer different takes … mocking Russia’s heavily managed elections or depicting Putin-era ‘stability’ more as stagnation […]
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Analysts say the prospects for a substantial improvement in ties is slim under either Trump or Biden […]
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Russia is watching Election Day in the United States, with President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden battling it out […]
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Subject: vASN Webinar: The Day After (Russian-American-European Relations post-US Election), Thursday November 5, 1 PM ET/7 PM CET Date: Sun, 1 Nov 2020 From: Dominique Arel <darel@uottawa.ca> Virtual ASN is back with a timely webinar on* “The Day After: Russian-American-European Relations in the Wake of the US Presidential Elections*.” The event will take place on *Thursday, November 5th at 1PM […]
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(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, Oct. 28, 2020) Vladimir Putin’s conviction that he could force the West to cooperate with him by aggressive actions against it has generated unintended consequences for the Kremlin both abroad, where the West has united against Russia, and at home, where some believe Putin isn’t being aggressive enough, Liliya Shevtsova says. The […]
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“… ahead of the November 3 election in the United States … Russians are more bothered by problems at home. The coronavirus pandemic has hit Russia hard, and real wages have fallen …. Given such domestic woes, the political standoff across the Atlantic doesn’t command the attention it once did […]
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Russian President Vladimir Putin says his country is ready to work with any U.S. president, regardless of who wins next week’s election […]
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MOSCOW. Oct 29 (Interfax) – The first online expert meeting as part of a new project of the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO) and Interfax titled ‘Russia and the World: A Professional Conversation’ took place on Thursday, October 29. The meeting addressed the expectations governments around the world have for the U.S. presidential […]
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President Donald Trump would focus in a second term on getting Russian President Vladimir Putin to side with him in his confrontation with China, … former adviser [Fiona Hill] said […]
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(U.S. Embassy Moscow – Oct. 23, 2020) Mr. Konstantin Remchukov, Editor-in-Chief, Nezavisimaya Gazeta NEZAVISIMAYA GAZETA: So, Mr. Ambassador, as you mentioned, the time for the last months was unusual, so many frustration for people, so many bad news. And culture has always been a good retreat for people to boost up their energy, morale, spirits, and everything. So I’m very […]
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(Russia Matters – russiamatters.org – RM Staff – Oct. 27, 2020) Fewer Russians believe U.S. President Donald Trump will be better for Russia than they did in 2016, though the president is still more popular among Russians than Democratic challenger Joe Biden. Only 16 percent of Russians polled said that Trump would be better for Russia than Biden, a substantial […]
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MOSCOW. Oct 27 (Interfax) – Russia has not yet received any response from the United States to its proposals on the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), and Washington is setting additional conditions, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Tuesday. “We’ve met the U.S. halfway twice over the past few weeks. We haven’t received a proper response. Strictly […]
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Despite the differences, analysts say … prospects for warmer ties are faint … that relations – which sunk to post-Cold War lows following Moscow’s interference in Ukraine … and may have declined further since … – could get worse, regardless of who wins […]
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“NATO rejected previous proposals by Moscow to freeze deployment in western regions.” “Russia has offered to stop deployment of a controversial missile system in an attempt to restart talks on arms control in Europe following the collapse of a cold war moratorium, in the latest outreach by the Kremlin that could de-escalate military tensions. Donald Trump’s administration withdrew from the […]
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The historic 1986 Reykjavik summit between Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and U.S. President Ronald Reagan will be the backdrop for a new satirical film […]
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“The FBI and Justice Department concur with DNI Ratcliffe that the laptop is not part of a Russian disinformation campaign.” “The FBI … possess[es] … [Hunter Biden’s purported] laptop … contain[ing] emails revealing … foreign business dealings, including … in Ukraine and China [according to senior administration officials] …. emails … first obtained by the New York Post … reveal[ing] […]
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“… Putin said … there is no need for a Russia-China military alliance now, but noted it could be forged in the future. … signal[ing] deepening ties between Moscow and Beijing amid growing tensions … with the United States. … [Putin] also made a strong call for extending … [the New START Treaty]. … The U.S. recently … proposed a […]
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“New measures target companies that would provide services or funding for vessels working on Nord Stream 2” “… [2019] U.S. Sanctions … focused on pipe-laying vessels for Nord Stream 2 and halted the $10.5 billion [natural gas] pipeline[,] … designed to transmit Russian gas to Germany, 100 miles short … beneath the Baltic Sea. … [A] State Department [web announcement] […]
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“At the very least, analysts expect that a victory for Biden would increase tensions between Washington and Moscow, and would raise the probability of new sanctions on Russia. The country is already operating under international sanctions on some key sectors and Russian officials close to Putin, for actions including its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, interference in the […]
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“The Kremlin has … pushed proposals for the United States and Russia to work together to protect elections against hacking …. Putin expanded the proposal into a package deal: the two countries would pledge not to interfere in each other’s internal political processes, and they would also restore dialogue, devise a mechanism to prevent cyberattacks, and share information on cybersecurity. […]
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MOSCOW. Oct 21 (Interfax) – Russia could not have shipped defective ventilators to the United States, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. “This couldn’t have happened. These ventilators are broadly used in medical institutions and hospitals in very different cities across Russia. Some ventilators might break down. Any device sometimes breaks down and requires repairs,” Peskov told journalists when commenting on […]
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“With the United States shrugging off its erstwhile role as the world’s policeman, can anyone stop the fierce fighting now raging between Armenia and Azerbaijan?” “… The long-running Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, … dat[ing] to the waning days of the Soviet Union, is not going to trigger a global war[] [n]or … affect … [great power] vital interests […]
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“… As Russia’s interests abroad have focused on building the country’s standing as a player on the global stage – including malicious operations such as trying to influence U.S. presidential elections – the Kremlin’s grip has weakened closer to home. Competition from Turkey, China and the West is increasingly challenging Moscow’s onetime dominance in the former Soviet space. … [and] […]
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“Russia dashed hopes of a [nuclear weapons] deal … before next month’s [U.S.] presidential election …. The U.S. proposal for a nuclear freeze … also cover[ing] tactical weapons ‘has long been known to us’ and is rejected by Russia because ‘we need to deal with their new strategic-range’ conventional arms too, including in space and missile defense, said [Russian Deputy […]
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… This is one of the most compelling reasons why the Kremlin leader now hopes for the victory of Biden rather than Trump …. [Putin] believes that a Biden administration will change course and focus more on Moscow, something Putin needs to maintain his self-image […]
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Denmark cleared … the final hurdle to Nord Stream 2 potentially starting operations in Danish waters, while the U.S. continues its attempt to stop the Russia-led natural gas pipeline project […]
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“Myth #1: Russia’s grand strategy is driven by ideology …. Myth #2: Russia seeks to reconstruct the Soviet Union or Russian Empire. … Instead of a formal territorial empire … Russia endeavors to establish a privileged and exclusive sphere of influence across former Soviet territory. … [with] a seat at the table in the capital of every post-Soviet country. … […]
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“Abstract: [A]re Russia and China already in a de facto military alliance (against the U.S.), or may they soon enter one? … [This article] reviews … academic literature on alignments … and alliances … infers criteria … [and] sets out to … [assess that] relationship …. Introduction[:] The [Russia-China] relationship … is getting stronger …. Xi Jinping[] and … Putin[] […]
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“Steve was hired to NYU after … Princeton. He was a masterful lecturer who packed in 400 students each time he taught his survey of Soviet history, and he helped keep alive Soviet and Russian studies at a time when interest was falling […]”
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(Russia Matters – russiamatters.org – Paul Saunders – Sept. 17, 2020) Paul Saunders is a senior fellow in U.S. foreign policy at the Center for the National Interest. With military tension among great powers increasing in east Asia, central Europe and the Middle East, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and others have proposed a summit of the U.N. Security Council’s five […]
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Russia is closely following the U.S. election campaign, noting the importance of the subject of Russia during this process […]
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“The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan says … he has not seen evidence to corroborate claims that Russian officials placed bounties on U.S. troops … in the Middle East. … Gen. Frank McKenzie said … reports in The New York Times and other media … indicating that U.S. intelligence officials were investigating reports that Russia was offering bounties to Taliban […]
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“… A speedy conclusion could be possible on extending New START, which would be in the U.S. interest. Putin has said Moscow would extend without conditions. … [C]hief [U.S.] arms control envoy[] Marshall Billingslea[] has called New START ‘deeply flawed.’ … Billingslea backed away from the demand that China [get involved] … [yet] continued to insist … Russia agree to […]
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“[G7] [f]oreign ministers … issued a joint statement … condemning … ‘the confirmed poisoning’ of … Navalny. … sa[ying] Germany … has concluded … he was ‘the victim of an attack with a chemical nerve-agent of the “Novichok” group, a substance developed by Russia.’ It called on Russia to investigate who is responsible, ‘bearing in mind Russia’s commitments under the […]
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(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, Sept. 7, 2020) Despite Kremlin actions like the Navalny poisoning, Western governments have largely limited themselves to tough public statements rather than serious actions, the reflection of a combination of circumstances that Western officials are generally unwilling to recognize, Liliya Shevtsova says. First of all, the Russian commentator points out, liberal democracies […]
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(oilprice.com – Viktor Katona – Sept. 8, 2020) The issue of US-Russia energy ties has been enjoying a bit of media spotlight as President Trump accused Democrats in New England of purchasing Russian crude to the detriment of national economic interests. Technically, this claim is true only to a marginal extent – most of the Russian crude exports to the […]
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Subject: Geopolitics on the Move — New podcast with Fyodor Lukyanov Date: Mon, 7 Sep 2020 From: Sean Guillory <guillory@pitt.edu> Fyodor Lukyanov and I have a new podcast series called Geopolitics on the Move. This month we launch a brilliant new, limited-series podcast where some of the world’s best and brightest minds answer the question: when the dust from COVID-19 […]
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Looming U.S. elections and disparate EU interests could translate into a symbolic response. (Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Jake Cordell – Sept. 4, 2020) Lawmakers across Europe and the U.S. are scrambling to respond to the revelation that Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was poisoned with Novichok – a lethal Soviet-era military nerve agent – with the possibility of fresh sanctions […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Sept. 1, 2020) A database of several million American voters’ personal information has appeared on the Russian dark web two months ahead of presidential elections clouded by claims of Russian meddling, Russia’s Kommersant business newspaper reported Tuesday. A user nicknamed Gorka9 advertised free access to the personal information of 7.6 million voters in Michigan in […]
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“The blast was over 3,000 times bigger than the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima.” “… [D]eclassified Russian footage [features] the 1961 Tsar Bomba hydrogen bomb test … [of] the largest bomb … detonated on Earth …. a 50-million-ton hydrogen bomb, officially named RDS-220[,] … [set off] late October 1961 … during the height of the Cold War[,] …. 26 feet long […]
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