Category: United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
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 […]
» Read moreRBTH: Cable wars: Can Russia really cut the jugular?
Both the U.S. and Russia have the means to clip undersea cables but don’t worry, unless there’s a full on war, your internet surfing won’t be interrupted. (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – RAKESH KRISHNAN SIMHA, SPECIAL TO RBTH – December 9, 2015) There are more than 285 cables crossing the world’s oceans, with the entire network spanning over […]
» Read moreRussia welcomes intent of U.S., coalition to help seal Syria-Turkey border
(Interfax – December 7, 2015) Moscow welcomes the intentions of the United States and other members of the anti-terrorist coalition that it leads to help seal the Syrian-Turkish border with the purpose of stopping oil trafficking and other illegal businesses. “What the Syrian-Turkish border is like has been known for a long time, the same as the Turkish-Iraqi border. It […]
» Read moreRussians Want Better Ties With West, But No Change in Policy – Poll
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Eva Hartog – December 3, 2015) Amid a standoff over the crisis in Ukraine and ongoing conflict in Syria, most Russians want their country to mend ties with its nemeses even while maintaining its political course, the independent Levada Center pollster said Wednesday. Seventy-five percent of those questioned in a new poll said Russia should […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK The National Interest/Alexander Dynkin and Mathew Burrows: “Here’s the Playbook for Getting U.S.-Russian Cooperation Back On Track. America and Russia face a moment reminiscent of the Cold War, unless something can be done about it.”
Lavrov: U.S. admits lack of prospects of restoring Ukrainian solvency
(Interfax – November 7, 2015) By having refused to guarantee Ukraine’s debt as part of Russia’s proposal to restructure it, the United States effectively admitted the absence of prospects of restoring its solvency, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with Interfax. “We were ready to restructure Ukraine’s $3 billion debt at much more advantageous terms than those […]
» Read moreInterfax: Russia, U.S. cooperating in telecommunications, environmental issues, access to drinking water in Arctic
MOSCOW. Dec 4 (Interfax) – Russia and the United States are cooperating in spheres of mutual interest in the Arctic Council, Russian Foreign Ministry Ambassador at Large, senior official in the Arctic Council Vladimir Barbin has said. “Speaking of the U.S. program, they have lots of projects Russia is interested in […]. Naturally, we will be cooperating with them,” Barbin […]
» Read moreNew York Times/Anatol Lieven: “The Key to Crushing ISIS”
Writing in The New York Times, Anatol Lieven addresses the fight against ISIL. Since the latest terrorist attacks in Paris, President Obama and a range of other Western leaders have agreed that ISIS must be crushed, Syria and Iraq stabilized, and the flow of refugees reversed. If ISIS, Al Qaeda and their supporters are the greatest enemies of the West, […]
» Read moreU.S.-Russian Relations on The High Frontier
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Matthew Bodner – December 4, 2015) In the summer of 2000, a Soviet-designed Proton rocket was rolled out to its launch pad at Site 81 of the Baikonur Cosmodrome, a former military black site hidden on the sprawling steppes of Kazakhstan from which the Soviet Union embarked on its conquest of space in the late […]
» Read moreNEWSWATCH The Hill: “Former Pentagon chief: US shares blame for poor relations with Russia.”
The Hill covers comments by former U.S. official William Perry on U.S.-Russian relations, recalling scenarios dating back to the 1990’s. ‘It’s as much our fault as it is the fault of the Russians, at least originally,’ said William Perry, who served as Defense secretary from 1994 to 1997. ‘And it began when I was secretary.’ Perry, who was speaking to […]
» Read morePutin talks tough on Turkey but holds back on anti-West rhetoric
Analyzing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s annual speech to the Federal Assembly, Russian observers interviewed by RBTH underlined the contrast between Putin’s harsh stance toward Turkey and his apparent readiness to cooperate with the West, though they said the address was lacking in groundbreaking ideas. (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – YEKATERINA SINELSCHIKOVA, RBTH – December 4, 2015) Against the […]
» Read morePercentage of Russians who speak English doubles to 30%
(Interfax – December 3, 2015) About a third of Russians (30 percent) speak English to one degree or another: 20 percent can read and translate using a dictionary, 7 percent are familiar with colloquial language, and 3 percent are fluent speakers, according to Romir research holding. Only 16 percent of respondents claimed to speak English in 2003, and 3 percent […]
» Read moreThree-quarters of Russians stand for normalizing relations with West
(Interfax – December 2, 2015) Most Russians (75 percent) think that Russia should normalize relations with the United States and other Western nations, and 16 percent argue the opposite, Levada Center has told Interfax. Ten percent of 1,600 respondents interviewed in 137 populated localities in 48 regions on November 20-23 were undecided. In the opinion of 51 percent of the […]
» Read moreNEWSWATCH Washington Post: “On Ukraine’s front lines, U.S.-supplied equipment is falling apart”
The Washington Post reports on old, second-rate U.S. equipment being given to Ukraine. The United States has delivered more than $260 million in nonlethal military equipment to help the government of Ukraine in its fight against a Russian-backed insurgency, but some of the U.S.-supplied gear meant to protect and transport Ukrainian military forces is little more than junk. … for […]
» Read moreSoros Foundation recognized as undesirable in Russia
(Interfax – November 30, 2015) The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office has recognized undesirable several foreign non-profit organizations, such as the Open Society Foundation and the Assistance Foundation in Russia. “This decision was taken, following an address by the Federation Council of the Russian Federal Assembly to the Russian general prosecutor, foreign minister and justice minister to inspect the organizations, which […]
» Read moreNEWSWATCH International New York Times/Maxim Trudolyubov: “Putin’s Emergency Politics”
Writing in The International New York Times, Maxim Trudolyubov comments upon Russia’s relationship with Europe and the United States, and policies towards Syria and Ukraine, in the aftermath of terrorist attacks in France. Much has changed for Vladimir Putin since the terror attacks in Paris. The trope that aggressions in Crimea and Ukraine show that he is more of a […]
» Read moreRussians Fear Clashes With Islamic State More Than With NATO – Poll
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – November 23, 2015) Nearly one in five Russians believe their country could become the site of “major clashes” with NATO forces within the next decade, a recent poll indicates. According to the poll, 19 percent of respondents said battles against NATO were possible on Russian territory. An even higher number, 28 percent, think that battles […]
» Read moreCan Putin Come In From The Cold?
(RFE/RL – rferl.org – Brian Whitmore – November 18, 2015) He wasn’t ostracized. He wasn’t isolated. And certainly nobody threatened to shirtfront him. In the space of a year, Vladimir Putin has gone from being the pariah of Brisbane to being the star of Antalya. The contrast between last year’s G20 summit in Australia and this year’s in Turkey couldn’t […]
» Read moreKyiv Must Seek Collapse of Putin Regime, Not ‘Restoration of Ukraine’s Territorial Integrity at Any Price,’ Portnikov Says
(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, November 20, 2015) Ukrainian commentator Vitaly Portnikov argues that the goal of the Ukrainian government should not be “the restoration of territorial integrity at any price but rather the undermining of the economy of the aggressor country and the collapse of Putin’s political regime” (rus.newsru.ua/columnists/19nov2015/voprossroka.html). Western media say that the EU and […]
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