Latest Articles about Russia
The “Great Game:” Lukashenka Slowly Drawn Into Russian Orbit
The mid-March visit by Russian Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin, to Belarus stimulated further speculation over the tense and fluctuating relationship between the two Slavic neighbors. Putin arrived in the city of Brest for a regular meeting with the Council of Ministers of the Russia-Belarus Union... MORE
Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov Returns Empty-Handed from Moscow
Ukrainian Prime Minister, Mykola Azarov, failed to persuade Moscow to lower the price of gas for Ukraine. Although Kyiv’s offer of participation in a consortium to manage Ukraine’s gas pipelines was not openly rejected, it was hinted that this might not be enough. More economic... MORE
Moscow Remains Insecure After Ten Years of Fighting Terrorism in the North Caucasus
Thirty-nine people died and over 80 were wounded as a result of two explosions on the Moscow metro system during the morning rush hour on March 29. The insurgency in the North Caucasus has been labeled the primary suspect for what is believed to have... MORE
Franco-Russian Warship Deal Receives Winks and Nods in Brussels and Washington
French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s US visit has carefully been protected against any fallout from his proposed sale of Mistral-class power-projection warships to Russia. Ahead of Sarkozy’s visit, Moscow moved to embarrass him. It punctured some key French assumptions about this deal and undermined French reassurances... MORE
Russian Analysts Question the Viability of the “Reset”
The announced follow-on Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), to be signed by the US President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev in Prague on April 8 has served to re-focus strategic thinking on how the “reset” might further develop and the diversity of... MORE
Arms Control Intersects With Russian Leadership Struggle
With the announcement of a new arms control treaty in the media, the US Senate, and the Duma will naturally focus on issues such as the numbers of warheads and delivery systems, and verification of each side’s capabilities. However, without praising or belittling the treaty,... MORE
Putin’s “Long Decade” Continues Despite Medvedev’s “Modernization”
Last weekend marked the tenth anniversary of Vladimir Putin’s election as Russian president on March 26, 2000, while strictly speaking his “era” started with Boris Yeltsin’s surprise departure from the Kremlin three months earlier –and it certainly did not come to an end with his... MORE
Pro-Russian Old Guard, Returns to Run Ukrainian Security Forces
President Viktor Yanukovych and Prime Minister Nikolai Azarov are both ignoring the sensitivities of “Orange” Western and Central Ukraine by returning to positions of power individuals from Leonid Kuchma’s second term in office. Moreover, defectors from the Kuchma regime, who had received asylum in Russia... MORE
Arms Twisted, Hands Empty: Ukrainian Prime Minister Azarov in Moscow
On March 25, Ukraine’s new Prime Minister, Nikolai Azarov, visited Moscow seeking discounted Russia gas prices for Ukraine. Azarov’s host, Vladimir Putin, suggested that Russia could consent eventually, if the new Ukrainian government starts trading off its assets and the country’s European orientation.Azarov carried to... MORE
Putin Outlines Critical Issues in US-Russian Relations
During last week’s visit to Moscow by US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, it was announced that the text of the START follow-on nuclear arms reduction treaty has almost been finalized. Apparently, all the contentious issues have been resolved. Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, stated that... MORE