Protesters vandalized several offices in Kiev, Ukraine, in a pro-Ukrainian, anti-Russian demonstration, police said.
News
Russia responds to NATO advance with missiles in its Europe enclave (CBS News)
U.S. officials have always maintained that the missile defense shield in Romania is aimed at protecting against a missile threat from Iran. But NATO decided in early 2015 to establish new command-and-control centers in Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Bulgaria by the end of 2016, and those sites are indisputably intended to serve as a warning to an increasingly aggressive Russia that NATO remains resolute in its commitment to defend all members.
Russian President Putin says Trump confirmed willing to mend ties (Reuters)
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday U.S. President-elect Donald Trump confirmed to him he was willing to mend ties, though he also said he would welcome President Barack Obama in Russia.
Senators vow to counter Trump on Russia (The Hill)
Skeptical of Trump’s warmer relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, lawmakers in both parties are breaking with the incoming administration to carve out a tougher stance.
Obama, Putin talk about Syria and Ukraine in quick summit meet (Reuters)
U.S. President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin spoke for around four minutes on Sunday at the APEC summit about Syria and Ukraine, in what is likely to be their last in-person meeting before Obama leaves office.
Ukrainian MPs brawl over Kremlin link accusations (UPI)
Ukrainian ministers of parliament have engaged in fights in back-to-back days — and they both involved allegations of ties to Russia.
Corbyn backs reduction of Nato presence along Russia’s borders (The Guardian)
Labour leader criticises Putin but favours demilitarisation of European borders with Russia to prevent new cold war…
Invoking Trump, ex-Georgian leader launches new party in Ukraine (Reuters)
Citing past praise by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump for his reforms, former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili launched a new political party in Ukraine on Friday to fight corruption, just days after resigning bitterly as a regional governor.
Ukraine parliament inaction puts $1.3 billion IMF loan at risk – central bank chief (Reuters)
Ukraine risks not receiving loans worth $1.3 billion that it is awaiting from the International Monetary Fund before the end of 2016, due to parliament’s reluctance to pass key reforms, the head of the central bank told Reuters on Tuesday.
Americans dislike the Islamic State more than Putin or Assad. Here’s how this shapes policy preferences (WaPo)
Although the U.S. presidential election has hardly been about real policy issues, the conflict in Syria and the fight against the Islamic State have been among the hot policy issues frequently debated by Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump in the past year. Though both have highlighted the threat of the Islamic State, they have differed on how to actually deal with it.
Russia Extends Aleppo Cease-Fire and Urges Rebels to Leave (NY Times)
Russia said on Wednesday that it would extend a moratorium on airstrikes in the Syrian city of Aleppo until Friday to give embattled antigovernment rebels a chance to leave the city and to “avoid senseless victims” of continued fighting.
Investigating Donald Trump, F.B.I. Sees No Clear Link to Russia (New York Times)
Law enforcement officials say that none of the investigations so far have found any conclusive or direct link between Mr. Trump and the Russian government. And even the hacking into Democratic emails, F.B.I. and intelligence officials now believe, was aimed at disrupting the presidential election rather than electing Mr. Trump.
That secret Trump-Russia email server link is likely neither secret nor a Trump-Russia link (WaPo)
On Monday night, Slate published a lengthy story written by Franklin Foer exploring an odd connection between Trump’s businesses and a bank in Russia. Researchers looking to track Russian attempts at hacking American political interests noticed that a server at the bank had been connecting to a server linked to Trump — sporadically, in a pattern that they felt was indicative of interpersonal communication.
Russia says resumption of Syria peace talks delayed indefinitely (Reuters)
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday a Western failure to rein in violent Islamists in Syria had indefinitely delayed the resumption of peace talks.
Harry Reid’s incendiary claim about ‘coordination’ between Donald Trump and Russia (WaPo)
In the course of arguing that Comey’s disclosure that the FBI is looking into new Hillary Clinton investigation emails may have violated the Hatch Act, Reid slips in an extremely bold claim about the Trump campaign and the Russian government.
Russia Welcomes Growing Wave of ‘Red Tourists’ From China (WSJ)
To see how good relations are between Russia and China these days, check out Novodevichy Cemetery here. Chinese tourists arrive by the busload each week to pay their respects to Wang Ming, a Chinese Communist leader buried here alongside some of Russia’s most prominent writers, composers and politicians.
Britain to send hundreds more troops to Russia border as Cold War tension escalates across Europe (Telegraph)
Britain will send hundreds more troops close to Russia’s border, the Government has said, as the Prime Minister also called for “pressure” on Moscow over the Syria crisis.
Why Hillary Clinton’s plans for no-fly zones in Syria could provoke US-Russia conflict (Spencer Ackerman)
Retired senior US military pilots are increasingly alarmed that Hillary Clinton’s proposal for “no-fly zones” in Syria could lead to a military confrontation with Russia that could escalate to levels that were previously unthinkable in the post-cold war world.
Russia: Halt of Airstrikes on Aleppo to Continue (ABC News)
The Russian military said Tuesday the halt of Russian and Syrian air strikes, now in its seventh day, on besieged eastern parts of the city of Aleppo will continue and humanitarian corridors will remain open even as the Syrian army has unleashed a new offensive on the rebel-held neighborhoods.
Russians Conduct Nuclear-Bomb Survival Drills as Cold War Heats Up (WSJ)
Russian authorities have stepped up nuclear-war survival measures amid a showdown with Washington, dusting off Soviet-era civil-defense plans and upgrading bomb shelters in the biggest cities.