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.
The Washington Post Is in Full McCarthyist Attack Mode (Matthew Dal Santo)
What is the convention regarding connections between a foreign government and a candidate for public office?
Consider a recent story in the Washington Post.
Obama urges Trump against realpolitik in relations with Russia (The Guardian)
Barack Obama has warned the US president-elect, Donald Trump, against taking a purely “realpolitik approach” to relations with Russia and encouraged his successor to continue standing up for American values.
Russia: Cautious Hope (Carnegie Endowment)
The Kremlin did not anticipate Trump’s electoral victory. It was preparing for Hillary Clinton and the prospect of U.S.-Russian relations continuing to deteriorate, with a not-too-trivial chance of a kinetic collision between Russian and U.S. forces—such as through the imposition of a no-fly zone in Syria, which Clinton supported.
Dreaming Up a Reason for NATO’s Relevance (Consortium News)
European leaders still rattle their tiny sabers at Russia, but Donald Trump’s election has spread confusion across NATO nations that had dutifully climbed aboard the New Cold War express, says ex-British intelligence officer Annie Machon.
The Enemy Within (Paul Robinson)
In democratic countries, disagreeing with government policy is nothing unusual. But Russophobic paranoia has reached such a peak that those who dare to propose better relations with Russia are increasingly facing pressure to be silent.
PODCAST: Will President-Elect Trump End the New Cold War? (Stephen F. Cohen)
Nation Contributing Editor Stephen F. Cohen and John Batchelor continue their weekly discussions of the new US-Russian Cold War. (Previous installments are at TheNation.com). This installment focuses on an existential question: Will, or can, a President Trump enact a policy of détente—replacing elements of conflict with elements of cooperation—in US relations with Russia?
It’s not Donald Trump who matters now in the Middle East – it’s Putin (Robert Fisk)
US foreign policy in the Middle East has been a spectacular series of wars and air raids and retreats. Russian policy – in the Yemen war during Nasser’s age and in Afghanistan – has been destructive enough, but the post-Soviet state seemed to have curled its claws until Putin moved his men into Syria.
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.
Possible Trump Secretary of State Rudy Giuliani on Russia (Telegraph)
The United States should threaten Russia with military force in order to contain the Kremlin’s growing power on the international stage, a top candidate to become Donald Trump’s Secretary of State has said.
Russia Isn’t Actually That Happy About Trump’s Victory (NY Times Op-Ed)
Many may believe that America’s huge political upset could even be described as a victory for the Kremlin. In fact, the idea peddled by American news media that Mr. Putin supports Mr. Trump is far removed from reality.
Trump Should Tread Carefully With Russia: Top Republican lawmaker (Foreign Policy)
A senior Republican lawmaker has some advice for President-elect Donald Trump on dealing with his Russian counterpart: “proceed with caution.”
Could Trump reform US foreign policy? (Stephen Kinzer)
DONALD TRUMP’S VICTORY in our presidential election set off many convulsions, but few were as shattering as the one that dynamited the Washington foreign policy elite…If he remains firm and pulls us out of the spiral of US-Russia confrontation, he will be stepping back from the conflict that has seemed more likely than any other to explode into nuclear war.
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.
VIDEO: Prof. Stephen F. Cohen visits Travis Smiley on PBS
ACEWA Board Member and Russian studies Professor Stephen F. Cohen joined Travis Smiley in a conversation about the current state of the relationship between Russia and the U.S. particularly as it relates to the pending U.S. presidential election.
The number one reason to fix U.S.-Russia relations (Josh Cohen)
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Russia was ready to fully restore relations with the United States following the election of Donald Trump. But even so, when Trump assumes power on Jan. 20, he will inherit a Russian-American relationship in deep crisis.
Who Was Stepan Bandera? (Daniel Lazare)
Lionized as a nationalist hero in Ukraine, Stepan Bandera was a Nazi sympathizer who left behind a horrific legacy.