National security adviser Michael Flynn will recommend that President Donald Trump support allowing the small Balkan nation of Montenegro to join NATO, POLITICO has learned — despite strong opposition from Russia.
Russia, Turkey, Iran discuss Syria ceasefire in Astana (Reuters)
Experts from Russia, Turkey, Iran and the United Nations held a technical meeting in the Kazakh capital on Monday to discuss the implementation of the Syrian ceasefire agreement, Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry said.
Today’s Fear Mongering (Paul Robinson)
The claim that it was ‘Russian forces’ who ‘began’ the recent combat doesn’t fit the facts. As I pointed out in a recent post, even some very pro-Ukrainian sources admit that the Ukrainian army has been consistently breaking the ceasefire in order to conduct a ‘creeping offensive’ against the rebels in Donbass.
For China and Russia, U.S. Unorthodoxy Is No Substitute For Trust (Robert Shines)
Similar to the two prior U.S. Presidential administrations, the current administration is making overtures towards Russia in the hope of improving U.S.-Russian relations. However, any penchant for deal-making must be buttressed by the clear understanding of other great powers’ legitimate security interests.
How to help an immigrant: Ignore the attacker and stand with the newcomer — literally (Lev Golinkin)
I was 9 when my family fled Soviet Ukraine. We lived as refugees in Austria before finally coming to the U.S. I was young enough to assimilate quickly but old enough to understand that even in the land of immigrants, immigrants are not always welcome.
Guns fall silent in flashpoint Ukraine town (AFP)
The guns fell quiet in a flashpoint eastern Ukrainian town Sunday after a week-long surge in violence that prompted US President Donald Trump to pledge to help bring peace to the European Union’s backyard.
Donald Trump’s Russia Comments Sow Confusion, Draw Fire (WSJ)
U.S. President Donald Trump faced criticism Sunday from fellow Republicans as his administration sowed confusion about its approach to Russia…
PODCAST: Trump and Putin: murky waters or movement towards a detente? (Stephen F. Cohen)
Russia loomed large over the US election in 2016, with allegations of politically motivated hacking and calls for further examination of President Trump’s business dealings in the region, Tom Switzer of Australia’s ABC Radio hosted Professor Stephen F. Cohen and journalist Eleanor Clift to discuss.
The Bogus ‘Credibility’ Argument and Hawkish Whining (Daniel Larison)
It is notable how often defenders of the bogus “credibility” argument have to rely on making things up to advance their case. The U.S. didn’t “retreat” from the Middle East under Obama (more’s the pity), and it is a stretch to say that it “abandoned” Ukraine.
Bite and Hold (Paul Robinson)
There seems to be little doubt that the Ukrainians began the latest upsurge in fighting. Even RFE/RL, which is normally very pro-Ukrainian, admits as much.
Dangers of Democratic Putin-Bashing (Robert Parry)
As national Democratic leaders continue to blame Russian President Putin for their 2016 defeat, they’re leading their party into a realignment with the neocons and other war hawks, reports Robert Parry.
PODCAST: The Friends and Foes of Détente (Stephen F. Cohen)
Nation Contributing Editor Stephen F. Cohen and John Batchelor continue their weekly discussions of the new US-Russian Cold War. Cohen begins by reiterating his historical generalization that 20th-century episodes of détente — under Presidents Eisenhower, Nixon, and Reagan — encountered ferocious opposition, even sabotage, on the part of enemies of more cooperative US-Russian relations…
What Do Average Americans Really Think of the Russians? (Pietro Shakarian)
In the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election, the American media has been in state of panic over allegations of Russian hacking. The frenzy has been promoted by war hawks in both major parties, bolstering their bellicosity. But what do average Americans really think of the Russians?
Toward a new take on Russia (Edward Lozansky and Gilbert Doctorow)
From all indications, Moscow viewed last Saturday’s phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump as a successful first step that might well lead to a lessening of tensions between the two countries.
What Vladimir Putin Could Explain to Donald Trump (Jack Matlock)
The telephone conversation last Saturday between the American and Russian presidents seems to have been amicable and constructive, at least in a general sense. They are reported to have discussed key world issues as potential partners, not as adversaries or enemies.
Leery of Trump No Longer: Official Russia on the Trump-Putin Telephone Call of January 28th (Gilbert Doctorow)
In his 45-minute telephone call with President Putin on Saturday, January 28, Donald Trump appears to have kindled a very respectful and enthusiastic response from Official Russia. By that term, I mean the Kremlin elites in parliament, in the universities and think tanks, in the media upon whom Vladimir Putin depends for nationwide support of…
NATO flexes military muscle near Russia (CNN)
NATO members flexed their military muscle in Russia’s backyard Monday, as allied warships headed toward the Black Sea while American tank fire echoed across Polish plains.
Russia in biggest Arctic military push since fall of the Soviet Union (Independent UK)
The expansion has far-reaching financial and geopolitical ramifications. The Arctic is estimated to hold more hydrocarbon reserves than Saudi Arabia and Moscow is putting down a serious military marker.
Fighting escalates in eastern Ukraine (FT)
Fighting in breakaway eastern regions of Ukraine has escalated, with seven government soldiers and about 15 Russian-backed militants killed in battles near the separatist stronghold of Donetsk, officials said.
U.S. army seeks to cement Trump’s promise to stick by NATO (Reuters)
The presence of 3,500 U.S. soldiers, who will be joined by another 1,600 as well as helicopters and aircraft next month, is part of a wider, multinational build-up of NATO nations.
U.S. soldiers will also deploy to Bulgaria and Romania.