Despair reigns in the Donbass. The military activity with its resulting victims and heavy material losses will not change anything - a balance of power has been established, one that does not allow for the shaking up of the status quo. But at the same time no one wants to come to terms with this and fix things.
Why are Russian-Ukrainian relations, which had always been characterized as fraternal, now in this state? The conflict was provoked by the West's intention to "bind" Ukraine (without...
Will Uncle Sam return to the negotiating table?
The late January, media reports about U.S. Secretary of State
John Kerry visiting Moscow
proved misleading, with the Foggy Bottom's press service plainly stating that
no such trip was planned
. However, in recent weeks Washington seems to have become much more active on Ukraine, to the extent that it seems as if it is working to provide a new background for Kerry's talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the February...
... is out of the question.
What to do with the unrecognized states and territories?
Unrecognized states and “frozen” conflicts in the post-Soviet space have more than once created diverse political and economic problems for Russia. But if before the Ukrainian crisis there was some possibility of finding compromise solutions and settling at least some of these problems, today this possibility is close to zero. Moreover, the existing variety of unrecognized entities is likely to include in the near ...
We must formulate and act on new proposals now, before Europe is split for another generation
MUNICH – Two years ago, together with a broad group of former officials and experts,
we warned
that, in the absence of a new military and political strategy for the Euro-Atlantic region, there was a risk that stability would weaken and security would break down. Sadly, there are clear signs that this is happening, with Europe now beset by its most serious and deadly crisis in decades.
In Ukraine...
... food or other goods, as was the case with Europe.
Russia's desire to establish genuinely good-neighborly relations with Japan is not of an ad hoc nature and reflects the country's long-term strategy, which manifested itself in the period preceding the Ukrainian crisis. Back in 2012, despite the displeasure of Beijing, Russia brought the Eastern Siberia-Pacific Ocean oil pipeline (ESPO) to its Pacific coast, allowing Japan and other Pacific countries to buy oil from Eastern Siberia. When in 2012 the ...
... and consequently the situation is distinguished by the fact that the economic position in both Russia and Ukraine is becoming a serious factor in the political process.
REUTERS/Mykola Lazarenko/Ukrainian
Presidential Press Service
Sergey Utkin:
The Ukrainian Crisis: Russia’s Official Position
and How the Situation Can Be Resolved
Thus it is possible to state that the peace process itself will be optimal if it combines elements of all formats – the Geneva, Minsk and Normandy formats,...
Instead of a new Cold War, someday we could face a real, large-scale military conflict
Since the crisis in Ukraine began, many have claimed that a new Cold War between Russia and the West already exists. This rhetoric, used even by high-profile politicians, in my opinion, is driven mostly by emotions and is meant to justify difficult positions taken by one or the other side.
I am convinced that no Cold War of the type we experienced in the second half of the 20th century can be repeated today....
... coincidence of some circumstances.
Inventing an alternative history is a thankless and even pointless pastime because history does not have a subjunctive mood. However, all the actors have passed through so many crossroads in a little over a year of the Ukrainian crisis.
It is impossible to resist the temptation to imagine what would have happened if they had made other choices.
The first crossroads: November 2013. President Viktor Yanukovych renounced the association agreement with the European Union....
The Ukrainian crisis gave to Moscow a unique opportunity to annex Crimea, the independence of which had never been fully accepted by Russia after 1991. The regime change occurred in Kiev in February 2014, after Viktor Yanukovich’s running away during ...
In light of the events in Ukraine, the situation in Transnistria (the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic) may seem rosy. Although this takes nothing away from its drama. The most serious challenges arise due to two factors: the signing of an Association Agreement between Moldova and the European Union; and the policy of the new regime in Kiev, for which the pro-Russian enclave in Transnistria is as much of a thorn in its side as the breakaway Donbas region.
The creation of a free trade area between...
