... can we explain Russia’s move to seize Ukrainian naval ships in the Kerch Strait?
Andrey Kortunov
I do not believe this move was a way for Russia to be provocative, given that the last thing the country needs today is an escalation of tensions with Ukraine. Although the initiative came from the Ukrainian side, Russia then responded very decisively, which definitely fuelled the crisis.
Michel Duclos
President Putin enjoys this kind of situation, and sees it as an opportunity to take action and make ...
... bound to lead to a collision. Crimea belongs in the same category, only the consequences of the collision are likely to be on a much higher order.
The recent naval incident off the Kerch Strait sends one clear message: the situation between Russia and Ukraine is inherently fraught with a real danger of war. Given the deepening confrontation between Russia and the United States, and Ukraine’s close relations with America and NATO, such a war, should it break out, may not be easily contained. Thus,...
... the goal being to create a globally economic successful Region including Helsinki – Saint Petersburg – Pskov – Estonia-Latvia-Lithuania – Kaliningrad – Stockholm. The participation of Danes, Poles, and Germans is welcome, but not required.
Ukraine
Minsk agreements are fine, but one of the reasons they have not worked in practice is, that there has been no solution in sight, how the situation could be permanently settled. Today, Russia has consolidated its position, and therefore Russia ...
The US and the EU reactions were relatively moderate, no immediate new sanctions against Russia are likely to be introduced. A lot will now depend on whether Ukraine has an appetite for any further escalation or not.
The Kerch Strait was a perfect place for escalating the Russian-Ukrainian crisis. There are no ‘red lines’ in the Sea of Azov, no OSCE monitoring missions, no entranced and fortified defense ...
A Kiev-provoked Ukraine/Russia naval clash near the Kerch Strait, Crimea, threatens to derail the Argentina G20 Summit and to worsen US-Russia bilateral relations
First, a little essential geography. The Kerch Strait, joining the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov,...
... Built on the Same Principles as those with, for Instance, Warsaw, Bratislava or Bucharest
Nearly five years have passed since the start of the dramatic events of the Maidan in Kiev that engendered a profound crisis in Russia’s relations with both Ukraine and the West. This is not a short period of time: World War I lasted a little over four years, about five years passed between the start of
Perestroika
and the collapse of the USSR. All wars and crises come to an end, and the more acute the crisis,...
... experts met at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington. Their meeting, convened by CSIS and the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC), aimed to discuss four topics central to U.S.-Russian relations: the conflict in Ukraine, the future of the European security order, the war in Syria, and the question of interference in other states’ political processes. The attendees participated not as representatives of their countries or governments but rather as experts working ...
... Measures and Disarmament in Europe should be revisited and possibly reapplied to the region. This type of engagement could serve to improve existing relations including between Russia and the Baltic states and between Russia and NATO.
— Dialogue on Ukraine would be facilitated by engaging new actors skilled in conflict resolution. A peacekeeping arrangement under the auspices of the UN should be welcomed by all parties. Ukraine, Russia, the EU and the US need to remain engaged in agreeing on the ...
... unchanging over time. The more Western-oriented discourses in Russia would have some believe that Russia could simply return to the European world and order that existed 15, 20 or even 30 years ago. In that European order, there was no conflict over Ukraine, no sharp Eurozone crisis, no migration crisis on the present scale, no Brexit, and no rise of right-wing populism. That world order had no transatlantic fault or split, no comparable economic dominance by China, no return to international protectionism,...
The Current Situation Demonstrates the Failure of both the Phanar and Moscow Models, and their Revitalization Appears Unlikely
The conflict surrounding the Orthodox church in Ukraine has moved irrevocably beyond the purely intra-ecclesiastical agenda. Experts, political scientists, and journalists have plunged headlong into the subtleties of canon law, the history of intra-Orthodox relations and discussions of the psychological ...
