... matter how probable it was and how many writings on the wall appeared, the decision of Russia to recognise the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Lugansk and then to... ... (including the leader of the main opposition party Vladimir Medvedchuk). One of the signatories of Minsk 2 agreements, representing Donetsk, Alexander Zaharchenko, was assassinated... ... the European part of Russia, in the Western and Southern military districts and in Belarus. In the world history to support diplomacy or national interests with a show...
... behavior.
Alliances, Ltd.
Russia has discovered that it doesn’t have allies who would stand by it in its hour of need, but it has also found out that it doesn’t really need allies to defend itself against adversaries. In Eastern Europe, of course, Belarusian territory separates the heart of Russia from NATO territory, but the scenario of a massive overland invasion along the lines of Napoleon’s or Hitler’s incursions is very far-fetched today. The United States is a formidable adversary, but the basic stability of the U.S.-Russia relationship is ...
... strong, educated and highly urbanised population, the addition to Poland of Belarus as an adjacent dependent state would greatly strengthen Poland’s strategic weight and voice in the EU and NATO. There is also the seductive possibility of moving the NATO frontier forward to the Russia -Belarus border near Smolensk. The old game continues in the minds of some Poles.
Ekaterina Chimiris:
Eastern Partnership Countries: Buffer Zone or Platform for Dialogue?
Obviously, Russian strategists see these threatening possibilities too, and are working ...
... between Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff of Russia’s Armed Forces and NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe (who doubles as the commander of the US European... ... exaggeration to say that the two officers are perhaps the most senior representatives of the Russian and US military-political leadership who meet in person and on a regular basis... ... during exercises and mutual notifications about planned drills and missile launches).
Belarus as an island of stability
Ekaterina Chimiris:
Eastern Partnership Countries:...
... independence.
4
Current Baltic and Polish fears of a Russian invasion and occupation reflect their troubled history rather than existing realities, but “Russian aggression against the Baltic States” has become a popular narrative and a rallying cry within NATO.
Belarus, which is closest to Russia ethnically and culturally, and since 1999 has formed a “union state” with it, has gradually been moving toward a more independent stance vis-à-vis Moscow. The Belarusian leadership and much of the elite view their country as essentially European,...
... trends in the development of world politics, that influence the situation in Europe. The discussion concentrated on the future of NATO and the European Union, the prospects for arms control in Europe, the issues of transatlantic relations, the rise of European ... ... etc.
Andrey Kortunov, RIAC Director General, made a speech at two sessions of the Conference on the geopolitical position of Belarus in Europe and the dynamics in the development of the Middle East crisis. Dmitry Suslov and Sergey Utkin, RIAC experts,...
A series of Russian civil-military concepts can create great benefits for Europe, the Middle East and Asia
Favorable International Situation
... ...
Contrary to promises from President Reagan, the three Baltic countries, former members of the Soviet Union, became members of NATO, an alliance directed against Russia. And contrary to their official status as “neutral” countries, Sweden and Finland,...
... sanctions. The American experts who visited Belarus
have talked
about the importance of Belarus shifting to a neutral military and political status, which de facto means Belarus’s withdrawal from the CSTO. In these conditions, it is important for Russia to have Belarus, its military and economic ally, pursue a predictable foreign policy.
Amid the growing military presence of NATO in Eastern Europe, Moscow will have to further strengthen the western borders of the CSTO.
The traditional argument of numerous western publications about Belarus potentially losing its sovereignty if it engages with Russia does not stand up to ...