... platform for geopolitical confrontation between Russia and the West, a “no man's land”, an eternal “Wild Field”, which possesses no destiny of its own and has neither national sovereignty nor national identity.
Hawk’s peck
The emphasis on diplomacy means Russia’s readiness to limit itself to the already well-known set of specific and generally negotiable demands on Kiev, including Ukraine’s abstention from attempts to join NATO, certain restrictions imposed on the offensive capabilities of the Ukrainian ...
... depends on Russia for supply of 41% of the EU’s gas. The EU has no alternatives to Russian gas. Germany and its industry even depends more than 50% on Russian gas. This also puts some break on “financial sanctions”.
Andrey Kortunov:
The end of diplomacy? Seven Glimpses of the New Normal
If Russia cannot get paid for gas, and enjoy the proceeds from gas sales stored by the Bank of Russia, then gas supplies to Germany—and with that German industry—can stop tomorrow. Finally, Germany has decided to allocate extra € 100 billion for the ...
Numerous visits of Western leaders to Moscow on the eve of the crisis are among the foreign policy failures, and the Russian side failed to persuade anything, with political and diplomatic compromise considered unattainable
Moscow: Historians will probably label the eight-year period between 2014 and 2022 as a time of transition for the European politics in the 21st ...
... Ukraine and amassing NATO infrastructure on the Russian boarders. As a response, there are increasingly heard voices in the Russian parliament calling for shipments of lethal weapons to the rebels in Donbas and for recognition of the self-proclaimed ... ... “credibility of deterrence”, something that the parties are so willing to demonstrate to the other side, may turn from a buttress of diplomacy to its kiss of death.
... military. I understand that Greece is a member of NATO and an EU member. But we also see that Greece does not want to follow the path of tougher anti-Russia sanctions. The republic does not really enjoy what is happening now between the West and the Russian Federation. We trust our Greek friends that they will use their wisdom to make choices that answer their convictions.
As to the Orthodox Church, it is a very serious problem. You are wondering whether diplomacy can help in some way. Diplomacy, in principle, should not interfere in church affairs. The state should not interfere in church affairs. But there are always situations when life becomes more complex. The United States is directly involved in ...
... impression that hedonists are more interested in merely communicating with people than in discussing professional issues of diplomacy. It is no coincidence that box-ticker ambassadors rarely turn into hedonists, since box-tickers typically take themselves ... ... diplomatic service appearing at best old-fashioned, if not downright ridiculous, to their taste.
Ivan Timofeev:
Forget Kalashnikov? Russian Foreign Policy After Realism
Like daydreamers, hedonist ambassadors pay certain tribute to art—since they are rather ...
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey V. Lavrov’s article for the Israeli Newspaper “Yedioth Ahronoth” dedicated to the 30th Anniversary of the Renewal of Diplomatic Relations Between Russia and Israel
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation ...
... the difficulties, there are still signs for optimism
Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin have known each other for a long time—decades, in fact. This, however, made it no easier for them to agree to the meeting scheduled for June 16 in Geneva. The U.S.–Russia relations have seen a steady decline over the past few years, with all but few official contacts being suspended and the sides regularly trading jabs that often go beyond normal diplomatic practice. What makes matters worse is that the two leaders ...
A meeting between the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was held on 19 May 2021. It was the first high-level interaction between the U.S. and Russia since President Joe Biden took office, which comes amidst heightened tensions ...
... on specific issues, collaboration between the two countries’ private sectors and civil society perks up, the media gradually soften their rhetoric, bilateral projects in culture, education and science are gradually resumed.
Igor Ivanov:
Time for Diplomacy
Still, there are annoying exceptions to this general rule. In particular, the latest full-fledged Russia–U.S. summit in Helsinki in July 2018 failed to trigger improvements in bilateral relations. On the contrary, Donald Trump’s meeting with Vladimir Putin in Finland’s capital aroused massive resentment among the anti-Russian Washington establishment....
