... NS2 himself before. At the current point, sanctions are rather driven by politics than the market.
Ivan Timofeev:
A Bumper Year for OFAC
Still, sanctions against NS2 are another reason to bolster European concerns. The EU is a dedicated part of the sanctions coalition against Russia on Ukraine. It imposed both personal and sectoral sanctions, involving Russian defence, energy, and financial spheres. It supported the U.S. on supposed election interference, the Skripal case and other issues. However, EU companies turned to be significant ...
... these spheres.
Sitting down with Russia is question of pragmatism, not appeasement. What is best for Canada globally is best for Canadians at home – especially those living in the North. This does not mean that Canada needs to cease its support of Ukraine, roll back sanctions, or stop denouncing Russian aggression. It means that Canada – alongside Russia – needs to find unique solutions for the more pressing and difficult questions. This implies not just talking, but also listening.
Going forward, Canada will ...
... time has come to reactivate the Normandy Format process at its top political level. The pause in the Minsk process has been too long, and there is a growing danger that we will lose the only legitimate mechanism of managing the crisis in and around Ukraine.
Andrey Kortunov:
Europe’s Greens as Future Strategic Partners of Russia
Second, assuming that there is visible progress in implementing the Minsk agreements, there might be an opportunity to modify the EU’s mechanism for Russian sanctions. This is not to say that Brussels should consider a complete lifting of sanctions. Nevertheless, sanctions usually only work if the side imposing sanctions can expeditiously react to even minor changes in the behavior of the side against which ...
The second episode of the Meeting Russia interview with Ivan Timofeev, program director of RIAC, about Ukraine, the EU’s sanctions against Russia and Russian think tanks.
The second episode of the Meeting Russia interview with Ivan Timofeev, RIAC Director of Programs, about Ukraine, the EU’s sanctions against Russia and Russian think tanks.
... and beyond. Washington and Moscow each control resources and levers of influence vital for managing and ultimately resolving these conflicts. Although officials have sought to negotiate small steps, such as implementation of the Minsk agreements in Ukraine and getting the Syria talks in Geneva back on track, political will is lacking, and a meeting between the U.S. and Russian presidents is by far the best opportunity for each to signal their commitment to progress.
Finally, in the aftermath of years of sanctions and counter-sanctions, policies of mutual isolation have atrophied relations between ordinary Americans and Russians to an unacceptable degree that does not serve the interests of either side. Basic embassy and consular services have been severely ...
... issue that has to be managed. It is necessary to develop parallel tracks for the relations, without any track being dependent on deals being struck in other ones. No Ukrainization of all relations with Russia and no Donbassization of all relations with Ukraine.
Sanctions mostly do not lead to the desired results. Those imposed on Russia have had two effects. First, they helped to make the EU credible with regard to Russia’s action in Crimea and Donbas without having to take military actions. Second, they helped ...
... Foreign Affairs Council supported the recommendation of the head of the European External Action Service to impose additional restrictive measures against Russia in response to the annexation of Crimea and Sebastopol. The technical side of the proposed sanctions is still under discussion.
At the present time, there are only two instances in which EU–Russia relations can change: if military action in Ukraine ceases completely (which is unlikely); or if the situation deteriorates dramatically, like it did in July following the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. The European Union is currently looking for a new conceptual basis for relations with ...
... West, the recent NATO summit in Wales, common external threats for Russia and the West such as Islamic State, and the odds of success for the Russia-Ukraine ceasefire agreement.
Although Russia and Ukraine seem to have begun taking steps to resolve the Ukraine crisis on a diplomatic level, a new wave of sanctions imposed on Russia’s energy companies and major banks may become another serious challenge for relations between Moscow and the West.
Although a faint light at the end of the tunnel of the Ukrainian crisis may have appeared during the last ...
... Germany is the key player in Europe and France supports it, at the same time trying to concentrate on the EU's southern periphery, i.e. the Mediterranean, the Middle East and Africa. This is why France does not want to get too deeply involved in the Ukraine crisis, since it is short on resources and levers.
Do you think France will work to have the sanctions cancelled?
REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer
Hollande’s Government Reshuffle: Will Anything
Change? Interview with Thomas Gomart
The French media are uncommonly cool toward Russia.
Not likely, if it has to act alone. Paris will harmonize its posture ...
... for Russian-
Canadian Cooperation in the Arctic Given the
Current International Situation
Given the upcoming October 2015 federal elections, the Conservatives clearly care about the Ukrainian community.
What factors affect Canada's approach to the Ukraine crisis? Primarily, this refers to the U.S., the driving force behind anti-Russian sanctions. Ottawa not coordinates its international steps with Washington but also frequently runs its errands, as the White House offloads difficult jobs to its northern ally, as seems to be the case with sanctions. In the absence of sufficient support ...
