From the point of view of Russia, everything that is happening is rather sad and telling
What is telling about what is happening now in transatlantic relations is that a great power, in relations with its weak allies, inevitably faces the challenge of its own egoism, writes ...
Andrey Kurtunov from the Russian International Affairs Council discusses Russia-Ukraine tensions and how concerned the Kremlin might be about possible Western sanctions, which have been threatened in case of an attack on Ukraine
Andrey Kurtunov from the Russian International ...
... eventually adopted PEESCA law (an amendment to the 2019 PEESA law) did not radically change the situation. Moreover, it took into account the concerns of Washington’s European allies to some extent. The Biden administration used sanctions against Russian legal entities and vessels involved in the Nord Stream 2 project, but it did not block it. As a result, the pipeline was completed.
The EU has also used sanctions against Moscow. The beginning of the year was marked by a great heat of passion in connection with the Navalny case and the unsuccessful ...
... to impede Russian oil and gas exports to Europe as unfair competition
Ambassador Anatoly Antonov's answer to a media question.
Dear Ambassador, could you please comment on the State Department's plans to expand the sanctions in the context of the Nord Stream 2 project?
Anatoly Antonov: The U.S. administration, both Republicans and Democrats, has been trying to complicate the Russian-European energy cooperation for several years now. At first, Washington wanted to disrupt the completion of the pipeline. Failed: the gas-main has been laid and is ready for the launch. Now they are trying to delay the commissioning of the facility,...
... to the JCPOA. The EU authorities were also unable to offer their businesses guarantees of reliable protection against punitive measures being taken by the US Treasury and other departments. The second event was Washington’s powerful attack on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project. Trump has openly opposed the pipeline, although the Obama administration was also against the pipeline. Congress has passed two sanctions laws targeting Russian pipeline projects. The US Congress and the State Department directly warned European business about the threat of sanctions for participating in the project. In addition to Iran and Russia, concern in the EU was also caused by the aggravation ...
... Timofeev:
Biden's Sanctions Policy. The First Steps
It's important to consider is the continuation of oil trade between the Netherlands and Russia. If the West is so concerned about preserving its ideals, why hasn't this trade been pressured? Likely because Nord Stream 2 is a relatively recent development, but the arrangement between the Dutch and Russia has been around for some time. What is odd, however, are the numbers. Between the Netherlands and Russia, there is hardly a difference in the dollar value of Russian exports in various petroleum products. It has maintained an average of about
...
... poisoning of Alexey Navalny. In retaliation for the violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention, France and Germany will share several proposals for sanctions with their European partners.
This statement occurs in the complex and unstable context of the Russian-European project, Nord Stream 2. Undermined by threats of U.S. sanctions, this infrastructure venture, surely the most ambitious in Europe, is currently at a standstill.
In Germany, various political figures are voicing their willingness to abandon the project, such as ...
... convention did not begin with a flying start.
It’s time to let go…because of an incoherent strategy, appearing in a historical context of failure, signals peril.
Round One: Shaky First Steps
Petr Korzun:
International Security Implications of the US-Russia Contention Over the Nord Stream 2
This new task of sanctioning the NS2 project appeared not as a unilateral and relatively clear-cut scenario as had been the case of sanctions vis-à-vis, for example, Iran, where its effects could do minimal damage to the robust transatlantic ...
... much-needed export revenues for the national economy is a convincing disincentive for Moscow to mount some dubious warfare operation in its neighbourhood. However, this perspective was not able to make its way through alarmist rhetoric which depicted the Nord Stream 2 as a part of Russia’s sinister designs. The same reasoning certainly reinforces the aggressive image of Russia and gives additional sense to NATO’s
raison d’être
. At the same time, it leaves Moscow disenchanted with the European partners, locks the country ...
... challenging year in the history of these organizations, which will be put under immense political pressure. The further politicization of energy cooperation between Russia and the European Union (for instance, the emergence of new issues in completing work on Nord Stream 2; and the blatant refusal of some EU states to prolong gas contracts with Russia). The clash between Russian and European interests in some regions of the world, including Africa and Latin America, and competition between Russia and Europe for preferential relations with Turkey might posit a particular issue. Unfortunately,...