... – they nonetheless reaffirm a core tenet of Russian diplomacy: we are ready for a political resolution to the conflict.
Still, these are technical and tactical achievements. The strategic reality remains unchanged.
It was never realistic to expect Trump to offer Russia a deal on Ukraine that met our security requirements. Nor for that matter would Russia accept one that compromised its long-term security interests. Likewise, any notion that Trump would
‘deliver’
Ukraine to the Kremlin, join Moscow in undermining ...
... priority list. Moreover, the deeply entrenched anti-Russian consensus that has dominated Washington for decades remains solidly in place. There is no powerful political or business lobby in the United States today pushing for a fresh
“reset”
with Russia.
Trump will continue to face pressure from the right. Even as the Gazprombank sanctions decision emerged, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham told ABC News that Trump had already given the green light on Capitol Hill to launch a new package of anti-Russian ...
With Washington leaning toward bilateral diplomacy, Brussels risks becoming an irrelevant – and obstructive – actor
The recent conversation between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin has clarified the emerging diplomatic structure around Ukraine. What we are witnessing resembles the first reading of a play – the distribution of roles in what may become the next act of the conflict’s evolution.
...
... in an increasingly fractured environment.
Europe faces political fragmentation and policy contradictions, while the US under Trump and Musk redefines its role in global politics. In the Middle East, escalating tensions between Israel and Iran and the ... ... critical moment to secure its relevance, and Washington appears poised to weaponize economic sanctions like never before.
For Russia, survival hinges on its ability to adapt to these shifting dynamics while maintaining domestic stability and regional influence....
... which they include China, Cuba, Venezuela, and by inertia, Russia) plays an important role in the thinking of many Republicans. But the defining factor is something else – intolerance of those who for various reasons do not accept American supremacy.
Trump’s choice for national security adviser, Michael Waltz, for example, speaks negatively and disparagingly of Russia, but not in terms of a need to be ‘re-educated’, but because it interferes with America. Marco Rubio, who is being considered for secretary of state, does not oppose regime change in his ancestral homeland of Cuba, but is otherwise not a militant ...
... won’t tomorrow. But the American vote has become an important indicator of long-term change.
The columnists of the liberal New York Times, which actively supported Kamala Harris, declared on the morning after the election: It is time to recognize that Trump and the Trumpists aren’t an accidental aberration and they don’t represent a temporary deviation from the course of history. They reflect the mood of most Americans. And we have to proceed on that basis.
Indeed, Trump’s current victory differs ...
... decisive rebuff then. By the time of Biden’s arrival, Chinese behaviour in response to American pressure had stabilised. Thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, China was able to close itself off and began to prepare for a long confrontation. During the Trump era, the Chinese were not yet ready to cooperate so actively with Russia on security issues, and now Moscow’s manoeuvres in Eastern Europe and Beijing’s actions around Taiwan look increasingly coordinated.
But Biden behaves more systemically. He has absolutely no illusions about the possibility of stopping the growth ...
... legislative activity in this area. The focus of that activity was Russia, since it was at the center of the Democrats’ conflict with Trump.
And so began a vicious circle, as the presidential administration and Congress vied to see who could be tougher on Russia. Trump delayed some of the strongest measures, but when pressured, either agreed to them or introduced his own, declaring that “there’s never been a president as tough on Russia as I have been.”
As a result, during Trump’s four years in power, ...
... North Korea. And, of course, the elephant in the room for the entirety of Trump’s presidency so far has been the Trump Campaign and Trump Administration’s deeply disturbing ties to Russia, Putin, Russian money, and Russian organized crime, including Russia’s obvious efforts to help Trump defeat Clinton in the (First) Russo-American Cyberwar. Striking the Assad regime, Russia’s only true in-power ally outside of the states of the former Soviet Union, while Russia’s forces are actively engaged in supporting Assad has provided ...
....com/2017/03/12/wikileaks-cia-dump-makes-the-russian-hacking-story-even-murkier-if-thats-possible/
[8] https://wikileaks.org/ciav7p1/
[9] http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/isis-syria-civil-war-bashar-al-assad-raqqa-manbij-turkey-russia-us-coalition-a7614706.html
[10] http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2017/03/trump-russia-ties-slowing-cooperation-syria.html
