Tag: Vladimir Putin

China and Russia Are Bigger Issues Than Canberra ‘Intrigues’: Australian Deputy PM

Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has apologised for calling Prime Minister Scott Morrison a “hypocrite and a liar” in a leaked text message. But he said Australians cared more about geopolitical tensions, the pandemic, and infringements on religious freedom than the “intrigues of Canberra” which consumed news media reporting in the country this week….


Russian Appeasement Was a Left-wing Monopoly

Commentary One way of understanding the 2009–2014 Obama administration policy of “reset” with Vladimir Putin’s Russia is to recall two iconic incidents. The first was the 2009 “reset.” Newly appointed Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced that she would pursue a “reset” détente with Russia. America would relax the prior Bush administration’s mild ostracism of…


Sanctions Will Follow ‘First Russian Toecap’ in Ukraine, UK’s Johnson Warns

The UK and its Western allies are ready to launch sanctions against Russia “the moment the first Russian toecap crosses further into Ukrainian territory,” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said. Speaking at a joint press conference in Kyiv on Feb. 1 with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Johnson said the UK and allies “will always stand…


‘Ignored’: Putin Delivers First Speech in Weeks on Russia–Ukraine Tensions

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday delivered his first remarks on his country’s standoff with the West over Ukraine by claiming the United States and NATO have ignored Moscow’s top security demands. “Russia is carefully analyzing the U.S. and NATO written responses, but it is already clear that Russia’s fundamental concerns have been ignored,” Putin…


Liberator or Loyalist: ‘Gorbachev.Heaven’

Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev, the final functional leader of the Soviet Union (as President and General Secretary of the Communist Party), now resembles a sad, solitary character from a Tolstoy novella. He was once one of the two most powerful men in the world, but his sunset years have mostly been spent isolated in his dacha….


UK Threatens to Sanction Russian Oligarchs If Ukraine Is Invaded

The British government has warned Russia that it needs to “step back from the brink” and desist from a possible invasion of Ukraine, or oligarchs linked to the Kremlin may be subject to sanctions. Downing Street said that Prime Minister Boris Johnson will speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday afternoon, and will visit…


British Troops ‘Very Unlikely’ to Fight in Ukraine: Foreign Secretary

Britain’s Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has said it is “very unlikely” for British troops to get involved in fighting in Ukraine, though she said the UK government believes a Russian invasion is “highly likely.” Asked on the BBC’s “Sunday Morning” programme if she could rule out a scenario with British soldiers “on the ground” in…


Russia to Move Planned Military Drills Away From Irish Coast

Russia will move its planned military drills outside Ireland’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) following a request from the Irish government, officials from both countries have confirmed. The planned artillery drills caused considerable controversy in Ireland after it emerged they were slated to take place in early February about 150 miles in international waters off Ireland’s…


Three Reasons Why Putin Won’t Invade Ukraine; Putin Wants ‘To Be Respected’—German Navy Chief

Are things really as they seem to be on the surface of the Russia–Ukraine crisis—with Vladimir Putin the aggressor, poised to take Ukraine, unless his “hefty” demands are met by the United States and NATO? Germany’s Navy Chief Kay-Achim Schönbach had a different take on things, before he promptly apologized and “voluntarily” submitted his resignation….


Why Putin Has Not Been Deterred

Commentary Americans want an autonomous Ukraine to survive. They hope the West can stop Russian President Vladimir Putin’s strangulation of both Ukraine and NATO. Yet Americans do not want their troops to venture across the world to Europe’s backyard to fight nuclear Russia to ensure that Ukraine stays independent. Most Americans oppose the notion that…