Section: Atlantic Council (USA)
Ukraine’s Success Will Have ‘Huge Implications’ for Entire Region
EU official: ‘Russia recognizes that we are not looking to gain territories’ Describing Ukraine as an “international issue,” a top European Union official said June 4 that turning the country into a success story will have “huge implications for the whole region.” “Russia recognizes we are not looking to gain territories. We are looking to...
Turkish Stream’s Implications for EU Gas Infrastructure Development
Since South Stream’s termination in early December 2014, governments in Central and Southeast Europe (CSEE) have championed a litany of pan-regional pipeline proposals to carry gas from Russia’s planned delivery point in Ipsala, Turkey via the Balkans to Baumgarten, Austria, while meeting local consumption along the way. The...
Why Saakashvili’s Appointment as Odesa’s Governor Actually Makes Perfect Sense
On May 30, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko named former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili Governor of the Odesa region. There are a number of ways to interpret the bold move, but two historical analogies may be more apt: Saakashvili is either following in Duke de Richelieu’s footsteps as an outside Governor of Odesa or the late...
Mutual Deterrence? Think Again. Russia Seeks to Intimidate the West
Moscow recently announced that it will procure fifty new nuclear-capable bombers, the Tupolev TU-160 or Blackjacks, which are the world’s largest combat aircraft. This seemingly anodyne announcement points to a critically important element of Russian strategy that we overlook at our and our allies’ peril. The procurement is the latest...
The Dangerous Game of Truth Telling in Ukraine
As commentary on Ukraine increasingly focuses on the next Russian offensive and ways to end the war, now is the time to consider how to rebuild a unified country. Any attempt to move past the violence and establish a stable basis for reform must involve a frank discussion of the past. A truth commission is likely to emerge as a compelling option....
The Odesa Gambit
Mikheil Saakashvili has a varied resume: former President of Georgia, Justice Minister, parliamentarian, senior statesman, and Ukrainian presidential adviser. On May 30, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko added another line to his CV. He named Saakaskvili regional Governor of Odesa, a vulnerable and strategic port city on the Black Sea. Despite...
Fighting Putin’s Lies with the Truth
“I can tell you outright and unequivocally that there are no Russian troops in Ukraine,” Russian President Vladimir Putin declared on a live television show April 16. That claim was patently false. To put it bluntly: Mr. Putin was lying through his teeth. The conflict in Ukraine’s east is a Kremlin-manufactured war, begun by Russian...
Mr. Putin’s Lies Hiding in Plain Sight
Reports by Atlantic Council and Boris Nemtsov’s allies reveal extent of Russia’s military aggression in Ukraine Russian President Vladimir Putin is violating a February 2015 ceasefire agreement by continuing to send troops and weapons into Ukraine in a blatant attempt to destabilize the country, according to an Atlantic Council report...
Russia’s Secret Funerals
Sgt. Leonid Kichatkin of the Russian 76th Airborne Division and Russian soldier Anton Tumanov died in August 2014 while fighting in eastern Ukraine. Their deaths amply demonstrate that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s claim that there are no Russian troops in Ukraine is false. …read more Source: Atlantic...
The Disastrous EU Summit on the European Partnership
The European Union’s Summit on the Eastern Partnership, held May 21-22 in Riga, was a disaster for Ukraine. For friends of democracy, the rule of law, and Ukraine, it would have been better had this EU summit never taken place and its joint declaration never written. …read more Source: Atlantic...