Russia Review | March 2021
Overview • The “killer” exchange• “Afghan-led and Afghan-owned” – but in Moscow, Doha, Istanbul & New York• Russia and China define democracy, human rights and the international order• Global arms transfers: US rising, Russia falling The “killer” exchange By accident, coincidence or design (or a combination of them), US-Russia relations are administered a jolt whenever they show the slightest […]
Russia Review | February 2021
Overview • Which is the bigger threat: Russia or China?• Navalny: in Europe we trust • Nordstream 2: in or out?• Eastern Ukraine: on a snakes-and-ladders board• Sputnik V finally takes off (almost) Which is the bigger threat: Russia or China? Pronouncements on the foreign policy and national security priorities of the Biden Administration provided some clues on unfolding US policies […]
Russia Review | January 2021
Overview • Russia-and the Biden Administration• The legacy of Obama & Trump • Initial signals and contacts• US Coordination with allies on Russia• Biden Administration and China: first steps• Lavrov clarifies his remarks on the Indo-Pacific Russia-and the Biden Administration Over the past few months, this Review has recorded Russia’s expectations and apprehensions about the course of Russia-US relations under the Biden […]
Russia Review | December 2020
Overview • Reflections on post 2020 India-Russia relations• FM Lavrov’s Indo-Pacific comments • The impact of Russia-China relations• The Indo-Pacific dimension• The US-China-Russia triangle• India’s “strategic choice”• Obsolete templates need discarding • The summit • The Outlook Reflections on post 2020 India-Russia relations The narrative of dilution and drift in India-Russia relations has been prevalent in Indian political, official, business and media circles over a few years […]
Russia Review | November 2020
Overview • Russia’s subdued expectations of a Biden Administration • A fragile Russia-brokered peace in Nagorno-Karabakh• Another layer of complexity in Russia-Turkey relations• Russian Navy eyes the Indian Ocean Russia awaits Biden without illusions Vladimir Putin is one among very few world leaders not to have congratulated US President-elect Joe Biden. Asked about this, Foreign Minister Lavrov gave the legalistic […]
Russia Review | October 2020
Overview • The world according to Putin • The world order and its institutions• The malaise in international organizations• Constructive multilateralism• Arms control• Relations with Germany• Russia-China relations• US elections• India-Russia relations The world according to Putin It is universally believed that President Putin has unchallenged control over Russia’s foreign, defence and security policies. He makes frequent public pronouncements on these issues, announcing, clarifying […]
Russia Review | September 2020
Overview • India-China dialogue & India-Pakistan turbulence in Moscow• Nagorno-Karabakh: another foreign policy tight rope• The slow-burning Navalny fuse• China pips Russia as biggest threat to the US SCO & BRICS: platitudes & discord In a flurry of diplomatic activity, Russia hosted the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s (SCO) meetings of Defence Ministers (September 3–4), Foreign Ministers (September 9–10) and […]
Russia Review | August 2020
Overview • Belarus: near-abroad drifting away?• Khabarovsk: a Siberian challenge• Navalny: shades of Skripal • Sputnik V: “vaccine nationalism Belarus challenge for Russia and the West The ongoing events in and around Belarus raise the prospect of yet another part of Russia’s “near-abroad” drifting away from it. The runup to the Presidential elections was marked by a controversy over […]
Russia Review | July 2020
Overview • Russians approve a raft of constitutional amendments • Reported wrinkles in Russia-China relations• The snakes and ladders of the Minsk accords• Snippets: Trump calls Putin, Ukraine & Poland to sabotage NordStream2 Successful referendum on constitutional amendments Between 25 June and 1 July, Russia held a referendum, involving e-voting, postal ballot and physical voting (on […]
Russia Review | June 2020
Russia-US: telephone talk, bilateral talks, “foreign hand” & Afghan “bounty” The month started on an upbeat note for US-Russia relations, with a telephone call to President Putin from President Trump, in which (as per the Kremlin readout) the Russian President thanked his US counterpart for the timely donation of ventilators, the two Presidents congratulated themselves […]