Russia
US will play minimum role in Ukraine’s security guarantees – Politico
The Pentagon’s top policy official Elbridge Colby says the US will play a minimal role in any Ukraine security guarantees, Politico reported on August 21.
Western reliance on peacekeepers and arms sales in lieu of real security guarantees doom Russo-Ukraine peace talks to failure
The coalition of the willing plan to send “reassurance forces” to Ukraine and buy Kyiv $100bn worth of new US weapons in lieu of giving Kyiv real collective security guarantees will doom imminent Russo-Ukraine peace negotiations to failure.
Russians have mixed feelings about Stalin, but only 2% condemn him
In May of this year the world was shocked by the Moscow City government decision to unveil a grand bas-relief of Stalin at the Taganskaya metro station in the heart of Moscow.
CENTRAL ASIA BLOG: Might Russia be kicked out of Kazakhstan’s nuclear building programme entirely?
Of three NPP contracts made available by the Central Asian country, two have gone to China. The winner of the other one, Russian state corporation Rosatom, is, meanwhile, struggling with financing issues.
Peace turns on possible new Western security deals for Ukraine
Mixed results for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy following the historic meeting with US President Donald Trump and seven European leaders on August 18 in the White House.
Ukraine goes into production of Flamingo ICBM
Flamingo is part of Ukraine's broader push to develop independent strike capabilities, as it has been sorely lacking in missiles that can strike targets deep in Russia’s hinterland.
Russian bank deposits fall further as August withdrawals accelerate
Russian bank customers have continued to pull funds from their accounts, with another RUB17.7bn ($193mn) withdrawn as of August 15, according to new figures released by the Russian Central Bank.
High stake talks in Washington between Trump, Zelenskiy and EU leaders
Following the underwhelming Alaska summit, US president Donald Trump has invited five European leaders, NATO, and the EU to the Oval Office as well as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to close a deal that could end the war on August 18.
Putin demanded complete control of Donbas from Trump in Alaska talks
President Vladimir Putin demanded that Ukraine give up complete control of the Donbas in talks with Trump, but said he was prepared to freeze the conflict in the remaining two regions of Kherson and Zapariszhzhia the Financial Times reported.
No deal in Alaska: Putin looks strong, Trump looks weak
No deal to end the war in Ukraine was reached at the historic meeting between US president Donald Trump and president Vladimir Putin at a three-hour summit in Alaska on August 15 that ended up making the Russian leader look stronger than ever.
US to offer Russia access to Alaskan rare earth minerals at Alaska summit - Daily Telegraph
The United States is preparing to propose granting Russia access to rare earth minerals in Alaska during the forthcoming summit between President Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin, The Daily Telegraph reported on August 13.
Russia scraps mandatory foreign currency sales for exporters as rouble strengthens
The Russian government has reduced to zero the requirement for mandatory repatriation and sale of foreign currency earnings by exporters, thanks to a stronger ruble and stable foreign exchange conditions, Vedomosti reported on August 14.
Russian PM on official visit to Kyrgyzstan, one of Moscow’s “closest partners”
Small Central Asian country appears to have become important to Moscow for sanctions-dodging re-exports and financial flows.
Kazakhstan pulls ahead of Russia for GDP per capita
Development a serious blow to Russian prestige.
Sanctions on Russia push India to send diesel to China for first time since 2021
India’s Nayara Energy, which has ties to Russia’s Rosneft, is shipping diesel to China for the first time in more than four years, as European Union sanctions disrupt its petroleum exports
Annual inflation in Russia slowed to 8.79% in July
Annual inflation in Russia eased to 8.79% in July from 9.4% in June, despite a month-on-month acceleration in consumer price growth, according to Rosstat, Vedomosti reported on August 13.
Russia’s economy narrowly avoids technical recession as war strains mount
The slowdown in GDP growth in Russia to 1.1% year on year in the second quarter suggests the economy may have narrowly avoided a technical recession, but “the economy is clearly struggling amidst imbalances that have built up due to the war."
COMMENT: What is Rosneft’s flagship Vostok Oil Project seeking to achieve?
Russia’s oil industry enjoyed a renaissance between 2008 and 2018 when about 30 new oil fields came online, significantly boosting production. The Vostok Oil fields hold some 45bn barrels of oil.
The unintended consequence of Trump's tariffs is pushing BRICS together
President Donald Trump’s tariff salvo aimed at some of the BRICS economies is in danger badly of backfiring on US interests by driving the more moderate members of the world’s leading emerging economies into the anti-Western Sino-Russian alliance
Venezuela clears way for Russian extradition of Ukraine supporter held in Caracas
Venezuela's Supreme Court will consider extraditing a Russian national and prominent Ukraine supporter to Moscow on terrorism charges, in yet another case that illustrates the deepening ties between Maduro's regime and the Kremlin.