Eastern Europe

Poland’s Sikorski Urges Tougher NATO Stance Against Russia

Two days after resigning as the Speaker of Poland’s Parliament following an eavesdropping scandal, veteran Polish politician Radosław Sikorski said his country and the United States must jointly stand up to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s provocations in Ukraine. Speaking June 12 at the Atlantic Council’s Wrocław Global Forum 2015, Sikorski thanked the US government for […]

With World Focused on Ukraine, Russia Makes Moves on Georgia

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Georgian official draws parallels between Putin’s treaties with breakaway provinces and annexation of Crimea While the world focuses its attention on the Ukraine crisis, Russia has been quietly grabbing territory from another neighbor—Georgia. The Kremlin’s aggression against Ukraine is just the latest provocation by Russia in its neighborhood, Georgia’s Foreign Minister, Tamar Beruchashvili, reminded an […]

Everything You Thought You Knew about Right-Wing Parties is Wrong

By Alina Polyakova

The Russian government and its proxies in eastern Ukraine have consistently branded Kyiv’s government a fascist junta and accused it of having Nazi sympathizers. Moscow’s propaganda is outrageous and wrong. In fact, Ukraine’s radical right political parties—Right Sector and Svoboda—have been marginalized.

Why Saakashvili’s Appointment as Odesa’s Governor Actually Makes Perfect Sense

By Brian Mefford

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 of Richelieu’s footsteps as an outside Governor of Odesa or the late […]

The Odesa Gambit

By Michael Hikari Cecire

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 having served in Georgia through […]

Turkey Condemns Russia’s Actions in Ukraine and Georgia

By AFP

Turkey on Tuesday said nothing can justify Russia’s actions in Ukraine and other ex-Soviet states, in a rare strong criticism of its increasingly close ally ahead of a NATO meeting.

EU Aspirants Face a Closed, if Not Locked, Door on Enlargement

By Robbie Gramer

Aspirant EU members Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine are poised to leave the upcoming EU Eastern Partnership Summit disappointed, though not empty-handed. An advance draft of the Eastern Partnership declaration, to be unveiled at the summit on May 21 to 22 in Riga, Latvia, underscores the European Union’s drift away from stronger engagement with its partners.

Moldova’s Weakened Leadership Vows to Stay on Course Toward Europe

By New Atlanticist

But Political Squabbling Yields a Minority Government, Strengthens Russia’s Hand Moldova’s three-month-long political last week produced a surprise prime minister, Chiril Gaburici, who promised every effort “to ensure that by 2018 the country can qualify to sign an agreement on associate membership” in the European Union. But as Gaburici, a cellular telephone company executive, takes […]