Eastern Europe

Putin Warns NATO Against Closer Ties with Ukraine and Georgia

By Vladimir Putin and Reuters

Excerpt from speech by Russian President Vladimir Putin, July 19, 2018.

Wilson Testifies Before the US Helsinki Commission on “Russia’s Occupation of Georgia and the Erosion of the International Order”

Russia’s Occupation of Georgia and the Erosion of the International Order Testimony beforeThe Commission on Security and Cooperation in EuropeU.S. Helsinki Commission Damon M. WilsonExecutive Vice PresidentAtlantic Council Location: Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room 124 Time: 11:00 A.M.Date: Tuesday, July 17, 2018 View the full testimony here WILSON: Chairman Wicker, Co-Chairman Smith, Ranking Member Cardin, Ranking […]

Poroshenko Expects Ukraine to be a Priority When Trump Meets Putin

By David Wemer

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko expects Russia’s role in the conflict in his country to be a priority when US President Donald J. Trump meets Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki on July 16. Poroshenko said that meeting, the first summit between Trump and Putin, could go either way, but trusted that “Ukraine would be among […]

Democracy Is Under Major Attack in Moldova. Is Anyone Paying Attention?

By Dumitru Alaiba

Last week a court in Moldova’s capital of Chișinău annulled the popular vote in local elections, which were won by pro-European opposition leader Andrei Năstase. The formal grounds for canceling the results are absurd; on election day the candidate urged people to vote on social media. This is no reason to block an elected official […]

Q&A: What’s Behind Moldova’s Massive Protests?

By Melinda Haring

Protesters are taking to the streets of Moldova’s capital of Chisinau again. On June 3, Andrei Nastase was elected mayor of Chisinau with 52.5% of the vote. Nastase, a pro-European prosecutor and anti-corruption activist, defeated Socialist Ion Ceban who favors closer ties to Moscow. On June 19, a Chisinau court struck down the election results, […]

Here’s Why Georgia Must Be on the Agenda of a Trump-Putin Summit

By George Tsereteli

As the ten-year anniversary of the 2008 Russian invasion of Georgia approaches, there will be a brief spike in policy suggestions and attention paid to the small Caucasian nation. The reality, unfortunately, is that the five-day war in August 2008 is now mostly cited in the context of being the event that took place prior […]