United States and Canada

NATO Commander Warns of Russian Threat to Separatist Moldova Region

By Washington Post and Reuters

U.S. and Ukrainian officials warned Sunday that Russia may be poised to expand its territorial conquest into eastern Ukraine and beyond, with a senior NATO official saying that Moscow might even order its troops to cross Ukraine to reach Moldova.

Putin Interprets the West’s Gradualism as a Sign of Weakness

By Editors of the Wall Street Journal

Maybe President Obama is catching on to Vladimir Putin. The Russian President keeps ignoring Mr. Obama’s pleas to stop carving up Ukraine, and at last on Thursday the U.S. President responded by imposing some sanctions worth the name.

New Russia Sanctions: Analysts and Politicians React

In his remarks Thursday, President Obama announced additional sanctions on individuals within the Russian elite. The expanded list of sanctions also includes a bank. Commentators took to social media immediately to respond to the newest round of Ukraine-related sanctions–from both the US and Russia.

Russian Aggression Puts NATO in Spotlight

By STEVEN ERLANGER, New York Times

Russia’s annexation of Crimea has suddenly revived the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s central role as a counterweight to Moscow, and with it questions about the alliance’s options and ability to act.

Russian Navy ‘Rebalances’ to the Mediterranean

By Thomas R. Fedyszyn, U.S. Naval Institute

As the U.S. military “rebalances” to the Asia-Pacific theater, the Russian Navy is pivoting back into the same European waters it became very familiar with during the Cold War.

US Suggests Baltics War Games in Response to Russian ‘Land Grab’

By Roberta Rampton, Reuters

The United States is considering sending troops for war games in the Baltic states bordering Russia, Vice President Joe Biden said on Tuesday in an effort to reassure NATO allies alarmed at the Kremlin’s intervention in Ukraine.

Geopolitics 101: History Matters

By Harlan Ullman

As President Vladimir Putin moves to consolidate Russian autonomy over Crimea with a referendum, the West continues to struggle to find acceptable policies to reverse or punish this encroachment. Short of a military response that would be profoundly reckless and exceedingly dangerous, in these policy deliberations by the West led by Washington, history seems to […]

Report: Delays in Missile Defense for Poland, Romania

By Rachel Oswald, Defense One

The Defense Department presently intends to declare the second and third phases of the European Phased Adaptive Approach “technically capable” in 2015 and 2018.

US Issues Targeted Sanctions on Russian Elites

The US and EU rejected Crimea’s referendum Sunday, issuing statements and new sanctions outlining the West’s overwhelming disapproval of Russian activities in Crimea.