War in Ukraine

Russia Summit Achieves Little, As Expected

By James Joyner

Naval War College professor Nick Gvosdev, a contributing editor at the Atlantic Council, argued in advance of the trip that “Despite all the promises about a ‘reset’ in the U.S.-Russia relationship, the Obama administration still seems to be following a script crafted by its predecessor” but predicted that the visit would be “symbolically triumphal.”  He […]

Russia and the West: Mindset, not Reset

By Jeffrey Lightfoot

When President Obama arrives in Moscow today for his much-anticipated summit with President Medvedev, he should temper his expectations. A dramatic improvement in the West’s relationship with Russia is unlikely to take place unless the “reset” moment is accompanied by a change in mindset from both parties.

Ukraine’s president rules out hosting NATO bases

By RIA Novosti

From RIA Novosti: Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko said on Sunday that Ukraine will not host foreign military bases, and its territory will not be used against Russia, when the country joins NATO. “Ukraine guarantees that there will be no foreign soldiers of any bloc or any country. This is implied by the Constitution of Ukraine […]

U.S.-led “Sea Breeze” Combined Exercise Canceled in Ukraine

By the Jamestown Foundation

From the Jamestown Foundation: On June 22 Ukrainian Naval Headquarters confirmed unofficially that the country’s political deadlock has doomed the multinational military exercise Sea Breeze-2009. According to the Ukrainian headquarters sources, the U.S. Armed Forces European Command (EUCOM) and the U.S. Sixth Fleet notified Ukraine’s defense ministry on June 17 officially that foreign military units […]

NATOSource: State Department view of the future of Ukraine and Georgia in NATO

By U.S. Department of State

Statement by Philip H. Gordon, Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, before the Subcommittee on Europe of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. From U.S. Department of State: “The United States strongly supports the right of both Ukraine and Georgia to pursue their membership aspirations in NATO. To achieve NATO membership, both countries […]

U.S. expert says Ukraine’s joining NATO won’t guarantee support in case of military intervention

By Kyiv Post

From Kyiv Post: “A senior fellow at the Cato Institute (Washington, the United States), Doug Bandow, has said that Ukraine’s joining NATO will not guarantee the country full-scale protection in the case of any military attack. ‘The fundamental question during Ukraine’s accession to NATO is how much such an action would really ensure the country’s […]

Why Obama Can’t Reset Relations with Putin’s Russia

By Alexander Motyl

U.S. President Barack Obama wants to “reset” America’s relations with Russia, but the nature of the Russian regime won’t permit much change. Obama can easily reject the style and correct the mistakes of his predecessor, George W. Bush, but doing so will not alter the fact that Putin’s Russia must engage in imperialist rhetoric and […]

Azerbaijan: Baku Can Leapfrog over Ukraine, Georgia for NATO Membership

By eurasianet.org

From eurasianet.org: “A senior source within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s Joint Force Command has told EurasiaNet that Azerbaijan stands a better chance of gaining NATO membership in the near future than either Georgia or Ukraine.‘Earlier, the perception in both Brussels [North Atlantic Treaty Organization [NATO] headquarters] and Baku was that Georgia should integrate into […]

Atlantic Council Expands Ukraine Program

Ukraine-North America Dialogue, New Corruption Report Launched Washington, D.C. — The Atlantic Council of the United States recently launched the Ukraine-North America Dialogue as well as a new report on corruption in Ukraine that will be published this autumn.  In only two months, the Ukraine-North America Dialogue has become an important forum for promoting the […]

Georgia the Key to US-Russia “Reset”

By David Smith

US President Barack Obama will travel to Moscow July 6-8 on the first real test of his attempt to “reset” US-Russian relations.  At the Kremlin, Obama must articulate what is negotiable and what is not.