Section: European Voice (EU)
Vladimir Putin switches chief of staff
Vladimir Putin has replaced his chief of staff, Sergei Ivanov, the Kremlin announced Friday, adding the move came at Ivanov’s request. Ivanov’s deputy, Anton Vaino, will become the new head of Putin’s office, according to a transcript of a meeting between the trio, released by the Kremlin. “I remember very well our agreement...
Kremlin: Russia and UK to ‘step up’ cooperation
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his British counterpart Prime Minister Theresa May spoke on the phone on Tuesday and “expressed dissatisfaction” about the state of their countries’ cooperation on political, trade and economic matters, the Kremlin announced in a statement. During the phone call, which, according to the Kremlin, was...
The Turkey-Russia reset
The failed coup in Turkey pushed Recep Tayyip Erdoğan into the arms of a man he now hails as a “valuable friend” but who was until recently a bitter enemy. Russo-Turkish relations had reached a new low following Turkey’s downing of a Russian jet in November 2015 — as Vladimir Putin coldly reminded his Turkish counterpart during their...
US to Turkey: Back off
The Obama administration has a message for Turkey: Tone it down. A day after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressed frustration that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry had yet to visit his country in the wake of a failed coup attempt, a State Department official said the U.S. is increasingly concerned about the language emanating from...
Erdoğan and Putin reignite the bromance
ISTANBUL — The long-standing friendship between Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is due to resume after a 10-month interruption as the two strongmen meet for a summit in St. Petersburg Tuesday. Relations between the presidents of Russia and Turkey have been frayed since last November when Turkish F-16s downed...
Would Hillary keep John Kerry on?
Time is running out for John Kerry. With less than six months until a new president takes office, the U.S. secretary of state is working furiously to reach a political settlement in Syria, hold together the international coalition fighting the Islamic State, and tame a Russian bear prowling in Syria and Ukraine. Friends and allies say the...
President Trump and the future of the West
It was a strange day for Estonia when the tiny Baltic nation became the focus of intense debate in the U.S. presidential campaign. At issue: Would the United States honor its NATO obligation to defend Estonia in the event of an attack by Russia? Donald Trump, who has repeatedly criticized small NATO members for “taking advantage” of the United...
How to hack an election in 7 minutes
When Princeton professor Andrew Appel decided to hack into a voting machine, he didn’t try to mimic the Russian attackers who hacked into the Democratic National Committee’s database last month. He didn’t write malicious code, or linger near a polling place where the machines can go unguarded for days. Instead, he bought one...
Thousands sign petition calling for Russian PM to resign
More than 178,000 people have signed an online petition calling for Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev’s resignation after he suggested teachers wanting more pay should seek a different career, AFP reported Friday. When asked by a university lecturer at a public forum why teachers receive less money than policemen, the prime minister...
Insiders to Trump: Drop out
Amid widespread chatter that Donald Trump could drop out of the presidential race before Election Day, Republican insiders in key battleground states have a message for The Donald: Get out. That’s according to The POLITICO Caucus — a panel of activists, strategists and operatives in 11 swing states. The majority of GOP insiders, 70 percent,...
