WASHINGTON (AP) — A new package of financial sanctions against Russia, Iran and North Korea has a hit a snag in the Senate, where the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee has objected to the House’s decision to include penalties targeting Pyongyang in the legislation. Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., told reporters Wednesday that he...

Jul26

Lawmakers Need a Russia Sanctions Strategy with an Exit Plan

Wednesday, July 26 , 2017 - 22:26 (EEST) Section: The National Interest (USA)

Nikolas K. Gvosdev Politics, Americas History shows that the lack of flexibility or graduation mechanisms in congressional sanctions can create unnecessary complications for the United States. The Russia-sanctions train appears to be accelerating out of the congressional station, which makes it highly unlikely that both chambers of the...

Jul26

Ukraine strips citizenship of ex-Georgia leader Saakashvili

Wednesday, July 26 , 2017 - 22:10 (EEST) Section: The Bellingham Herald (USA)

Ukraine’s president has rescinded the citizenship of Mikheil Saakashvili, the former president of Georgia who moved to Ukraine to become leader of one of its most corruption-plagued regions and later … Click to Continue » …read more Source: The Bellingham...

Jul26

Sanctions bill hits hurdle in Senate over NKorea penalties

Wednesday, July 26 , 2017 - 21:41 (EEST) Section: San Francisco Chronicle (USA)

WASHINGTON (AP) — A new package of financial sanctions against Russia, Iran and North Korea has a hit a snag in the Senate, where the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee has objected to the House’s decision to include penalties targeting Pyongyang in the legislation. The penalties on Moscow are for its meddling in the presidential...

Jul26

Russia’s Loss, Whose Gain?

Wednesday, July 26 , 2017 - 21:10 (EEST) Section: The American Interest (USA)

Everyone Loses: The Ukraine Crisis and the Ruinous Contest for Post-Soviet EurasiaSamuel Charap & Timothy J. ColtonRoutledge, 2017, 212 pp., $21.95 A recent book by Samuel Charap and Timothy Colton—two outstanding Russia experts of two distinctly different generations—will probably not go unnoticed given its grandly pessimistic title. Their...

Jul26

EU Adds Russians, Entities To Crimea Sanctions Over Siemens Case

Wednesday, July 26 , 2017 - 20:40 (EEST) Section: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (USA)

RFE/RL has learned that the European Union has added four Russian individuals and three Russian entities to its sanctions list after revelations that four gas turbines from the German company Siemens were “illegally” diverted from Russia to Ukraine’s occupied Crimean Peninsula. …read more Source: Radio Free Europe / Radio...

Jul26

Rick Perry, U.S. energy secretary, falls for Russian prankster posing as Ukrainian prime minister

Wednesday, July 26 , 2017 - 20:40 (EEST) Section: The Washington Times (USA)

Energy Secretary Rick Perry recently spent a 22-minute phone call speaking with a Russian prankster posing as Ukranian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman. Mr. Perry, convinced he was speaking to Ukraine’s prime minister, spoke July 19 about a range of topics including sanctions against Russia, coal exports, natural gas … …read...