Last night I received a last-minute invitation to a lunch today with Vladimir Putin’s representative to Washington. I paused for a moment and then said, fine, let’s hear about the Kremlin’s version of the Ukraine crisis from a genuine source.
The European Union undercut the United States’ sanctions against Russia by failing to match America’s April 28th sanctions against 17 high-tech companies that are directly owned or controlled by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Although the EU issued “enhanced” sanctions against
When the media reported the assassination attempt on Kharkiv Mayor Gennady Kernes, they forgot to mention he is Jewish. Kernes was shot in the back when he was going through his regular morning exercises. Kharkiv’s spokeswoman told reporters, “It was most
Ukraine’s interim President Oleksandr Turchynov said Kyiv is “helpless” against the pro-Russian forces in east Ukraine. These forces seized government buildings, kidnapped journalists and politicians, and attacked peaceful pro-Ukrainian rallies. At first, Kyiv started an anti-terrorist operation for the east,
Gerard Schroeder, the former German chancellor whose Social Democrat party is now in coalition with Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats, has been pictured embracing Vladimir Putin after a party in St Petersburg. The embrace, which has attracted widespread criticism in Germany,
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said the new US sanctions against Russia are similar to the Iron Curtain policies put in place during the Cold War. Mr Ryabkov told the online newspaper Gazeta.ru that the US sanctions were “a
President Barack Obama summarized his foreign policy doctrine in a press conference in Manilia, Philippines on Tuesday: he “avoids errors.” Obama was asked to define his doctrine by Ed Henry of Fox News. The president, after complaining about Fox News’ coverage of
President Obama has earned the lowest approval rating of his presidency in the ABC/Washington Post political poll. Only 41 percent approve of Obama – the lowest rating since he his previous low of 42 percent in November 2013 during the
A huge fight broke out after pro-Russians attacked a group of pro-Ukrainians holding a peaceful rally in Donetsk. William Booth, foreign correspondent for the Washington Post, tweeted a picture around 12PM ET that showed a peaceful rally of pro-Ukrainians. He
Gennady Kernes, mayor of Kharkiv, is fighting for his life in a hospital after an apparent assassination attempt on his life Monday morning. Kharkiv is Ukraine’s second largest city and where pro-Russians have caused turmoil since Russia-backed president Viktor Yanukovych
The US announced new sanctions against Russia on Monday, and the list includes seven Russian government officials and 17 companies that are tied to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle. The Russin officials sanctioned were Oleg Belavantsev, Sergei Chemezov, Dmitry
On April 28th, four British fighter jets from RAF Lincolnshire deployed to Lithuania to carry out “NATO’s air policing role of the Baltic states.” According to the BBC, the jets are Typhoons and will join “six Polish jets” to relieve
The Group of 7 major economies (G7) announced Saturday that it will pass more sanctions against Russia, with President Barack Obama telling Russia the U.S. prepared sanctions are ready to be imposed as early as Monday morning. The US, European
Pro-Russian forces captured a television station in Donetsk and said programming will be changed to Russian TV. A Reuters reporter witnessed the seizure. A Reuters reporter said four separatists in masks, with truncheons and shields, were standing at the entrance
UPDATE: Pro-Russians released one member of the OSCE group they kidnapped last Friday on medical grounds. Ukraine previously said one of the observers was in need of medical aid. Pro-Russians in Sloviansk kidnapped eight members of the Organization for Security
Ex-Soviet state Moldova is one of many that fears Russian President Vladimir Putin will target them after Ukraine and wants to strengthen ties to the West. The European Union extended visa-free travel to Moldovan citizens. In response to the Ukraine
Pro-Russian forces in Sloviansk have kidnapped eight members of the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Vyacheslav Ponomarev, self-proclaimed mayor of Sloviansk, said the people are NATO spies. “As we found maps on them containing information about the
On April 26, 1986, a routine test at the Soviet Union’s Chernobyl nuclear power plant went awry, causing the single greatest ecological disaster in history. As Ukraine prepares to observe this grim anniversary, tensions between the state and separatists favoring
This morning’s key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com Suicide bombers strike hardline Shia campaign rally in Baghdad Iraq Nigeria’s government under fire over schoolgirl abduction Russian jets fly over Ukraine’s air space Suicide bombers strike hardline Shia campaign rally in Baghdad Iraq
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) will host Hillary Clinton at his institute’s annual Sedona Forum on Saturday. McCain hosted Vice President Joe Biden last year and will participate in a conversation with the potential 2016 presidential contender at the McCain Institute
Standard & Poor’s downgraded Russia’s credit rating to BBB-, just one notch above junk, and warned that the nation faced a further downgrade in the event of tighter financial sanctions by members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). To prevent
The US is ready to impose more sanctions on Russia, but the European Union is silent. President Obama spoke to EU leaders to push them towards more sanctions as Moscow continues to show more aggression towards Ukraine. Reuters reported Obama
Despite what many feel is Russia’s illegal attempt to annex the Crimea region of Ukraine, and in the face of condemnation from his own fans, liberal cable talk show host Thom Hartmann has refused to cut ties with the Russian-controlled
The relationship between the US and Russia is almost at Cold War-level, and it does not help that Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu is ignoring phone calls from U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel. Army Col. Steve Warren, a Pentagon
In these selfie times when freedom, joy, and posterity are just a head-tilt, grin, and finger-click away, it is only fitting that the United States of America would have as commander-in-chief the undisputed King of Selfies. The Selfie Presidency for
