GENERAL NEWS
Explainer-U.S. government hack: espionage or act of war?
https://www.reuters.com/article/global-cyber-legal/explainer-us-government-hack-espionage-or-act-of-war-idUSL1N2IY3EH
Trump administration hits Nato ally Turkey with sanctions over purchase of Russian missile defence system
Move by one Nato ally against another is unprecedented in recent history and has angered Erdogan government
The US has imposed sanctions on Turkey over its purchase of the sophisticated Russian S-400 anti-aircraft system that is deemed a threat to the security of the Nato alliance and a violation of a law calling for punishment against countries that purchase weapons from the Kremlin.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/us-turkey-sanctions-russia-missile-trump-b1774032.html
CNN analyst on Houston consulate closure: Trump's motives are 'highly suspect'
CNN's Rosemary Church speaks with CNN Global Affairs Analyst Max Boot who says President Donald Trump is "demonizing" China for domestic political gain rather than as part of a comprehensive strategy.
Manning Guilty Of 20 Charges, Not Aiding The Enemy
In a split decision, U.S. Army Pfc. Bradley Manning was acquitted Tuesday of aiding the enemy – the most serious charge he faced – but was convicted of espionage, theft and nearly every other count for giving secrets to WikiLeaks, a verdict that could see him spend the rest of his life in prison.
The advocacy group Reporters Without Borders said the verdict was a chilling warning to whistleblowers, “against whom the Obama administration has been waging an unprecedented offensive,” and threatens the future of investigative journalism because intimidated sources might fall quiet.
http://newsone.com/2649830/bradley-manning-guilty/?omcamp=sf_N1FB
US Missile Shield No Threat to Russia - Deputy PM
Russia’s strategic forces are capable of penetrating the US missile shield and it poses no military threat to the country, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said on Tuesday.
“We have solved the issue of penetrating the missile shield. We regret that the United States waste their money on missile defense and compel us to do the same. The missile shield is nothing for us, it’s a bluff. It poses no military threat, but remains a political and economic problem,” Rogozin said during his speech at the Russian embassy in London.
He said that most of Russia’s criticism is caused by the fact that the planned missile shield is “provocative” and “excessive by nature” and thus forces other countries to boost their strategic defenses.
http://www.en.ria.ru/world/20130416/180661245/US-Missile-Shield-No-Threat-to-Russia---Deputy-PM.html
Russia and US trade accusations over Syria
US charges Russia with pushing Syria into civil war, as Moscow implies White House response to conflict is emotional.
Moscow and Washington have traded fierce diplomatic blows over Syria with US charges that Russia was pushing its ally into civil war and the Kremlin accusing the White House of being emotional.
Russia has made it clear from the start that Putin will not be swayed by Western and Arab world anger over his refusal to back action against a Middle East government that Moscow has held patronage over since Soviet times.
The Russians "are telling me they don't want to see a civil war. I have been telling them their policy is going to help contribute to a civil war," she told a mainly student audience on a visit to Copenhagen.
'Free of emotions'
Russia insists that it is not supporting the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad but rather respects international law and the policy of non-intervention in internal conflicts.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/05/201253115147529764.html
Russia Feels Like a “Junior Partner” in European Security, but Is Unlikely to...
Russia Feels Like a “Junior Partner” in European Security, but Is Unlikely to Leave START, Say Analysts
Despite promises that ratification of the new START treaty would lead to a period of greater international cooperation in nuclear security, Russian politicians have been expressing dissatisfaction with NATO and the United States in recent weeks. Missile defense systems are once again the source of tension in Russia, which has claimed that Washington, along with NATO, is ignoring Russian security interests in seeking to install interceptor missiles in Central Europe, reigniting a disputed topic from the pre-“reset” George Bush era.
The Russian authorities have gone so far as to threaten to abandon the START agreement if Russia is not given “guarantees” about the missile systems, and President Dmitry Medvedev yesterday further warned that a breakdown could “throw us back in to the era of the Cold War.”
Standing before a packed house at his Skolkovo technology and business center, Medvedev issued a strong warning to the United States over the issue of missile defense. “We [and America] are able to work out a model for cooperation in anti-rocket defense. If we don’t work this out, then we’ll have to take some responsive measures, which are not desirable, and then the issue will be about speeding up the development of the strike potential of our nuclear weapons.”
http://russiaprofile.org/international/36817.html
US-Russia New Start nuclear treaty comes into effect The New Start nuclear...
US-Russia New Start nuclear treaty comes into effect
The New Start nuclear arms treaty limiting the number of atomic warheads the US and Russia are allowed to possess, has come into effect.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton exchanged ratification documents at a conference in Munich.
The treaty replaces the 1991 Start treaty which expired in December 2009.
It was approved by the US Senate in December and by the Russian parliament last month.
The papers exchanged in Munich had been signed by US President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev following an agreement made last April.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-12373665
Obama Signs Nuclear Treaty President Barack Obama has signed the New START ...
Obama Signs Nuclear Treaty
President Barack Obama has signed the New START strategic arms reduction treaty with Russia. The treaty is to take effect by the end of the week.
Mr. Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev originally signed New START last April in Prague. The U.S. Senate approved it on December 22, and the upper house of the Russian parliament, the Federation Council, ratified it on January 26.
http://www.voanews.com/english/news/Obama-Signs-Nuclear-Treaty-115115719.html
US cracks down on Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela
US National Security Advisor Bolton announces new restrictions and sanctions against the three countries.
The administration of United States President Donald Trump intensified its crackdown on Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela on Wednesday, rolling back Obama administration policy and announcing new restrictions and sanctions against the three countries, whose leaders were dubbed the "three stooges of socialism" by US National Security Advisor John Bolton.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/04/cracks-cuba-nicaragua-venezuela-190417192724288.html
Will Russia Graduate From the Jackson-Vanik Amendment?
The United States Senate Finance Committee began hearings last week on abolishing controversial trade restrictions against Russia under the Soviet-era Jackson-Vanik Amendment. American lawmakers will debate granting Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) status to Moscow. Will Russia finally be graduated from the Jackson-Vanik Amendment imposed in 1974 on the now non-existent country?
http://russiaprofile.org/experts_panel/56357.html
The Recent Russia-NATO Summit Shows that Missile Defense Remains a Contentiou...
The Recent Russia-NATO Summit Shows that Missile Defense Remains a Contentious Issue, Despite the Russian-American Reset
The Russia-NATO summit held on July 4 in Sochi indicated that the deployment of an American missile system in Central Europe and the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) are the issues most likely to undermine the achievements of the U.S.-Russian “reset.” Disagreements between the Russians and Americans may put the START treaty at risk if Moscow and Washington don’t resolve the problem within a year, Russia’s Special Representative to NATO Dmitry Rogozin said in an interview with the Kommersant daily newspaper before the summit. While some U.S. experts argue that Russia’s threat to leave the treaty won’t harm U.S.-Russian relations, their Russian counterparts have not ruled out the possibility of increasing confrontation in “the second round of the reset.”
http://russiaprofile.org/politics/40577.html
Eye on Iran, Obama pitches Jewish groups on START treaty ratification The c...
Eye on Iran, Obama pitches Jewish groups on START treaty ratification
The campaign to curb Iran’s nuclear program just acquired a new deadline: the end of the 111th Congress.
The Obama administration has made a priority of ratifying the START nuclear arms reduction treaty with Russia before the Senate’s lame-duck session finishes at year’s end. A number of Republicans, citing what they say are weaknesses in the treaty, are balking.
Another key component of the White House rationale in advancing START is further isolating Iran as a means of getting the Islamic Republic to end its suspected nuclear weapons program.
Vice President Joe Biden hosted a chat last Friday with journalists who reach constituencies that the White House is eager to win over. At the session, to which JTA was invited, top national security officials said that ratifying START was vital in keeping Russia on board on Iran.
Tinker, Tailor, Housewife, Spy Were the Spies Who Operated For Years in Ameri...
Tinker, Tailor, Housewife, Spy
Were the Spies Who Operated For Years in American Suburbia Betrayed By a Mole in Their Own Service
Ten alleged Russian agents were arrested in the United States and charged with “deep cover” intelligence gathering on Sunday, only two days after President Dmitry Medvedev completed his tour of the country. Back in Moscow some top Russian officials already suspect the spy bust was timed deliberately to undermine U.S.-Russian relations by opponents of the “reset.” Meanwhile in the United States the Republican Party will look to exploit the finding in campaigning against the Obama administration. So how big a setback is this scandal for the recent phase of warmer U.S.-Russian relations?
Ten alleged Russian spies were arrested and charged on Sunday with “long-term, deep cover” operations on United States territory. An eleventh person who had been on the run using a Canadian passport was detained this afternoon in Cyprus. He is thought to be the final member of the spy ring.
All eleven are charged with “conspiring to act as unlawful agents of the Russian Federation within the United States,” punishable by up to five years in prison, and nine of them have been charged with “conspiracy to commit money laundering,” which carries a 20-year sentence.
The spies from the SVR, Russia’s foreign intelligence service, were gathering intelligence on nuclear weapons, arms control positions, Iran, political changes in parties, and leadership changes within the CIA, according to documents drawn up over the course of a “multiyear” FBI investigation.
http://www.russiaprofile.org/page.php?pageid=International&articleid=a1277829154
White House: Spy Arrests Will Not Harm US-Russian Ties The White House says ...
White House: Spy Arrests Will Not Harm US-Russian Ties
The White House says the arrests of 11 people in an alleged Russian spy ring is not a setback to improved U.S.-Russian relations.
Spokesman Robert Gibbs said Tuesday that President Barack Obama knew about the alleged spy ring before he hosted Russian President Dmitri Medvedev last week.
In Moscow, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin - meeting with former U.S. President Bill Clinton - said he also believes the scandal will not hurt ties with the United States. He said he hopes that the people who value these relations understand this.
U.S. authorities arrested 10 alleged Russian agents Sunday. Police on Cyprus arrested an 11 suspect Tuesday.
The alleged agents have been accused of gathering information for Russian intelligence on U.S. nuclear weapons, foreign policy and politics while quietly living and working in the United States.
Russia's Foreign Ministry says the suspects did not commit any actions against U.S. interests.
But U.S. prosecutors say an intercepted and decoded secret message describes the mission as a "long-term service trip."
The message allegedly tells the Russians that everything they have in the United States, including bank accounts, cars and houses, are to serve one goal - searching and developing ties in policymaking circles and sending intelligence reports back to Moscow.
Putin slams Russian 'spy' arrests
Russia has reacted angrily to US claims that it has broken up a Russian spy ring operating in the country, saying that American police were "out of control," and that the accusations were "baseless and improper".
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2010/06/201062918744194290.html
US arrests alleged Russian spies U...
US arrests alleged Russian spies
US authorities have arrested 10 people for allegedly serving for years as deep cover secret agents of Russia's SVR intelligence agency, with the goal of penetrating US government policymaking circles.
According to court papers unsealed on Monday, the FBI intercepted a message from SVR headquarters in Moscow to two of the defendants, describing their main mission as "to search and develop ties in policymaking circles in US".
They were to "become sufficiently 'Americanised' such that they could gather information about the United States for Russia and can successfully recruit sources who are in, or are able to infiltrate, United States policymaking circles", according to criminal complaints filed in US federal court.
They were not assigned to collect classified, secret information, a justice department official said, but were allegedly tasked to learn about a broad swath of topics including nuclear weapons, US arms control positions, positions on Iran, White House rumours, CIA leadership turnover, the last presidential election, congress and political parties.
Charged with conspiracy
Each of the 10 suspects arrested on Sunday was charged with conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison on conviction.
Federal law prohibits individuals from acting as agents of foreign governments within the US without notifying the attorney-general.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2010/06/201062914613110152.html
Ten arrested in US on charges of spying for Russia
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/us_and_canada/10442223.stm
U.S. piracy concerns looms large over Russia's WTO bid U.S. business groups ...
U.S. piracy concerns looms large over Russia's WTO bid
U.S. business groups said on Friday they hoped President Barack Obama's pledge to helpRussia join the World Trade Organization soon meant Moscow will finally honor promises it made more than three years ago to crack down on piracy of American goods.
Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said at a news conference on Thursday they would push their negotiators to finish work on Russia's bid in coming months.
Russia, the largest economy still outside the rules-based world trading system, has been trying to join for 17 years.
Moscow often complains it is being held in the WTO talks to a higher standard on intellectual property rights enforcement than earlier entrants, such as China.
To address those concerns, Russia promised the United States in a 2006 agreement to take a number of steps to reduce intellectual property theft, including bringing their domestic laws into line with international standards and increasing penalties for violations.
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE65O5QY20100625
Obama and Medvedev hail 're-set' US-Russia ties Russian President Dmitry Me...
Obama and Medvedev hail 're-set' US-Russia ties
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his US counterpart Barack Obama have marked a warming in relations between the two countries on Mr Medvedev's first visit to America.
Speaking after White House talks, Mr Obama said the pair had "succeeded at resetting our relationship".