The group of four nations is, in all but name, a strategic anti-China pact set up to counter Beijing’s influence over the region, and the foundation stone of the so-called “Indo-Pacific strategy”. That strategy includes not only military co-operation, but also an array of joint initiatives on investment, infrastructure, technology …
Read More »Biden will hold global Covid ‘summit’ focused on bringing ‘higher level of ambition’ pushing vaccines
The virtual summit is being timed with the United Nations General Assembly, with the summit being planned for September 22, the day after the end of the UN conference. While the specifics of the talk are not yet known, White House officials announced on Friday that the president will be …
Read More »More ‘frostpolitik’ than ‘Ostpolitik’? Merkel’s farewell Moscow summit with Putin rounds off a tumultuous era in European politics
What might come out of the head-to-head is anyone’s guess, but it is clear that regional affairs are firmly on the agenda, with the chancellor set to fly to Kiev on her way back to Berlin from Moscow. The farewell tour of Eastern Europe comes as Merkel prepares to stand …
Read More »EU leaders split over whether to push for summit with Russia, France & Germany back plan but some other members voice opposition
At a meeting of the bloc’s heads of state in Brussels on Thursday, opinion was divided about how such talks would be organized, and even whether they should go ahead at all. French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel led the charge in favor of opening up bilateral …
Read More »Russian ambassador returns to the US days after Putin-Biden summit, as Washington teases NEW sanctions
Before taking a regular flight with Russian carrier Aeroflot, Antonov confessed that he was making the journey over the Atlantic in “an optimistic mood.” He said that he was expecting constructive cooperation with the US authorities in order to build an “equal pragmatic bilateral relationship.” The Russian ambassador was called …
Read More »‘A good day for Russia’: Trump blasts Biden after Putin summit, citing Nord Stream waivers
“We didn’t get anything. We gave a very big stage to Russia, and we got nothing,” Trump told Fox’s Sean Hannity on Wednesday night, going on to attack Biden for dropping sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project, which is being built by Russia and will transport natural gas …
Read More »After Geneva summit, Biden shows his preference for fantasy narratives extends beyond the US to Russia as well
Parsing Biden’s words is a thankless task, because whatever he actually says, his White House handlers and the compliant media will quickly ‘clarify’ if it clashes with their narrative. With that caveat in mind, some of his remarks at Wednesday’s solo press conference in Geneva, following the meeting with Russian …
Read More »‘Doing Putin’s work’? Clinton picks moment of Geneva summit to attack 2020 election doubters & promise ‘consequences’ for Russia
Biden and Putin met in Switzerland on Wednesday to discuss matters including foreign policy, climate change, the Covid-19 pandemic, and cyber security, during a summit both men hope will thaw the chilly relationship between the two countries. Not everyone wants that relationship thawed, however. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, …
Read More »Russia-US summit begins in Geneva as Putin & Biden sit down to start talks; agenda includes Ukraine, hacking, climate & Syria
On Tuesday, the day before the summit, Putin’s foreign policy aide, Yury Ushakov, revealed that the heads of state are planning to touch on a wide range of topics, including Covid-19, climate change, and the fight against cybercrime. They will also discuss a wide range of regional issues, Ushakov noted, …
Read More »Ahead of Putin-Biden summit, Kremlin welcomes ‘positive’ American rhetoric, but says talk of ‘containing’ Moscow still an issue
That’s according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who spoke to Russian TV on Wednesday morning before the first-ever summit between the two leaders. “Clear signals were sent to Moscow on the eve of the US-Russian talks. The rhetoric was in favor of the need for dialogue, which is undeniably positive,” …
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