RUSSIA MONITOR MONTHLY 05/2021
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Romanian Presidential Vote: Changes or No Change At All?
The past six months brought a few twists and turns in Romanian politics. Incidents like the Social Democratic Party’s (PSD) tied vote in the European elections, a jail sentence for a former leader of this post-communist party, followed by the fall of the cabinet and the establishment of the interim government unleashed what could be referred to as a crisis within the group’s ranks.
Lavrov Visits Washington, China Among Topics Tackled
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on December 10 visited Washington for talks with his U.S. counterpart Mike Pompeo and President Donald Trump.
The Baltic Fund presented to the Presidents of Poland and Estonia
The President of the Warsaw Institute Krzysztof Kamiński presented the main assumptions of the concept of establishing the Baltic Fund directly to the President of Poland Andrzej Duda and the President of Estonia Kersti Kaljulaid during the event “Poland-Estonia, a community of goals in the UN Security Council”.
Lukashenko Faces Tough Ordeal: Will Russia Swallow Up Belarus?
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin failed to agree on closer integration between the two countries. The leaders’ next meeting is set to take place on December 20.
New Polonia: mobility, identity and action in the digital age – expert debate and report premiere
On the evening of 11 December 2019, at the University of Warsaw’s Faculty of Information Journalism and Bibliology building, a unique and remarkably important event took place, featuring a panellist debate titled “New Polonia: mobility, identity and action in the digital age”. The meeting was organised in accompaniment to the presentation of The Warsaw Institute Review (WIR)’s latest report: “In pursuit of utopia. Poles in the world, Poland in the eyes of the world”. The event was attended and filmed by a team from TVP Polonia.
OPEC+ Summit: Russia Attained Its Goal
At their latest meeting, OPEC and non-OPEC countries delivered an agreement to further cut oil production for in the first quarter of 2020.
Sweden Faces the Russian Threat in the Baltic Sea
By beefing up its military presence in the exclave of Kaliningrad, flying provocative air patrols and by building next legs of the Nord Stream energy pipeline, Russia undermines the security of other countries in the Baltic region. Also, Moscow could take advantage of the pipeline’s energy infrastructure to take subversive actions in the Baltic Sea.
NATO Summit: Kremlin’s Unfulfilled Hopes
The NATO summit in London was what could be referred to as a successful meeting and went better than expected, also by Moscow.
Bucharest Nine Joint Assessment for Common Understanding: Initiation Event
The Bucharest Nine Joint Assessment for Common Understanding, or B9 JACU, is a daring, unprecedented project bringing together research institutions and think tanks from each of the B9 countries, together with the support from Embassies of each of the B9 countries in Warsaw.
Ukraine’s Defence Sector: Despite Record-Breaking Budget, Major Reforms Still Needed
Ukraine has been consistently pursuing the course towards integration with NATO. Apart from developing bilateral cooperation with the US, the UK and Canada, the country’s primary focus has been the development of its own military potential.
The End of the Yamal Contract: Poland’s Gas Sector to Enter a New Era
On November 15, PGNiG, Poland’s state-owned oil and gas company, submitted a declaration of intent to Russia’s Gazprom to terminate the Yamal contract – the most unfavourable gas agreement in Polish history.
The Phenomenon of the Polish Underground State
The Polish Underground State, also known as the Polish Secret State, had been built in complete secrecy during the joint occupation of Poland by Soviet Russia and Nazi Germany.
A Memorial out of Time?
The magnificent Iowa-Illinois Memorial Bridge is not just another historic structure. This construction, also known as the I-74 Bridge, is the oldest existing suspension bridge over the Mississippi River.
A New Opportunty in Poland’s Energy Policy and Energy Security after the 2019 Parliamentary Elections
The most recent parliamentary election campaigns, which took place in 2019, did not bring new elements into Poland’s energy policy. Debates and discussion were largely unimpressive and none of the political blocs put forward ideas that could presented newly added value.
Three Seas Gas Initiative. Is it possible?
Natural gas trade is possibly the most promising area for cooperation within the entire Three Seas Initiative. The infrastructure currently under construction will be an important factor in the further integration of the entire region.
Iraq survived the “Islamic State”
It is impossible to discuss the situation in the Middle East –– from social, economic, military, or, broadly speaking, geopolitical perspectives –– without taking into account the war with ISIL.
Turkey’s invasion of Syria and its consequences for Europe
Turkey’s invasion of North and East Syria has exposed the powerlessness of European countries, which, in spite of establishing a common position, have been unable to take any effective action. It will also have a far-reaching impact on increasing terrorist threat, new humanitarian crisis, and change in the geopolitical balance. Turkey’s dependence on Russia will also increase, and war crimes committed in Syria will affect NATO’s image.
Afghanistan’s Chance
It might not feel like it from the headlines, but Afghanistan is ready for peace. The circumstances and timing will never be absolutely perfect.
US or EU? Is there a strategic partnership dilemma for Norway?
The US has been a traditional ally of Norway for 70 years as well as its main guarantor of security. Despite the fact that both countries share a strong bond at the strategic level, there are some incongruencies between them on the level of values and their visions for international cooperation.
Communist China
In 1991, Poland saw its first fully free elections – since the end of World War II – to the Sejm and the Senate, the lower and upper houses of the Polish parliament. It is no exaggeration to say that for Poland, the first country to oppose the joint aggression by Germany and Soviet Russia that began that war, this was a pivotal moment.
Warsaw Institute
