Russia Monitor Monthly 4/23
Content
Nord Stream 2: Germany Is More Important For Biden That Ukraine And Poland
The United States will not halt the construction of a dangerous gas pipeline for its Central and Eastern European allies amid its eagerness to get along with Berlin. It is a return to the policy of Barack Obama back when the United States put European affairs into the hands of Germany. The announcement to suspend new sanctions against Nord Stream 2 could come as a surprise as this takes place between a meeting between Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin, which certainly enfeebles Washington’s negotiating position.
Russia Has Produced Less Crude Oil In 2021
Russia’s biggest oil company produced 3.7 million barrels of crude oil throughout the first quarter of 2021, marking a 19.2 percent drop year-on-year. Other Russian oil producers saw a decline in their energy output, too, amid OPEC+ curbs.
Russia’s State Duma Votes To Leave Open Skies Treaty
Moscow made another effort to smash the post-Cold War arms control system, this time for conventional weapons. Russia has just made a big step towards the exit from the Open Skies pact. The West will soon lose an ability to control the Russian armed forces, albeit their stockpile is not full.
Russia Conducts Double-Track Diplomacy in Israel-Hamas Conflict
Moscow must take careful steps amid the recent flare-up in the Middle East. The Kremlin enjoys warm ties with the Islamist movement Hamas and has to take into account the stance of the whole Muslim world. On the other hand, Vladimir Putin has established a special relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Through its good ties with the two parties to the conflict, the Kremlin could try to mediate. Nonetheless, this seems a tough task at the moment so Russia will just urge the two sides to stop attacks.
China+Central Asia (C+C5) Meeting
On May 12, the second China+Central Asia (C+C5) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting was held in Xi’an City, a capital of Shaanxi Province, located in northwest China. The discussion focused on the pandemic and related matters, economic cooperation as well as regional security with an emphasis on the case of Afghanistan.
China Holds the Presidency of the UN Security Council
China assumed the presidency of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in May. During a press conference, Ambassador Zhang Jun, China’s Permanent Representative to the UN, outlined plans for the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) activities at the UNSC. Additionally, the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) talked with UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
Russia Pledges Support For Tajikistan Amid Deteriorating Situation In Afghanistan
During the recent Moscow visit of Tajik President Emomali Rahman, Vladimir Putin said that Russia is helping to strengthen Tajikistan’s armed forces and build up its military contingent in the country. The Kremlin is looking to stake out its military position in the Central Asian country amid a deteriorating security situation in neighboring Afghanistan. As U.S. and NATO contingents plan to leave the country, it will slip into further violence and civil war while the Taliban will only grow in force.
Bilateral and Multilateral Cooperation between Hungary and Poland – interview with the Hungarian Ambassador to the Republic of Poland, Mrs. Orsolya Zsuzsanna Kovács
On May 12, 2021, the Warsaw Institute think-tank, together with the The Warsaw Institute Review quarterly, had the honor of hosting another online event from the Diplomacy Talks Series. The title of the discussion, moderated by the president of the Warsaw Institute, Tomasz Kijewski, was “Bilateral and multilateral cooperation between Hungary and Poland”. Ambassador Orsolya Zsuzsanna Kovács presented her personal ties with Poland as well as historical and contemporary Polish-Hungarian cooperation.
Ukraine Charges Putin Ally With High Treason
Kyiv’s main pro-Russian politician Viktor Medvedchuk is wanted by Ukraine’s Security Service, or SBU. Ukraine’s chief prosecutor charged the lawmaker with treason. The new and so far strongest blow dealt to Medvedchuk could further sour tensions on the Ukraine-Russia border, unleash retaliatory steps from Moscow and add some fuss to the agenda of a possible meeting between the U.S. and Russian leaders.
How Long Russian Oil and Gas Reserves Are Enough to Last?
Russia Monitor is a review of the most important events related to Russian internal and external security, as well as its foreign policies. Date: How Long Russian Oil and Gas Reserves Are Enough to Last? Top Russian energy officials deliver a somewhat...
The Auschwitz Hero
On the 120th anniversary of Witold Pilecki’s birth, it is vital to recall one of the most outstanding soldiers of the Polish armed underground resistance movement during World War II.
China-EU Investment Agreement Overshadowed by Sanctions and Diplomatic Crisis
Valdis Dombrovskis, the European Commission Vice President in charge of trade, said on Tuesday (May 4) that the Commission’s political efforts to promote the agreement have been suspended and “the current situation (…) is not conducive for ratification of the agreement.” Such statement of Commissioner Dombrovskis is a result of the crisis in diplomatic relations between China and the EU, related to human rights violations committed by the Chinese government in Xinjiang and Hong Kong. The sanctions imposed by both parties on the authorities and certain institutions have significantly reduced the chances of the CAI ratification by the European Parliament.
Putin’s May 9 Speech: Soviet, Or Russian Victory
Russia’s traditional World War Two victory parade and Vladimir Putin’s speech show that the Kremlin is making efforts to appropriate the historical memory of what the Russian refer to as the Great Patriotic War. Though the Soviet Union––which consisted of multiple nations––fought a war with the Third Reich, now Moscow is making efforts to be the only one associated with this victory. At the same time, this is in line with Putin’s confrontational policy both at home and abroad, toward Western nations. The policy seeks to depict Russia as a besieged fortress being under attack from both the outside and the inside.
The G7 Summit and China
A meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the G7 countries, Australia, India, South Korea, South Africa and the Secretary General of the ASEAN was held on May 3-5, 2021 in London. The final communiqué, which followed the talks, explicitly addressed the issues related to China. This statement was criticized by the PRC.
What Is Behind Russia’s Passportization of Donbas
Over 500,000 people living in the Russian-occupied part of Ukraine’s Donbas are now Russian citizens. Issuing passports to people is a political tool already tested in some breakaway regions: Moldova’s Transnistria and Georgia’s Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
The echoes of PRC voices in Czech experts’ language
In recent years, Chinese influence activities have flourished in the Czech Republic. In this article, we examine some stories surrounding these activities involving academia and expert circles.
Chinese Vaccine Diplomacy
Over 2.5 million people have lost their lives due to the COVID-19 pandemic that triggered the worst economic crisis since the end of World War II. The cumulative loss in output relative to the pre-pandemic projected path will grow from $11 trillion over between 2020 and 2021 and next to $28 trillion until 2025. The total toll could be even higher if to acknowledge the hidden victims of COVID-19. The mass-scale losses forced the world’s mightiest countries, businesses, and research centers to make unprecedented efforts to develop an effective vaccine. As infection outbreaks tended to recur, bringing back restrictive measures, both people and officials realized that it was best to reach herd immunity with widespread vaccination campaigns.
JÓZEF PIŁSUDSKI’S EXILE, IMPRISONMENT, MISSIONS AND PEREGRINATIONS ALL OVER THE WORLD
The following article chronologically presents the trips abroad taken by Józef Piłsudski. The considerations concern the period of the partitions and the Second Republic of Poland. As a statesman, the prime minister and co-creator of independent Poland, he was bestowed with the highest honour by the authorities of different countries. According to the memoirs written in the epoch, Piłsudski seemed to like traveling and visiting places of interest.
The European Microstates: The Prospect of EU Membership in the Context of Association Agreement Negotiations
Currently, Malta is the smallest EU member state – both in terms of size and population. However, it may soon be replaced by another, even smaller one, since a number of countries in Western Europe have been willing to collaborate with the European Communities already for several decades now. Apart from Switzerland, such enclaves include Andorra, situated between Spain and France; Monaco, located on the French Riviera; Liechtenstein, established between Switzerland and Austria; and two territories in Italy – the Vatican City State and San Marino. Each of the relations between these microstates and the EU is different. It is likely that three of them would be revised soon.
Will Western Balkans Remain on EU Integration Agenda?
The past two years appear to have brought a breakthrough in the relations between the European Union and the Western Balkans. Countries such as Albania and North Macedonia followed a policy in line with EU guidelines to start accession negotiations. Serbia and Kosovo are now in talks to achieve a future peace agreement which would allow them to break the deadlock with the EU. Securing a peace deal with Kosovo will pave Serbia’s way for EU accession talks while Kosovo could apply for a status of a candidate country.
Warsaw Institute
