Russia in Review

I. U.S. and Russian priorities for the bilateral agenda.

Nuclear security agenda:

House Armed Services Committee Republicans are looking to block the Obama administration from continuing nuclear security work in Russia until the Ukraine crisis has been resolved. (GSN, 05.06.14).
Differences over Ukraine have not impacted the cooperation between Russia and the United States in the sphere of disarmament and nonproliferation, the director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's security and disarmament department, Mikhail Ulyanov, said. (Itar-Tass, 05.06.14).
NATO experts have visited Ukraine to advise authorities there on improving the safety of nuclear power plants, gas pipelines and other critical infrastructure amid growing violence and fears of conflict with Russia. (Reuters, 05.08.14).
Kiev authorities on Monday announced they had detained a group of individuals for allegedly attempting to smuggle possible "dirty bomb" material into the southeastern part of the country. (GSN, 05.06.14).
A group of 100 former officials, peace advocates and issue experts criticized the White House for planning to cut nuclear security funding next year. (GSN, 05.05.14).
The United States is giving an "unclear" sense of how quickly it is dismantling weapons removed from the nuclear arsenal, the Government Accountability Office said. (GSN, 05.05.14).

Iran nuclear issues:

Representatives from Iran, the United States, France, China, Britain, Russia and Germany met on Tuesday and Wednesday to prepare for a ministerial-level meeting on Iran's nuclear program slated for next week in Vienna. Iran and the six world powers could agree parts of a text of an agreement on Tehran's nuclear program at that next week meeting, according to Russia's chief negotiator Sergei Ryabkov. (GSN, 05.08.14, Reuters, 05.06.14).

NATO-Russia relations, including transit to and from Afghanistan:

NATO’s top military commander says the alliance must consider permanently stationing troops in parts of Eastern Europe as a result of tensions between Russia and Ukraine. U.S. Air Force General Philip Breedlove said on May 6 that the issue will be discussed by NATO commanders, defense ministers, and foreign ministers in the run-up to a summit in Wales in early September. (RFE/RL, 05.07.14).
NATO is prepared to counter non-conventional warfare used by Russia to annex Crimea, Estonian Defense Minister Sven Mikser said. (Bloomberg, 05.07.14).
The U.S. will begin a series of military exercises with elite special operations forces in the Baltic States. Operation Spring Storm, the first of three exercises scheduled this month, will take place in Estonia. The two-week exercise will be followed by others in Latvia and Lithuania. Separately, the U.S. on Thursday expressed concern over the impending sale by France of a pair of warships to Russia. (Wall Street Journal, 05.09.14).
More than 100 British troops were dispatched to Estonia on Friday for exercises of their own, the British Defense Ministry said. They are expected to remain there until May 23. Four NATO minesweepers and a support ship arrived Thursday at the Lithuanian port of Klaipeda for exercises there that are expected to last until the end of May. (Washington Post, 05.02.14).

Missile defense:

"We feel the symptoms of the work on various segments of the [anti-ballistic missile] system being intensified," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said. Ryabkov also warned that Western missile defense moves could jeopardize the New START arms control accord. (GSN, 05.07.14).
A missile defense system of the United States and NATO has an anti-Russian potential, chief of the main international military cooperation department of the Russian Defense Ministry Sergei Koshelev said on Tuesday. (Itar-Tass, 05.06.14).
Senate Republicans are pushing for the U.S. military to speed up deployment of advanced interceptors in Poland to send a deterrent message to Russia. (GSN, 05.06.14).

Nuclear arms control:

Russia will abide by a strategic arms reduction treaty with the U.S. despite their differences over the crisis in Ukraine, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said. (RFE/RL, 05.06.14).

Counter-terrorism cooperation:

No significant developments.

Cyber security:

A U.S. Navy sailor has been arrested for allegedly leading a group of hackers that broke into a myriad of government and private websites in order to publicize secret or personal information – sometimes while the sailor was serving aboard on a nuclear-powered warship. (ABC, 05.08.14).

Energy exports from CIS:

Gazprom will only supply Ukraine with gas that has been paid for in advance from the start of June, Moscow said on Thursday after Kiev missed another deadline to pay its mounting energy debt to the Russian company. Russian Ambassador to the European Union Vladimir Chizhov said he does not rule out the possibility of suspension of gas supplies to Ukraine given the unpredictable situation in that country, if the gas debt problem is not settled. (TASS, 05.09.14, Financial Times, 05.09.14).
Russia will require Ukraine to pay in advance for gas starting from June, Energy Minister Alexander Novak said late on Thursday, after Kiev failed to pay for gas deliveries. Ukraine, which this week received the first $3.2bn tranche from a $17bn International Monetary Fund bailout, has refused to accept Gazprom’s move in April to increase gas prices from a first quarter rate of $268.50 per thousand cubic meters to $485.50. Neither does Ukraine acknowledge the $3.5 billion debt for Russian gas deliveries. (RIA Novosti, Financial Times, Reuters, 05.08.14-05.09.14).
There is no quick fix for Europe's energy dependence on Russia, Germany's Economic Affairs and Energy Minister said on Tuesday as G7 energy ministers readied a statement on the need to diversify energy supplies. (Reuters, 05.06.14).
The EU’s energy chief warned Moscow on Monday that the Ukraine crisis was hardening Brussels’ stance on South Stream. (Financial Times, 05.06.14).
Gazprom signed a preliminary deal with the energy company OMV to build a spur of South Stream into Austria. It also announced deals with Switzerland’s Allseas Group and Italy’s Saipem to build South Stream’s submarine pipelines in the Black Sea. With 63bn cubic meters of planned capacity, South Stream would be able to replace almost entirely the volume of gas that currently transits Ukraine – planned at 70bcm this year.” (Financial Times, 04.04.14).

Bilateral economic ties:

Exports of U.S. goods to Russia rose 9% in March from the prior month while imports from Russia rose 35% in March from February, stronger than the 25% monthly gain a year earlier. Through the first three months of the year, U.S. exports to Russia have increased 6% and imports from that country declined 3%. Russia supplies oil, metals and fertilizer to the U.S. and imports American machinery, vehicles and food. (New York Times, 05.06.14).
During the first quarter, Bank of America cut its net exposure to Russia by 22 percent to $5.2 billion, most of which was in the form of loans to Russian energy companies and banks. JPMorgan Chase's exposure to Russia declined by 13 percent to $4.7 billion. Citigroup's exposure to Russia declined by 8.7 percent to $9.4 billion during the three months through the end of March. (Reuters, 05.03.14).
International payment systems Visa and MasterCard will be forced to provide Russian authorities with multi-billion dollar security deposits if they wish to continue working in the country beyond July 1, under a law signed by President Vladimir Putin. The law forces them to pay over $3.8 billion as a security deposit to the Central Bank. (The Moscow Times, 05.06.14).
Coca-Cola said Thursday it would close two of its four juice plants in Russia to optimize capacity in a shrinking market. (Reuters, 05.08.14).
Despite the White House's calls for major American firms to boycott the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum, Russian officials said Wednesday that the forum would go on as U.S. CEOs bow out but send their deputies. The total number of foreigners attending the forum has decreased by 40 percent compared with last year's figures. (The Moscow Times, 05.07.14).

Other bilateral issues:

Moscow announced Thursday it had widened sanctions against U.S. and Canadian officials, barring an undisclosed number of people from travelling to the country. Russia’s ministry of foreign affairs said in a statement on its website the move was in response to additional sanctions against Russian officials and companies by the U.S. and Canada. (Ipolitics, 05.08.14).
The United States on Thursday for the first time slapped sanctions on a Russian bank for its dealings with the Syrian government. (CNB, 05.08.14).
U.S. sanctions against several Russian companies have prompted Moscow to take action by resorting to the World Trade Organization as an international arbiter in the dispute. (RBTH, 05.05.14).
U.S. President Barack Obama took a symbolic swipe at Moscow Wednesday by excluding Russia from a list of developing economies whose exports would normally be eligible for lower U.S. tariffs. (Wall Street Journal, 05.07.14).
U.S. Federal Claims Court Judge Susan Braden on Friday cleared up a legal muddle that had threatened to temporarily cut off ties between the Pentagon and the joint venture between Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp. that puts most military and intelligence satellites into space. (Wall Street Journal, 05.02.14).
"There is support for a realization that satellites being shipped to Russia to launch from a Russian launchpad is really not export into Russia, but really, frankly just an export through Russia into space," Iridium Chief Executive Matt Desch said. (Voice of Russia, 05.08.14).
The U.S. congress has once again rung the alarm over Russian satellite technology by requesting senior U.S. national security officials to provide information on the threat posed by a Russian proposal to set up monitoring stations for its Glonass satellite navigation system on American soil. (The Moscow Times, 05.08.14).
The next US ambassador to Moscow should not expect his mission to be easy, Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov said. (RIA Novosti, 05.06.14).
A poll conducted by the Pew Research Center last month shows only 23 percent of Russians have a favorable opinion of the United States, down from 51 percent last year. For the European Union, 39 percent of Russians have a favorable opinion, down from 63 percent last year. (New York Times, 05.08.14).
Ahead of a major global public health meeting this month, a number of experts are urging Washington and Moscow to destroy their smallpox samples. (GSN, 05.05.14).

II. Russia news.

Domestic politics, economy and energy:

May 9 or Victory Day is a hugely important day for Russia's military. It marks the anniversary of the Soviet announcement in May 1945 that Nazi Germany had surrendered and it is now celebrated with an enormous military parade in Moscow. The parade is an impressive show of strength: About 11000 soldiers and more than 150 military vehicles gathered in Red Square on Friday. (Washington Post, 05.09.14).
On Monday President Vladimir Putin signed a law that made it a crime to rehabilitate Nazism or to “distort” the Soviet Union’s role in World War II, punishable by up to five years in jail. (New York Times, 05.09.14).
President Vladimir Putin signed laws on Monday envisaging tougher punishment for people involved in riots and imposing life sentences for various "terrorist" crimes. He also approved tighter controls on bloggers, some of whom have emerged as opposition leaders and have used the Internet to criticize Putin and arrange protests. (Reuters, 05.06.14).
Tuesday marks the second year of Vladimir Putin's third term as President of the Russian Federation. Putin has a confidence rating of 78.3% in Russia, and Russian society is drifting toward conservatism, according to the country's Civil Society Development Foundation. (Interfax, 05.07.14 RIA Novosti, 05.06.14).
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development predicted Russia's gross domestic product would grow by 0.5 percent this year — cutting its 2014 forecast from a previous 2.3 percent. (Reuters, 05.06.14).
The ruble-denominated Micex share index rose on Wednesday afternoon to 1,363, up from 1,319 at the close of the previous day. However, it remains well below the pre-confrontation level of 1,507 in February. (Financial Times, 05.07.14).
Gazprom has become the world's biggest public company in terms of EBITDA, leaving Apple and ExxonMobil behind. (RBTH, 05.06.14).
Net losses at State technology investment company Rusnano rose by 82 percent to $1.1 billion last year. (The Moscow Times, 05.06.14).
The crisis in Ukraine led to a sharp drop in foreign tourism from U.S., Europe and Asia, to Russia, with cancellation rates at between 15% and 25%. Tourism to Russia grew 3.7% in 2013 to 2.7 million visitors with Germany, China and the U.S. (Wall Street Journal, 05.04.14).

Defense:

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday led major military exercises that simulated a response to a massive attack on Russian soil, defense officials in Moscow said. Russian submarines fired two intercontinental ballistic missiles, successfully striking targets in northern and northeastern Russia, and Putin himself presided over a third ICBM strike. A Tupolev TU-95S bomber also fired cruise missiles in Russia’s western military district. (AP, 05.08.14).
Russia will beef up its Black Sea fleet this year with new submarines and warships, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said. (Reuters, 05.06.14).
Since 2012, salaries for most military personnel have roughly tripled, to between $700 and $1,150 a month for privates and sergeants. (New York Times, 05.09.14).

Security, law-enforcement and justice:

Four men in Dagestan thought to be planning a series of bomb attacks around Victory Day have been killed, Russia's anti-terrorism body said. (The Moscow Times, 05.07.14).
Police and security forces killed three alleged militants, including a woman, in Dagestan during a counterterrorism operation. (RFE/RL, 05.05.14).

Foreign affairs and trade:

The Russian ambassador to France says President Vladimir Putin will attend D-Day anniversary commemorations there with Western leaders in June. (RFE/RL, 05.08.14).
60% of Russia's exports are to the EU, while only 7% of the EU's exports to third countries go to Russia. (Wall Street Journal, 05.03.14).
In 2013, the Volkswagen concern sold 5.9 million cars in Russia, and sales increased by 3.3 percent in comparison with 2012. (RBTH, 05.09.14).
Europe has hefty bank claims in Russia, about $187 billion, but those represent 1.4% of Europe's total foreign claims. For U.S. banks, it is an even smaller share: 0.5% of banking claims.(Wall Street Journal, 05.05.14).
Societe General, France's third-largest listed bank by assets, said that a €525 million ($731.26 million) write-down at its Russian bank pushed first-quarter net profit down 13% to €315 million from €364 million a year earlier. (Wall Street Journal, 05.07.14).
An international organization that sets standards for how countries combat money laundering said it has decided not to hold a planned meeting in Moscow next month due to the continuing Ukraine crisis. (Reuters, 05.06.14).
Lithuania says Russia has suspended a bilateral agreement under which both countries may inspect each other's forces. (GSN, 05.06.14).
The Latvian government said on Tuesday it will fast-track measures to increase the small Baltic nation's defense budget amid growing tension in Ukraine. The increase would equate to a €30 million to €40 million increase, or 13% to 17.6% higher than the planned spending level.(Wall Street Journal, 05.06.14).
Russian Space Agency and the Iranian Space Agency have agreed to expand cooperation. Iranian partners are mainly interested in earth remote sensing systems. In addition, Iran intends to train its cosmonauts in Russia. (Interfax, 05.07.14).
Moscow wants Russian businesses to revive 150 Soviet-era projects in Afghanistan – and help build the economy and security in its regional neighbor. Even Hamid Karzai, the president, has praised the Soviet Union as “efficient” in its spending. (Financial Times, 05.06.14).

Russia's neighbors:

Police and security forces killed about 20 separatists Friday, Ukraine's interior minister said, in the most severe fighting yet between the government and pro-Russian separatists in the country's eastern provinces on Friday. On Tuesday Arsen Avakov, Ukraine’s interior minister, said that 30 pro-Russia insurgents were killed and dozens injured during fighting in and around Slavyansk on Monday, in addition to four members of the security force. Rebels said 10 people — fighters and civilians — were killed by Ukrainian troops during clashes Monday. On Friday, 46 people died in clashes and a fire in Odessa. The horrific fire in an Odessa building where pro-Russian protesters had taken cover was likely sparked by rebels, according to a preliminary investigation by the government. Pro-Russian activists in Odessa, however, believe the fire was a deliberate atrocity committed by Ukrainian nationalists. (AP, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, 05.03.14-05.09.14).
Kiev said on Tuesday that it was replacing the acting governor of Odessa with a member of parliament, Ihor Palytsya, as it sought to re-establish control over the Black Sea region, where 46 people were killed on Friday in fighting between pro-Russia and pro-Kiev forces. (Financial Times, 05.06.14).
The presidential election in Ukraine will be considered legitimate only if the "punitive operation" in the country's southeast stops, Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. (Interfax, 05.08.14).
President Vladimir V. Putin told a visiting Swiss President Didier Burkhalter on Wednesday that Russian troops had pulled back from Ukraine border, urged separatists in eastern Ukraine to postpone their May 11 referendum and said the May 25^th “presidential election itself is a movement in the right direction, but only if all citizens of Ukraine understand that their rights are guaranteed." Speaking on Thursday, Mr. Putin said Russia "intends to act with those agreements" reached at his meeting with Burkhalter. (Washington Post, 05.07.14, Wall Street Journal, 05.08.14).
President Vladimir Putin told German Chancellor Angela Merkel that he wanted a direct dialogue between Ukraine's acting government in Kiev and "representatives of the southeastern regions of the country. (Washington Post, 05.05.14).
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday it would be "unusual" to hold a presidential election in Ukraine while the army was being deployed against Ukrainians. (Reuters, 05.06.14).
Ukraine's presidential front-runner Petro Poroshenko said he supported President Vladimir Putin's call to postpone a referendum in eastern Ukraine as pro-Moscow separatists in the region reported a ceasefire on Wednesday in the first fledgling signs of easing tensions. (The Moscow Times, 05.08.14).
Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk has been skeptical about Russian President Vladimir Putin's appeal to postpone a referendum in eastern Ukraine which separatists wanted to hold on 11 May. (Interfax, 05.07.14).
Germany’s foreign minister says Russian President Vladimir Putin’s newly “constructive tone” could provide new momentum for a diplomatic solution to the crisis in Ukraine. Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Thursday “we are now at perhaps a decisive point” following Putin’s meeting with Burkhalter. (AP, 05.08.14).
U.S. President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel set a new marker in the West's confrontation with Russia on Friday by threatening tougher sanctions if Moscow disrupts Ukraine's presidential elections. At their meeting Obama and Merkel said they were considering sanctions against whole segments of the Russian economy, such as banking, defense or energy. "If we have a separatist referendum that is recognized by Russia and results in Russian peacekeepers" moving into eastern Ukraine, "that will be a trigger" for the new sanctions, Victoria Nuland, the State Department's top diplomat for Europe said U.S. administration officials said possible penalties will affect Russia's defense, high technology, engineering and energy sectors. "We don't want to go down that road, but we are prepared to do it," a German government official said of sectoral sanctions that would pinch the German economy. (Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, 05.03.14-05.07.14).
European Union governments reached a preliminary agreement on Wednesday to expand the legal criteria for targeting people and companies with sanctions to pressure Russia over Ukraine, paving the way for new listings as early as Monday, diplomats said. (Reuters, 05.08.14).
The councils of the People's Republics of two southeastern cities of Donetsk and Lugansk won't postpone the referendums on their regions' future as part of Ukraine and will hold them as planned on May, 11, the cities' anti-government activists said.. Separatist leaders there said there was still room for negotiation or even postponing the referendum if Kiev withdrew its troops from the region. But they said that if a majority votes yes in the referendum, they would proclaim independence to create a new state called Novorossiya that would include the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. (Washington Post, 05.08.14, Wall Street Journal, 05.09.14, Russia Today, 05.08.14).
The Kiev authorities are ready to hold a peaceful dialogue with federalization supporters in Ukraine's south-east in order to reconcile the conflict and avoid further victims, Deputy Secretary of Ukraine's Council for National Security and Defense Viktoria Syumar said. But other Ukrainian officials said the military operation against separatists would continue even if the referendum is postponed. (Wall Street Journal, TASS, 05.08.14).
A statement from the interim president and prime minister offered amnesty to illegal armed groups who give up arms, hostages and seized buildings and who "were not involved in the commission of heinous crimes, who have not killed and tortured people." The Ukraine government's offer appeared to mirror a draft plan by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which calls on both sides to resolve their differences peacefully, and for Ukraine's parliament to pass an amnesty law that would cover protesters, who surrender their weapons and end their occupation of government buildings. (Wall Street Journal, 05.09.14).
Russian Foreign Ministry said: "Our Western partners should fulfill their obligations and ensure the Kyiv authorities stop dealing solely with the attempts to make themselves legitimate and start agreeing with their opponents on how to overcome the deepest crisis of Ukrainian statehood on the basis acceptable for all parts of the country.” (Interfax, 05.08.14).
Didier Burkhalter, president of Switzerland and chairman of the OSCE, said a three-step plan to stabilize the situation in Ukraine would consist of, first, refraining from violence; second, disarmament; and third, dialogue and elections. Kremlin insiders said Mr Putin had agreed in a telephone call with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday that the OSCE, which already has observers in Ukraine, should take on a bigger role. (Financial Times, 05.07.14).
Russia has pulled back even tactical units from the Ukrainian border while Kyiv has deployed a 15,000-strong force in the border area, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov said. (Interfax, 05.08.14).
General Philip Breedlove, Nato’s senior commander, said on Monday in Ottawa that he thought Mr Putin would not invade eastern Ukraine because he could achieve his aims though the disruptive tactics he was already employing there. (Financial Times, 05.06.14).
Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that he had pulled back some forces from Ukraine’s borders. But the claim was immediately contradicted by U.S. and NATO officials, who said they had “seen no change” in Russian troops in the region. “We would know,” Col. Steven C. Warren, a Pentagon spokesman, told reporters. NATO official said: “Three times they have said they have pulled forces back and three times we have provided evidence that it hasn’t been the case,” “The bulk of the forces are still there, arranged in formations ready to invade.” a Nato official said. (Financial Times, 05.07.14, Washington Post, 05.08.14).
Russia's Foreign Ministry suggested NATO's Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen was "blind" after he wrote he had seen no signs Russia is withdrawing troops from Ukraine's border. (Reuters, 05.08.14).
The Party of Regions, the previous ruling political force under ousted President Viktor Yanukovych, warned the current authorities in Kiev Monday that the process of Ukraine's disintegration is becoming irreversible. (RIA Novosti, 05.06.14).
Military observers for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe who have been held hostage in the eastern Ukrainian city of Slovyansk for more than a week have been freed. (Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, 05.03.14).
Pavel Gubarev, the self-appointed leader of the Donetsk People's Republic, who was released from police custody Wednesday in a prisoner swap for kidnapped security agents, said his group would continue taking hostages to exchange in the event Kiev persists in arresting separatist leaders. Wall Street Journal, 05.08.14).
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier wrote on Tuesday that the May 25^th election must be held and proposed a five-point settlement plan, beginning with another conference in Geneva between Ukraine, Russia, the US and EU, but Lavrov said four-party international talks on Ukraine would be meaningless unless Ukraine’s pro-Russians are represented. (Financial Times, 05.05.14).
French president François Hollande has warned of further “chaos and risk of civil war” if Ukraine’s May 25 presidential election is postponed. (Financial Times, 05.06.14).
Canada has imposed sanctions against 16 more Russian "entities" in response to what Prime Minister Stephen Harper described as Russia's "illegal occupation of Ukraine." (The Moscow Times, 05.05.14).
Citing German security officials, the Bild report said there are currently dozens of U.S. secret services agents who have been tasked with helping the interim government counter separatist rebellions in the country's east, set up a security system and fight organized crime. (The Moscow Times, 05.04.14).
A poll released Thursday by Pew Research found that a majority of Ukrainians want the country to remain a single, unified state. In the more pro-Europe west of the country, 93% of those surveyed said they wanted to maintain Ukraine's current borders, compared with 70% of those polled in the east. Overall, 77% of Ukrainians surveyed want Ukraine to remain a unified country. Only 14% of those polled said they think regions should be permitted to secede if they so desire. Excluding Crimea, 49% of Ukrainians polled said the new authorities have influenced the country negatively, as opposed to 41% who approved of the new government's actions. The discontent was pronounced in the country's east, where 67% of people polled said the Kiev authorities have negatively influenced the country. (Wall Street Journal, 05.08.14).
A poll conducted by Levada Centre showed that when asked whether they were worried over "discrimination against Russians in former Soviet republics", 18 per cent of the respondents in Russia said they were "very concerned" and 40 per cent said they were "quite concerned". When asked in which countries specifically the rights of Russians were being infringed on, the majority of respondents (62 per cent) named Ukraine, which was followed by Latvia (53 per cent), Lithuania (48 per cent), Estonia (46 per cent) and Georgia (25 per cent). Asked about the means Russia should use to stop this persecution, most respondents (41 per cent) said that "economic pressure and sanctions" should be used. Another 34 per cent spoke in favor of "political pressure and sanctions". "The insertion of a limited contingent of Russian troops onto such countries' territory" was the least popular answer with 8 per cent. (Levada.ru, 05.05.14).
The head of U.S. air forces in the Pacific has said Russia's intervention in Ukraine had been accompanied by a significant increase in Russian air activity in the Asia-Pacific region in a show of strength and to gather intelligence. (Reuters, 05.06.14).
Ukraine, long branded by the U.S. one of the world's leading piracy havens for the laxity in its intellectual property law enforcement, has disappeared from its list of worst offenders. (The Moscow Times, 05.07.14).
Georgia's defense minister said Thursday that his government is seeking NATO support for a Membership Action Plan during the organization's September summit in the U.K. Speaking in Washington before talks with U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, Alasania said “It is the right time now” to take “another step” in parallel with enhanced military cooperation with the NATO alliance. (Wall Street Journal, 05.08.14, RFE/RL, 05.07.14).
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns is in Kazakhstan for meetings with President Nursultan Nazarbaev to discuss Kazakhstan's bid to join the World Trade Organization. They also talked about the situations in Afghanistan and Ukraine.(RFE/RL, 05.08.14).
British Foreign Secretary William Hague has arrived in Georgia and voiced "very clear support" for Georgia's bid to join NATO and the European Union. (RFE/RL, 05.08.14).
Presidents of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey gathered for a trilateral summit in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi. (RFE/RL, 05.06.14).
Kyrgyz Prime Minister Joomart Otorbaev says his government seeks to postpone his country’s joining a Russia-led customs union. (RFE/RL, 05.07.14).

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