At a closed-door meeting on April 9, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili sharply criticized his ministers for alienating the general public. Prime Minister Zurab Nogaideli later confirmed the tongue-lashing (Rustavi-2 TV, Imedi TV, April 11). Saakashvili had good reason to lecture the cabinet; the latest opinion... MORE

On April 15 in Ashgabat, Gazprom Chairman Alexei Miller satisfied Turkmenistan's President Saparmurat Niyazov's demand to switch to all-cash payments for Turkmen gas delivered to Russia. In return for this concession, Turkmenistan seems set to resume the deliveries, which it halted on January 1, 2005,... MORE

On April 14 in Vienna, the OSCE's Permanent Council approved a Training Assistance Program (TAP) for Georgian Border Guards to replace the OSCE's Georgia Border Monitoring Operation (BMO). Russia had exercised its veto power to terminate the BMO as of December 31, 2004, thus removing... MORE

Javier Solana's ill-prepared, mishap-filled visit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi (see EDM, April 11) culminated with an incident that was kept under wraps for some days before finally going public in Brussels. The European Union's High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security... MORE

Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko cancelled her first official visit to Russia this week. The Russian Prosecutor-General's office has continued to insist that she be brought in for questioning in connection with a long-forgotten case from the 1990s in which she is accused of bribing... MORE

In the wake of Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko's state visit to Washington April 4-6, U.S.-Ukrainian military cooperation could make significant progress in missile defense cooperation. The presidential joint statement agreed "to work together on missile defense, including beginning negotiations on a framework to facilitate such... MORE

At the moment, the atmosphere in the North Caucasus can best be described as "the calm before the storm." As the weather becomes warmer, the population and the authorities are bracing for the renewed attacks that the rebels promised all winter. In February rebel military... MORE

Even though Moscow successfully eliminated Chechen leader Aslan Maskhadov in an apparently carefully planned and long-term operation in March, there is little sign of progress towards peace in the breakaway republic. In fact, the number of Russian troops stationed there has recently risen by 5,000... MORE

Improvements in Russia's air defense and naval capabilities, long overdue in the areas of technology and manpower, are serving to boost the overall image of the Russian military. Senior officers, disgruntled by the slow progress of military reform, point to the introduction or current use... MORE

Attempts continue to persuade the Taliban to lay down its arms and join the peace process in Afghanistan. The negotiations, which occur at several levels and at various locations, are aimed at drawing in the so-called "moderate Taliban elements" and to create a rift in... MORE