In response to Washington's announcement last week that the U.S. supports NATO membership for only Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary in the alliance's initial round of expansion, Russia on June 13 merely reiterated its long-standing opposition to NATO enlargement in general. Russian Foreign Ministry... MORE

Eager to boost foreign aircraft sales, Russian companies have a strong presence at the current Paris air show. But the plane that was to have taken center stage in the Russian exhibit did not make it to Paris -- evidently due to bureaucratic bungling in... MORE

On May 27 the European Commission issued a decree slapping a 33 percent tariff on steel pipe imports from Russia. This will be a hard blow to Russian steel makers, who will now find the export of pipe unprofitable. Exports to Europe account for more... MORE

The gap between the current federal government and the majority of Russia's regional governors over economic policy continues to be very large. This was illustrated by last month's meeting in Yekaterinburg of the so-called Russian Economic Council. This was the second annual meeting of what... MORE

President Yeltsin would be on shaky legal ground in sacking Nazdratenko. However, ever since last year, when governors were popularly elected in all of Russia's regions, it has been an open secret that the presidential administration was unhappy with suggestions that Yeltsin had lost his... MORE

Following Uzbek foreign minister Abdulaziz Komilov's visit to Washington, the State Department has announced a decision to create a U.S.-Uzbekistan intergovernmental commission that will begin functioning this autumn. Washington has thus far established such commissions only with Russia and Ukraine. As with those countries, the... MORE

The conflict between the Russian federal authorities and Primorsky krai governor Yevgeny Nazdratenko intensified further yesterday when First Deputy Prime Minister Boris Nemtsov told Russian TV that early elections should be called in the far eastern region. (RTR, June 15) Last week, President Boris Yeltsin... MORE

The Duma on June 13 also approved on first reading a compromise package of amendments to the law on production sharing. The long-delayed bill is necessary to implement the 1995 law on production sharing, aimed at facilitating the entry of foreign investors. The new bill... MORE

Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania held mourning ceremonies on June 14 to commemorate the mass deportations carried out on that day in 1941 by the Soviet authorities. Solemn meetings were held at the railroad stations from which tens of thousands of Balts were shipped to Siberia... MORE

On an official visit to Canada, Ukrainian prime minister Pavlo Lazarenko met with representatives of the million-strong Ukrainian community and headed a large delegation to the conference of the Canadian-Ukrainian Business Initiative, launched by western Canadian energy, agricultural, and construction companies. Lazarenko acknowledged Canada's pioneering... MORE