Latest articles from Vladimir Socor
German Security Assistance to Ukraine Perpetually on Hold (Part One)
Germany ranks among the top arms-exporting countries worldwide. However, it is withholding lethal security assistance to Ukraine and provides even non-lethal assistance with conspicuous parsimony. Germany’s tripartite coalition government, in office since December 8, 2021, is continuing the policy of the predecessor government of Angela... MORE
Moscow, Kyiv Differ Over Goals in Relaunching Normandy Process (Part Two)
*To read Part One, please click here. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov is content with the resumption of the quadrilateral (Ukraine, Russia, France, Germany) Normandy process and the direction it seems to be taking (see Part One). The outlook, according to Peskov, is “not bad at... MORE
Moscow, Kyiv Differ Over Goals in Relaunching Normandy Process (Part One)
On January 26, in Paris, senior political advisors to the Russian, Ukrainian, German and French heads of state and government convened to “reanimate” (such is the term in circulation) the quadrilateral “Normandy” process of consultations. The meeting, lasting eight and a half hours (almost twice... MORE
Russian-Led Mission in Kazakhstan Unveils New Peacekeeping Model (Part Two)
Russia’s peacekeeping intervention with four minor allies in Kazakhstan (January 6 through January 19—see Part One in EDM, January 19, 2022) brings to six the number of Russian operations labeled as “peacekeeping” in Russia’s claimed sphere of influence from 1992 to date. Compared with the... MORE
Russian-Led Mission in Kazakhstan Unveils New Peacekeeping Model (Part One)
From January 6 through January 19, Russia and its allies in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) conducted a successful stabilization mission in Kazakhstan, at the latter country’s urgent request. The organization’s member states (Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan) may, under their treaty, undertake... MORE
Biden Administration Aligns With Kremlin Push for Minsk ‘Agreements’ on Ukraine (Part Three)
*To read Part One, please click here. *To read Part Two, please click here. Recent statements by the United States—namely, the White House and the State Department—reveal the misunderstanding and/or improper use of the vocabulary related to Russia’s war against Ukraine. The Biden administration is... MORE
Biden Administration Aligns With Kremlin Push for Minsk ‘Agreements’ on Ukraine (Part Two)
*To read Part One, please click here. The Joseph Biden administration has recently learned the Russian MinskSpeak, chapter and verse. Following direct discussions with Moscow (see EDM, October 20, December 8, 9, 14), the White House and State Department have adopted key parts of Russia’s... MORE
Biden Administration Aligns With Kremlin Push for Minsk ‘Agreements’ on Ukraine (Part One)
Russia imposed the Minsk “agreements” on Ukraine in 2014 and 2015 through military force. Ukraine’s government and civil society regard the terms of those documents as inimical to the national interests. They spent these seven years resisting, evading, and asking to change those terms. Throughout... MORE
Ukraine in Play After Biden-Putin Discussion
Presidents Joseph Biden of the United States and Vladimir Putin of Russia have agreed, in their December 7 video-dialogue (see EDM, December 8), to create working groups that would address Russia’s concerns regarding Ukraine’s place in the European security order. Those concerns directly relate to... MORE
Ukraine Looms Large in Biden-Putin Dialogue
Presidents Joseph Biden of the United States and Vladimir Putin of Russia held a one-on-one video-conference, on December 7—their fifth direct dialogue (three by telephone, one in person, one by video) in the ten months since Biden took office. The US President initiated both the... MORE