Carnegie Moscow Center Head Dmitri Trenin begins his article on U.S.-Russia relations with on twist on a popular Russian joke, “Those who do not want to listen to Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will have to deal with Defense Minister Sergi Shoigu.” Trenin is deadly serious. (https://carnegiemoscow.org/commentary/85827)
After President Putin’s speech at the Valdai Club meeting on Oct. 21, Putin followed it on Nov. 13 with a wide-ranging interview on Russian TV, where he discussed Ukraine, Belarus, NATO and the United States, Trenin reports. Putin appeared Nov. 18 at an expanded gathering of Russian Foreign Ministry senior officials, and also held more private, confidential discussions. But in his public remarks, Trenin identifies that he reportedly made several important new points. The most interesting and intriguing concerned Russia’s adversaries: The United States; its NATO allies, and clients such as Ukraine. Trenin reports that Putin said: “Our recent warnings have had a certain effect: Tensions have arisen there, anyway.... It is important for them to remain in this state for as long as possible, so that it does not occur to them to stage some kind of conflict … we do not need a new conflict.” (http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/67123)