Russia

The military provocations between NATO and Russia reached a new post-cold war high yesterday when Poland became the host to the largest joint NATO war game in eastern Europe since the end of the cold war. The purpose of the massive drill, according to the Guardian, is for NATO "partner countries to mount a display of strength as a response to concerns about Russia’s assertiveness and actions." The 10-day military exercise dubbed Anaconda-2016, involves 31,000 troops and thousands of vehicles from 24 countries.

Authored by Eric Zuesse, via The Saker,

Actions speak louder than mere words, and U.S. President Barack Obama has now acted, not only spoken. His action is to refuse to discuss with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Russia’s biggest worry about recent changes in America’s nuclear strategy - a particularly stunning change that is terrifying Putin.

Washington Is Using Russia’s Reliance on Diplomacy To Revive ISIS And To Involve Russia In Long-Term War In Syria

Russia’s Use Of Force Was Highly Successful, but is being undermined by resort to fruitless diplomacy.

Russia Fiddles While Syria Burns

by Stephen Lendman

Make no mistake. Putin’s strategic intervention in Syria last September was a bold, vital step. He deserves credit and praise for taking it. 

While the US political and financial establishment has been firmly opposed to a Trump presidency, an unexpected supporter for the presumptive GOP candidate has emerged in Russia, where the head of the Russian Upper House Committee for Foreign Relations, Konstantin Kosachev, said that a victory for Donald Trump in the US presidential elections would provide the "shake up" Washington needs and could be the catalyst to reverse the rapidly deteriorating trend in US-Russian relations.

Washington has asked Moscow not to conduct airstrikes against Al-Qaeda’s branch in Syria, otherwise known as al-Nusra Front Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reported that the US are worried that members of the “moderate opposition” could also be hit.