Direct Line with Vladimir Putin: The weird tradition of the Russian President’s annual phone-in April 16, 2015 If you're into Russian politics, tonight is one of the highlights of the political year: Direct Line with Vladimir Putin will air on Russian TV – the Russian President's annual marathon chat show, during which he takes questions put to him by the Russian public for the 13th time. It's an annual tradition dating back [...]
Defiant Greek PM Alexis Tsipras cosies up to Russian President Vladimir Putin April 8, 2015 Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras risked straining relations with his Eurozone partners even further yesterday after a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin to boost ties between the two countries. Dismissing European officials who questioned his intentions for the trip, Tsipras said: “Greece is a sovereign state – it has its undisputed right to a [...]
At Last! Vladimir Putin re-emerges after 11 days March 16, 2015 Kremlin watchers were punching the air with joy yesterday after big Vlad P reappeared after his mysterious 11-day disappearance. Putin, last seen on 5 March, giggled off speculation surrounding his whereabouts, dismissing an abundance of rumours about his disappearance as “gossip”. Yes, we know, but where has he been?
A year after Russia’s annexation of Crimea, has the West managed to contain Vladimir Putin? March 16, 2015 Timothy Ash, head of emerging market research (excluding Africa) at Standard Bank, says Yes To answer this, one has to understand Vladimir Putin’s overall long-term strategic objectives regarding Ukraine. If they are threefold – no EU, no Nato and no successful Maidan administration in Kiev – then the Russian President has unfinished business. The combination [...]
Where has Vladimir Putin been? The theories surrounding the Russian President’s disappearance March 16, 2015 Russian President Vladimir Putin finally made a public appearance this morning, after an 11-day absence. Putin turned up to a scheduled meeting with Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev in St Petersburg – and even took him "for a little drive", according to Atambayev. But the rumour-mill was working in overdrive during Putin's disappearance/ Here are the [...]
Russian president Vladimir Putin just took a 10 per cent pay cut March 6, 2015 What better sign that a leader understands the struggles of his people than by taking a big pay cut? Vladimir Putin has announced he will take a 10 per cent pay cut between the beginning of this month and the end of December. The Russian President said the pay cut will apply to other senior [...]
Which countries would be affected if Vladimir Putin and Russia turn off the gas? February 26, 2015 Vladimir Putin could be considering closing the taps on Europe’s gas supply. Yesterday, Russia threatened to trim gas supplies to Europe in a matter of days, an action that could have a severe effect on the region. Although some countries have moved to cut their dependence on Russia, much of the continent’s gas is on the [...]
Putin has an upper hand – it is high time the West said enough is enough February 15, 2015 Vladimir Putin once said “There is no such thing as a former KGB man.” The problem in dealing with the present Russian Tsar is that he knows far more about our weaknesses than we do about his. Coming to maturity as a KGB officer in eastern Germany, the young Vladimir Putin’s tradecraft involved incessantly analysing [...]
Ukraine crisis: Vladimir Putin announces ceasefire after Minsk talks February 12, 2015 Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced that a ceasefire for eastern Ukraine will begin on 15 February. The announcement comes after marathon talks in Minsk, which swayed between reports a deal could be imminent and claims that Russia's terms were unacceptable. With the news comes an announcement from the IMF, which reported it would replace [...]
Ukraine crisis: Valdimir Putin and Petro Poroshenko agree to sign joint document – reports February 12, 2015 It had seemed could be light at the end of the tunnel for Ukraine. After marathon peace talks in Minsk involving Russian President Vladimir Putin, Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande, and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko it was reported that both Putin and Poroshenko would sign a joint document; offering [...]