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Articles by Mark Simakovsky
Trump Can’t Stop Putin From Poaching U.S. Allies
On July 17, the United States finally decided to suspend Turkey’s participation in the F-35 fighter jet program, a move made in retaliation for Turkey’s acceptance of the Russian-made S-400 missile system. The U.S. decision was a fitting culmination to a drawn-out saga, which may well poison U.S.-Turkish ties for years to come.
Opinion | Russia is sending bombers near Alaska to show it can attack the U.S. if necessary
More and more, U.S. pilots in Alaska are being awoken in the frigid early morning for what used to be a Cold War mission: scrambling stealth F-22 fighter jets from their base in Anchorage to confront 1950s-era Russian Tu-95 “Bear” bombers barreling toward U.S. shores. Last week alone, the Russians twice conducted air sorties. In each case, the American F-22s rushed to take off to keep the Russian planes out of U.S. airspace.
Russia is sending bombers near Alaska to show it can attack the U.S. if necessary ǀ View
More and more, U.S. pilots in Alaska are being awoken in the frigid early morning for what used to be a Cold War mission: scrambling stealth F-22 fighter jets from their base in Anchorage to confront 1950s-era Russian Tu-95 “Bear” bombers barreling toward U.S. shores. Last week alone, the Russians twice conductedair sorties. In each case, the American F-22s rushed to take off to keep the Russian planes out of U.S. airspace.
Four Perfectly Trump Reasons Why He Wants Out of the INF Treaty
Within Trump’s haphazard foreign policy there is logical coherence to him quitting a nuclear treaty Russia ignores. But it won’t make us safer. This month, buried within a campaign rally in Montana, President Trump made one of the most consequential defense policy announcements of his presidency — his intention to withdraw the United States from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty with Russia.
Russia invaded Georgia exactly 10 years ago. Here's how Trump could prevent another war.
On the tenth anniversary of the Russo-Georgian War, here's how the Trump administration could prevent a third and possibly worse war involving Russia. President George W. Bush, who was committed to improving U.S.-Russian ties after he met President Vladimir Putin and got "a sense of his soul," was forced to confront Russia as it invaded Georgia 10 years ago this week.
Helsinki and NATO show we need a Trump containment strategy to protect us and our allies
Helsinki was a clarifying moment. Congress and the world need a Trump containment strategy, or we'll be living with the global wreckage for generations. President Donald Trump’s trans-Atlantic diplomacy this month makes clear that he is the single greatest source of uncertainty on the world stage.
Playing with Fire in Helsinki: How Trump’s Summit with Putin Could Split the Transatlantic Alliance
Normally, it is autocrats who eagerly seek meetings with U.S. presidents in hopes of a photo op that will boost their strongman image at home. In 2018, the roles have been reversed. First, President Donald Trump met with Kim Jong Un in Singapore; on Monday, he will sit down with President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, Finland – the first U.S.-Russia summit since 2009 – just days after the NATO summit in Brussels.
Now is not the time for a U.S.-Russia summit
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Now is Not the Time for a US-Russia Summit
The US-Russia summit on July 16, which will take place several days after President Trump issues a broadside against NATO Allies July 11-12 for their lack of burden sharing, will undermine US and NATO interests vis-à-vis Russia. Although a summit between the US and Russian Presidents can be productive at the right time and with the right approach, particularly with tension running so high in US-Russian relations, now is not that time.
The Do-No-Harm Principle of Kremlin Relations
Imagine this: a new U.S. president, with no foreign-policy experience, has a bold idea. He will make a new friend for America. And not just any new friend, but one endowed with world-class natural resources, a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council, and a landmass that bestrides 11 time zones. Russia, he surmises, has long been misunderstood and neglected — a victim of outmoded, Cold War thinking, an aggrieved party injured by the last president’s policies.
Trump Should Not Have Met with Russia’s Foreign Minister
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov came to Washington this week riding a wave of Russian diplomatic activity to strengthen the Kremlin’s position in Syria, Ukraine, North Korea, and across the wider European continent. The visit is both a surprise and a warning — indicating that U.S.-Russia bilateral consultations are ripening and will likely culminate in a summit this summer between President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart, President Vladimir Putin.
Trump Should Not Have Met with Russia’s Foreign Minister
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov came to Washington this week riding a wave of Russian diplomatic activity to strengthen the Kremlin’s position in Syria, Ukraine, North Korea, and across the wider European continent. The visit is both a surprise and a warning — indicating that U.S.-Russia bilateral consultations are ripening and will likely culminate in a summit this summer between President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart, President Vladimir Putin.
Tillerson can survive this Russia trip. Really
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s visit to Moscow this week was going to be awkward even before the U.S. attack on Syria, given multiple investigations into the Trump team’s connections to Russia and Tillerson’s status as a novice diplomat. His trip, the first by a senior Trump administration official to Russia, will test his skills and also serve as a reality test for President Trump’s dream of improving U.S.-Russian relations.
Tillerson can survive this Russia trip. Really: Column
He needs to act like a CEO and strike performance-based deals on Syria and Ukraine. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s visit to Moscow this week was going to be awkward even before the U.S. attack on Syria, given multiple investigations into the Trump team’s connections to Russia and Tillerson’s status as a novice diplomat.
Here’s What Trump Should Keep in Mind as He Seeks a Reset with Russia
Rex Tillerson’s confirmation hearing on January 11 put a spotlight on an eventual architect of the next US administration’s Russia policy. Although he holds deep international experience, Tillerson is a highly controversial selection for the job of secretary of state. He has a track record of opposing sanctions on Russia and calling for increased cooperation with Moscow despite Russia’s destabilizing activities around the world.
Mark Simakovsky
Issues Conflict Defense Policy National Security NATO Security Partnerships Regions Eastern Europe Europe & Eurasia Russia The Caucasus Ukraine Russian influence in Venezuela: What should the United States do?
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