TODAY: Did Clinton get what she wanted?; media reports possible silence for sanctions deal; START treaty progress.  Georgia accused of abetting al-Qaida; Putin 'satisfied' with job.  German official castigates Medvedev for investigation into Stalin-researching historian; the man of steel's grandson loses battle with newspaper; psychological perils of police force and military; mafia boss funeral. According to the Moscow Times, Hillary Clinton received a 'cool welcome' from Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the crucial issue of sanctions on Iran, with Russia still resisting.  Clinton apparently 'brave-faced' it, saying, 'we did not ask for anything today. We reviewed the situation', and added 'Russia has been extremely co-operative in the work we have done together'.  Reports have circulated that the ...

TODAY: Medvedev firm on realignment of Caucasus; pledges support for the breakaway territories; details of Cyxymu hacking case emerge.  Justice for Politkovskaya meets obstacles; Kadyrov shows little love for Estemirova; Putin celebrates ten years in power.  Helicopters, cars and cops. 'Last year's events have finally redrawn the political map of the Caucasus' said President Medvedev, awarding medals at a war in Georgia commemoration service.  Medvedev has promised to develop 'full-fledged relations with South Ossetia and Abkhazia, regardless of whether somebody likes it or not'.  According to the President, Georgia has not stopped threatening to regain its 'territorial integrity' by force.  He has pledged to continue to provide South Ossetia with social, economic and military ...

TODAY: Biden in Georgia expresses support for freedom and territorial integrity; Russia-NATO Council meeting pragmatic.  Body of missing Russian activist  Andrei Kulagin found, second murder in a week.  Nobel laureates plead for justice for Estemirova; Russia says no to UN probe into her death. Mikheil Saakashvili wasted no words in condemning Russia in his meeting with US Vice President Joe Biden.  Biden pledged his support by sending out an 'unequivocal, clear message to all who will listen and some who don't want to', in an apparent tacit reference to the Kremlin.  'We refuse to recognise that Abkhazia and South Ossetia are not part of Georgia', Biden told the BBC.  Resurrected discussions of the expulsion ...

TODAY: US and Russia will cut nuclear stockpiles by a third; Obama says possibility of 'extraordinary progress' at summit; no conclusion on missile defense; despite previous barbed comments, Putin-Obama meeting warm; Russian press quiet on the visitPresident Obama and President Medvedev have agreed on a reduction of both countries' nuclear arsenals from 2,200 to between 1,500 and 1,675 warheads and from 1,600 to between 500 and 1,100 delivery vehicles, to be accomplished within seven years.  To see a video of the press conference, look here.   No conclusion has been met on missile defense which Obama recognizes as point of 'sensitivity to the Russian Government', and is under review by US experts.  On Afghanistan, the two countries have agreed to allow ...

TODAY: Re-set still top of the headlines; military disarmament a benefit or a loss for Russia?; Caucasus talks see no resolution; Russian academy invitation to denounce 'falsifiers'; legendary Soviet singer diesThe Moscow Times reports on Barack Obama's comments on his first trip to Russia, four years ago: 'Thinking of the Russians more as partners does mean being more thoughtful, respectful and consistent about what we say and what we do'.  ITAR-TASS reports that the Presidents have had a telephone conversation in advance of their meeting.  In the Washington Post there is an analysis of the riddles that abound in Russia political identity; with Putin's anti-Americanism and authoritarianism, will Obama strike more of a chord with fellow ...

TODAY: Russia condemns North Korea 'Hiroshima' size bomb test; Lavrov says election result in Lebanon must be respected; Medvedev believes influence in CIS states should be extended; streamlining the military provokes discontentA spokesman for President Medvedev has said that 'North Korea's underground nuclear test in the region adjacent to the territory of the Russian Federation ... causes deep regret and the most serious concern'.  The detonation was, according to Russian experts, of a bomb roughly the same size as that dropped on Nagasaki or Hiroshima.  Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said that the international community must recognize the results of Lebanon's upcoming general election, regardless of who wins.  This comment comes hot on the heels of those by US Vice President ...