TODAY: NATO ministerial level meeting to take place in Corfu; deputies suggests nationalization of troubled Pikalyovo factory; gay rights activist to sue Moscow mayor; blacklisting practice; bribery affecting the poor'We have always had quite good relations with the Korean leadership but what has happened arouses very big concern': says President Medvedev on North Korea.  The Kremlin has stated that it may support economic sanctions against the rogue state to convince it to put a halt to its nuclear program.  US and Russian officials have concluded their talks on strategic arms reduction without comment from Russia, but the US negotiator, Rose Gottemoeller, has called them 'productive'.  NATO and Russia Foreign Ministers are set to meet in Corfu on June 27 in the ...

TODAY: Russia rejoins Georgia talks; US-Russia nuclear talks constructive so far; policy report recommends US cancel plans for missile defense in eastern Europe; Medvedev creates body to counter 'revisionist' readings of Russian historyEncouragement from international mediators, and receiving a delayed UN report, have seen Russia return to talks on Georgia.  Apparently the talks have been 'constructive' so far and will continue in July.  The Georgian Foreign Ministry believes that the UN report was changed under pressure from Russia, as the amended version makes no reference to Georgian sovereignty over Abkhazia.  Russia will deploy fewer troops in Abkhazia and South Ossetia than had been originally envisaged after last year's conflict.  Again concerns are emerging about consensus at the upcoming EU-Russia summit in ...

TODAY: Attempts to rescue Georgia security talks following Russia and South Ossetia walkout; compulsory income declarations extended; redefining US-Russia nuclear ties; Medvedev aide launches thinly-veiled attack on PutinRussia and South Ossetia have followed the lead of Abkhazia, and walked out of the security talks between Russia and Georgia, claiming that they await a crucial document.  Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin reportedly said following Abkhazia's departure, 'to discuss serious questions about security without one of the parties would be a doomed exercise'.  Russia may return to talks if the crucial document is delivered.  The EU, UN, and OSCE have expressed regret at the walkout.  According to Ria-Novosti, the delayed draft report has now been submitted and is being examined by Russia.  The ...

Not a lot of new information in this piece by Alastair Gee in US News & World Report, but a succinct summary of what Barack Obama is going to have to deal with in relations with Russia and its inferiority complex: It's unclear how much Obama will focus on human rights in Russia, where opposition groups have been excluded from political life. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice notably met with rights activists during visits to Moscow. Taking all that into account, some experts nevertheless say that there's reason to hope for an improvement in relations. Judging by their biographies, Obama and Medvedev may be able to find common ground, says Rose Gottemoeller, a former adviser to Bill Clinton on post-Soviet nations and head of the Carnegie Moscow Center. "They're really not trapped by the Cold War mentality," she suggests, referring to Obama's coming of age when the Cold War was in its final ...

This bit comes from Rose Gottemoeller in the Moscow Times: Obama and Medvedev would do well early in their relationship to make some policy decisions that would sharply break with Cold War patterns. For example, although Obama would not have assumed command of the U.S. military when Russia's naval flotilla completes its exercises off Venezuela in mid-November, he could suggest that the Pentagon invite the Russian commanders to stop off at Central Command in Florida before their return to Russia. The purpose of the stop would be to discuss urgent issues that are engaging both navies, such as the piracy that is running rampant off Somalia. And Medvedev, although he would have to push back against Kremlin hard-liners, could recommend that Moscow and Washington have some urgent issues to work on together with Tbilisi. Smuggling through South Ossetia has been a persistent problem, and it has at times involved that most ...