Valdai Club

Mikatekiso Kubayi

Boris Kagarlitsky

Ivan Krastev

Viktor Katona

Vasily Koltashov

Gürkan Kumbaroğlu

Ksenia Kirkham

P.R. Kumaraswamy

Alexander Kramarenko

Alexander Khramchikhin

Russian Federation

Deputy Director, Institute for Political and Military Analysis.

Materials

Russia Will Not Lose from the Denunciation of the INF Treaty

The military experts of the Valdai Discussion Club believe, that Russia will not lose much from the US withdrawal from the INF Treaty. The medium-range missiles of the SS-20 type are much more necessary to Russia than for the United States. While Russia, in accordance with the 1987 treaty, destroyed its medium-range missiles, many other countries intensified their production and deployment.

The Ukrainian Army Is Not Gaining Strength

President of Ukraine Poroshenko said recently that the transformation that has taken place in the Ukrainian army has prepared the country to repel full-scale aggression by Russia. Regardless of whether such aggression is likely, the current state of the Ukrainian Armed Forces is worth considering.

The Caucasus Mine Field

The Caucasus enters this year in the same situation of “stable instability” that has characterized the entire post-Soviet era – the endless war of everyone against everyone. For now the war is cold, but this year the Sochi Olympics will exert a powerful influence on the situation in the region, at least in the first few months.

Iran Does Not Treat Russia As a Partner

Iran is getting ever closer to obtaining a nuclear bomb and wants to get the ultimate insurance policy against a possible military attack. Moscow is doing everything for Tehran without asking for anything in return. Russia is pulling Iran’s chestnuts out of the fire and at the same time is allowing Tehran to walk all over them.

Iran’s Nuclear Program: Far from Peaceful Atoms

Russia needs Iran as a deterrent against its enemies in the region, the Arab monarchies led by Saudi Arabia. China, the main purchaser of Iranian oil, seems to be covertly facilitating the Iranian missile and nuclear program, or at least mediating between Iran and North Korea in this matter.