Russia
Ukraine
Nearly 9,000 Russian troops and intelligence agents remain inside Ukraine despite the Kremlin's denials, two top Ukrainian officials said on a visit to Washington Wednesday, adding they have shared their findings with the Obama White House. – Washington Times
A correspondent for a Russian newspaper that has challenged the Kremlin's narrative about the conflict in Ukraine says he was detained, struck in the face, and deported by Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. – Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
Anders Aslund writes: The costs of the war in the Donbas are great. Ukraine cannot afford these costs, and Russia does not want to assume them. The longer the war lasts, the greater the damage and human suffering. Increasingly, these costs will weigh on the warfare. This might be an important reason why Donbas separatists now claim that the Novorossiya project is over. – Atlantic Council
Ukraine faced a crisis. Nigeria passed a test. And the Islamic State and Ebola left indelible marks. How 2014’s success stories and struggles affected state – and global – stability last year and set the stage for 2015. - From Foreign Policy
Russia
The European Union is set to extend by six months economic sanctions against Russia, calming fears that Greece’s acrimonious negotiations over its debt crisis might allow Russia to break the unity of the 28-nation bloc in its response to the conflict in Ukraine. – New York Times
This year, as corporate executives and Russian leaders arrive Thursday in President Vladimir Putin’s hometown for the economic forum’s opening day, there’s a different elephant in the room: Russia’s struggling economy, which has fallen into recession amid low oil prices, expensive credit and Western sanctions. – Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
One of Russia’s most prominent dissidents told the Atlantic Council on Wednesday that “the system built by [President Vladimir] Putin is contradictory” because it is “a centralized, vertical structure focused on one man” who can be limited in his view and distracted by competing demands. – USNI News
The West needs to get tougher with Moscow over the conflict in eastern Ukraine, according to leading Russian opposition figure and chess legend Garry Kasparov. – Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
Russian media reports say Belgian authorities have seized Russian government assets in connection with a $1.8 billion lawsuit filed by former shareholders of the now-defunct Russian oil firm Yukos. –Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
Russia does not want to enter a costly new arms race with the United States, a top Kremlin aide said Wednesday, after President Vladimir Putin said it was boosting its nuclear arsenal. - AFP
NATO's top commander said on Wednesday Russia's announcement it was adding 40 new intercontinental ballistic missiles to its nuclear arsenal was not the kind of behavior expected of a responsible nuclear power. - Reuters
Russia may toughen its response to sanctions imposed by the European Union over the crisis in Ukraine if the bloc extends its measures against Moscow, a Kremlin aide said on Thursday. - Reuters
Editorial: Some in the West oppose any step by Western countries to defend themselves, no matter how small, on the grounds that doing so could “provoke” the Russian ruler. But it is more likely that a rejection of the Pentagon’s plan by President Obama would encourage Mr. Putin to believe NATO would crumble if challenged. Mr. Obama should approve the pre-positioning and make it clear that Moscow’s belligerence will be matched by tangible defensive acts. – Washington Post
Larry Luxner writes: Someday, predicts Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Russia—freed from the authoritarian grip of President Vladimir Putin—could be an ally of the United States, an economically strong democracy, and even a responsible member of both NATO and the European Union. And even though that day may be a long way off, Washington shouldn’t waste any time getting ready for it – Atlantic Council
FP's Keith Johnson writes : Belgian court goes after Russian assets in the decade-old Yukos case just as Brussels renews economic sanctions on Moscow through the rest of the year. – Foreign Policy
Western Europe
US Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James, citing threats across the spectrum, has urged European allies to boost defense spending. – Defense News
Norway's landmark pledge to contribute to NATO's missile defense system will further complicate confidence-building relations with Russia. – Defense News
David Cameron has told the head of the Iraq war inquiry that he is “fast losing patience” with delays to the publication of the report, after its author said he was still unable to say when it would come out. –Financial Times
Bill Gertz reports: President Obama wants to share U.S. secrets with a German parliamentary committee investigating the National Security Agency's spying in Germany. The move is in direct opposition to Congressional restrictions, which were added to the fiscal 2016 intelligence authorization bill that would block intelligence sharing. – Washington Times’ Inside the Ring
Eastern Europe
U.S. allies are happy to have the A-10 Warthog attack aircraft back in Europe to counter a resurgent Russia, airmen here at the Paris Air Show said. – Military.com
Thousands of NATO troops are on the move this month in Poland and the Baltic states, practicing sea landings, air lifts and assaults. The massive maneuvers on NATO's eastern flank that began in early June include the first-ever training by the new, rapid reaction "spearhead" force, and are NATO's biggest defense boost since the Cold War. – Associated Press
The United States already has many of the tanks and other vehicles needed to equip an armoured brigade in Europe, but has not decided yet whether to store some of the hardware in eastern Europe, a top U.S. commander said on Wednesday. - Reuters
