Modi-Putin summit: Energy cooperation, terrorism, geopolitics discussed

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday returned from his one-day informal summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi.

The prime minister termed the talks as "extremely productive". He said that the complete range of India-Russia relations, along with other global subjects, were part of the discussions between the two leaders during the summit, PTI reported.

The two leaders held discussions on a range of issues from joint effort against terrorism to defence cooperation, International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) and BRICS.

President Putin and Prime Minister Modi also talked about expanding cooperation in the energy sector and, in this regard, welcomed the arrival of the first consignment of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) under a long-term agreement between Russian gas giant Gazprom and India's state-run gas utility GAIL next month.

Modi also thanked Russia for playing a crucial role in helping India get a permanent membership of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, an eight-nation bloc that aims at military and economic cooperation among member states. India and Pakistan were admitted last year to the organisation.

Putin wins 6th term: Xi congratulates him; only Stalin ruled Russia longer

hinese President Xi Jinping on Monday congratulated Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on his re-election, saying Beijing was willing to work with Moscow to bring ties to a "higher level".

"Currently, the China-Russia comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership is at the best level in history, which sets an example for building a new type of international relations," Xi said, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

Russian President Vladimir Putin won a landslide re-election victory on Sunday, extending his rule over the world’s largest country for another six years at a time when his ties with the West are on a hostile trajectory.
Putin’s victory will take his political dominance of Russia to nearly a quarter of a century, until 2024, by which time he will be 71. Only Soviet dictator Josef Stalin ruled for longer. Putin has promised to use his new term to beef up Russia’s defenses against the West and to raise living standards.

Putin praises 'feminine traits' of female bosses ahead of Women's Day

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday praised female bosses and their "typically feminine traits" during a visit to a pastry factory ahead of International Women's Day.
March 8 is a public holiday in Russia but is mainly celebrated by giving flowers and chocolates to women rather than stressing the need for gender equality.

"To be a major shareholder... or the head of a business, you have to have particular qualities," said Putin as he met with female entrepreneurs in the city of Samara on the Volga river.
"I think that women do have these qualities, and even certain advantages," said the president, who cultivates a macho image and is often photographed topless and playing sports.
"Men are, as they say, tougher.

But if these leadership qualities are combined with typically feminine traits, then the result is often much superior than the assertiveness of strong men."

China set to make Xi era permanent with sweeping legal overhaul

In his first five years, President Xi Jinping has seized control of economic policy, reasserted the Communist Party’s authority and sidelined potential rivals in an unprecedented anti-corruption campaign.
Now, he’s set to make the Xi era permanent.
In a two-week session starting Monday, China’s rubber-stamp parliament is expected to enact sweeping legislative changes that would allow Xi to rule indefinitely and give him greater control over the levers of money and power. The agenda includes repealing presidential term limits, creating a powerful new agency to police officials and possibly approving the biggest regulatory overhaul of the $43 trillion finance-and-insurance sector in 15 years.
Xi is also reportedly planning to use the annual meeting of the 3,000-member National People’s Congress to install allies in key government posts, including the vice presidency, the central bank governorship and dozens of minister-level positions. It’s unclear when exactly specific decisions will be announced.

Clear evidence that Russians meddled in 2016 US election: George W Bush

Former President George W Bush on Thursday said "there's pretty clear evidence that the Russians meddled" in the 2016 US presidential election.
Bush made the comments in a talk in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, put on by the Milken Institute, an economic think tank based in California.
Bush also said that Russian President Vladimir Putin "is zero-sum.

He can't think, 'How can we both win?' He only thinks, 'How do I win, you lose?'"
Bush also said that the United States needs to reform its immigration law.
While not directly naming President Donald Trump, it appeared Bush was targeting him in his comments.
Bush in 2008 became the first sitting US president to visit the UAE.

Kremlin: Russia election boycott campaign may be illegal

Russian officials should review opposition leader Alexei Navalny's calls for an election boycott to see if they might be breaking the law, the Kremlin said on Tuesday, hinting at possible legal repercussions.

In a widely anticipated decision, Russia's top election body yesterday ruled to formally bar anti-corruption crusader Navalny from running in the presidential election next March.

Navalny promptly put out a video statement, saying that the ban shows that President Vladimir "Putin is terribly scared and is afraid of running against me," and called on his supporters to stay away from the vote in protest.

Putin, who has been in power for 18 years, announced his bid for re-election earlier this month, but so far has refrained from canvassing.

In contrast, his most prominent rival, anti-corruption crusader Navalny has been campaigning aggressively all year, reaching out to the most remote parts of the country. Opinion polls say that Putin should easily win the March vote.

Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov today wouldn't comment on the Election Commission's decision to bar Navalny but said the "calls for boycott ought to be carefully studied to see if they are breaking the law."

Peskov also rejected suggestions that Navalny's absence on the ballot could dent the legitimacy of Putin's possible re-election.
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Paradise leaks: Nothing wrong in Russia-tied investments, says Wilbur Ross

US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said on Monday he had done nothing wrong and did properly disclose his investments in a shipping firm that has significant business ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin's inner circle.

Ross was responding in media interviews to reports on Sunday about his investments stemming from the so-called Paradise Papers, a trove of leaked documents about an offshore investment that relate to the affairs of wealthy individuals and institutions ranging from Ross to Britain's Queen Elizabeth and trading firm Glencore.

The documents were obtained by Germany's Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper and shared with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and some media outlets. Reuters has not independently verified the documents.

"There is nothing wrong with anything that was done," Ross told CNBC, adding that he had not considered resigning following Sunday's report. Ross is a billionaire investor who is helping to shape Republican President Donald Trump's trade policy.

"There was disclosure, there is no impropriety and if people draw a contrary conclusion that's because the papers have twisted the story and made it into something that it's not there," Ross told the BBC.

U.S. media said partnerships used by Ross have a 31 percent stake in Navigator Holdings, which the New York Times said earns millions of dollars a year transporting gas for Russian petrochemical firm Sibur.
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Paradise Paper leaks reveal Wilbur Ross' offshore ties to Putin 'cronies'

After becoming commerce secretary, Wilbur L. Ross Jr. retained investments in a shipping firm he once controlled that has significant business ties to a Russian oligarch subject to American sanctions and President Vladimir V. Putin’s son-in-law, according to newly disclosed documents.

The shipper, Navigator Holdings, earns millions of dollars a year transporting gas for one of its top clients, a giant Russian energy company called Sibur, whose owners include the oligarch and Mr. Putin’s family member. Despite selling off numerous other holdings to join the Trump administration and spearhead its “America first” trade policy, Mr. Ross kept an investment in Navigator, which increased its business dealings with Sibur even as the West sought to punish Russia’s energy sector over Mr. Putin’s incursions into Ukraine.

Partnerships used by Mr. Ross, whose private equity firm has long been the biggest shareholder in Navigator, have a 31 percent stake in the company. Though his personal share of that stake was reduced as he took office in February, he retained an investment in the partnerships valued between $2 million and $10 million, and stood to earn a higher share of profits as a general partner, according to his government ethics disclosure and securities filings.

Mr. Ross’s stake in Navigator has been held by a chain of companies in the Cayman Islands, one of several tax havens where much of his wealth, estimated at more than $2 billion, has been tied to similar investment vehicles. Details of these arrangements surfaced in a cache of leaked files from Appleby, one of the world’s largest offshore law firms, which administered some 50 companies and partnerships in the Caymans and elsewhere connected to Mr. Ross.

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Stop this tweeting, it's childish: Former VP Joe Biden blasts Donald Trump

Former US Vice President Joe Biden strongly criticised President Trump today, and predicted an emboldened and determined Russia would once again meddle in an American election.

In public comments at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Biden — the target of speculation of a possible presidential run in 2020 — thoroughly rebuked Trump and his policies.

"We've got to stop this tweeting... it's childish," he said. "It's time to grow up and act like a world leader."

Biden, Barack Obama's former vice president, has made international politics a key area of focus since leaving office.

He accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of seeking to mask problems at home by "stoking discord" in European countries and the United States.

"Russia's attack on our election was not an isolated incident," Biden said.

"The efforts to spew disinformation, infiltrate our networks, corrupt our political institutions, they continue. And, we'll surely see this kick into full gear as we head into another critical Congressional election cycle in 2018."

Biden also criticised Trump for not taking a more forceful stand against Russian meddling and said his international policies in general -- such as withdrawing from the Trans-Pacific Partnership — threatened America's alliances.
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Russian collusion probe: What charges against Manafort, Gates and Papadopoulos could mean for Trump

Five months into Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of cooperation between Donald Trump’s campaign and Russia during the 2016 election, Americans are seeing the first legal maneuvers in the case.

Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort and his business associate Rick Gates surrendered to U.S. District Court on Oct. 30, after being indicted by a grand jury. Both pleaded not guilty to 12 counts, including conspiracy.

Hours later, we learned a foreign policy advisor to the campaign, George Papadopoulos, pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI earlier in the month.

What does all of this mean?

For those of us who study presidential elections and administrations, the indictments offer a first look at the tangled web of financial relationships among the Trump campaign staff, and a newly revealed effort by the Russians to share “dirt” – including thousands of emails – on Hillary Clinton.

What about George Papadopoulos?

The news that George Papadopoulos pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about meetings with individuals closely associated with the Russian government during the campaign is an important development in the ongoing investigation. It establishes an additional effort by Russia to contact the Trump campaign in an effort to help Trump win the presidency.

That we only learned about that plea today, when Special Counsel Robert Mueller is indicting Donald Trump’s former campaign manager, suggests Papadopoulos’s cooperation with the investigation is problematic for the president. Mueller filed a motion calling Papadopoulos a “proactive cooperator” and urged the court to maintain secrecy because Papadopoulos had agreed to provide information relevant to an ongoing investigation of Russian interference with the election.
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In Mao's league? Xi Jinping's BRI a political masterstroke, says expert

The One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative must be seen as a political and economic masterstroke by Chinese President Xi Jinping, in terms of its domestic as well foreign impact, an expert has said.

"The singular contribution of the man now vying for a place next to Mao in the pantheon of Chinese leaders, Xi Jinping, is the One Belt, One Road project. It was a public relations triumph: Mao destroyed the old order, Deng Xiaoping laid the foundations of a modern economy, Xi is making China great again," said Philip Bowring, who has been writing on regional financial and political issues successively as correspondent for the Financial Times, editor of the Far Eastern Economic Review and columnist for the International Herald Tribune, in an article published in nybook.com.

"This plan, now more often known as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), to use China's money and know-how to develop relations with a host of developing countries across Eurasia and to the coasts of Africa has proved a political masterstroke at home and abroad," he added.

He mentioned that for foreigners, China appears to be extending a hand of friendship, economic development, and trade across half the world.

ALSO READ: China: Activists fear more arrests and crackdowns in Xi's 'new era'

Bowring said for the Chinese people, it is an expression of new-found pride in the nation's power and wealth.
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Saudi Arabia signs agreement with Russia to buy S-400 air defence system

Saudi Arabia signed today preliminary agreements to buy S-400 air defence systems and receive "cutting edge technologies" from Russia during King Salman's landmark visit to Moscow, the Saudi military industries firm said.

The agreement was announced as King Salman, who is on the first official trip to Russia by a Saudi monarch, and Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks at the Kremlin.

Under the agreements, Saudi Arabia is set to buy S-400 air defence systems, Kornet anti-tank guided missile systems and multiple rocket launchers.

These agreements are "expected to play a pivotal role in the growth and development of the military and military systems industry in Saudi Arabia," Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI), the Sunni state's military industries firm said.

"The memorandum of understanding includes the transfer of technology for the local production" of the Kornet anti-tank guided missile systems, advanced multiple rocket launchers and automatic grenade launchers.

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Trump admin bans government use of software from Russian firm Kaspersky

The Trump administration on Wednesday told US government agencies to remove Kaspersky Lab products from their networks, saying it was concerned the Moscow-based cyber security firm was vulnerable to Kremlin influence and that using its anti-virus software could jeopardise national security.

The decision represents a sharp response to what US intelligence agencies have described as a national security threat posed by Russia in cyberspace, following an election year marred by allegations that Moscow weaponised the internet in an attempt to influence its outcome.

In a statement, Kaspersky Lab rejected the allegations, as it has done repeatedly in recent months, and said its critics were misinterpreting Russian data-sharing laws that only applied to communications services.

"No credible evidence has been presented publicly by anyone or any organisation as the accusations are based on false allegations and inaccurate assumptions," the company said.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a directive to federal agencies ordering them to identify Kaspersky products on their information systems within 30 days and begin to discontinue their use within 90 days.

The order applies only to civilian government agencies and not the Pentagon, but U.S. intelligence leaders said earlier this year that Kaspersky was already generally not allowed on military networks.
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China, Russia condemn nuke test, agree to 'appropriately deal' with N Korea

China and Russia have united against North Korea after it has successfully conducted a test of a hydrogen bomb on Sunday, which is meant to be loaded into an intercontinental ballistic missile.

The Presidents of China and Russia came to an agreement on appropriately dealing with North Korea's sixth and most powerful nuclear test, the Xinhua News agency reported.

The agreement came as Chinese President Xi Jinping met his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Sunday night in Xiamen, Fujian province, ahead of Monday's Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) summit.

Meanwhile, the Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a statement, expressing firm opposition to and strong condemnation of the nuclear test.

Both leaders have agreed to stick to the goal of de-nuclearisation on the Korean Peninsula and keep close communication and coordination to deal with the new situation.

Earlier, India also deplored the nuclear test conducted by North Korea and called Pyongyang to refrain from such actions which adversely impact peace and stability in the region and beyond.

In a statement, India expressed concern over the nuclear test and said, "Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has once again acted in violation of its international commitments."
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Xi opens BRICS meet, asks members to shelve differences, build mutual trust

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday asked BRICS members to shelve their differences and accommodate each other's concerns by enhancing mutual trust and strategic communication, as he opened the 9th annual summit of the five member emerging economies here.

The opening ceremony of the three-day BRICS summit started with BRICS Business Council in this southeastern Chinese city in Fujian province amid a downpour triggered by typhoon Mawar which had caused widespread disruption to the summit preparations and the city's traffic. The typhoon also caused considerable disruption to the flights.

BRICS - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - is a grouping of the five emerging economies. The BRICS summit brings together the leaders of these countries.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Brazilian President Michel Temer, South African President Jacob Zuma and Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend the summit.

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Russia signs deal to use Syria air base for 49 years

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed into law a protocol to an agreement with Syria to deploy a Russian Air Force group at a Syrian military base.

The protocol was signed into law on Wednesday and ratifies the agreement signed by Russia and Syria which allows the Russian air group to use Syria's Hmeymim air base free of charge for 49 years with possible extension for another 25-year period, Xinhua news agency reported.

The document was posted on the Russian government's legal information portal.

The protocol to the 2015 Russian-Syrian agreement "aimed at establishing the international legal framework governing the conditions for the location of the Russian air force group" was signed in Damascus on January 18, 2017.

Prior to being signed into law by Putin, the protocol was ratified by both chambers of the Russian Parliament.

The Russian air group was deployed at Hmeymim from the end of September 2015 to help Syria fight the Islamic State (IS) and other terrorist groups at the request of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
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Russia slams fresh US sanctions, says move is a blow to normalising ties

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov on Wednesday slammed the US move to impose fresh sanctions on Moscow, calling it "destruction of prospects for normalising relations between the two countries".

Ryabkov's comments came after the US House of Representatives on Tuesday approved a package of further punitive measures for Russia's alleged interference in the 2016 US elections and its 2014 annexation of the Crimea.

"What is happening is beyond common sense," Ryabkov told Russia's official TASS news agency. "The authors and sponsors of this bill are making a very serious step towards destruction of prospects for normalising relations with Russia."

He said the approval of the law "would be the work of the enemies of Russia and the US".

Ryabkov also said that Washington's move had complicated negotiations between the two countries about the reutrn of seized Russian diplomatic property in the US.

"The US executive authority's capabilities to make the only correct decision to return to us the diplomatic property without any conditions are significantly narrowed... Therefore, of course our dialogue on this topic becomes even more difficult," Sputnik news agency quoted Ryabkov as telling RIA Novosti.
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Russia willing to banish Americans over diplomatic dispute: Zakharova

Russia Foreign Ministry said on Friday that the country was prepared to banish American diplomats if the United States (US) does not undo its decision to expel 35 Russian diplomats and block access to Russian diplomatic estates.

CNN quoted the ministry's spokeswoman, Maria V Zakharova, as saying that after US President Donald Trump's meeting with Russian President Vladimir V. Putin last week, Russia expected the US "to take a more constructive approach" to resolving the dispute.

"The time is ticking," Zakharova said. "We know how to respond."

In December, former US President Barack Obama ordered the removal of 35 Russians suspected of being spies after American intelligence agencies concluded that Russia had tried to interfere in the 2016 presidential election.

Adding to this, Obama administration announced that it would close two Russian waterfront compounds outside Washington and New York, describing them as spy nests, CNN reported.

At the time, Russian President Putin said that his would not respond in kind, suggesting that he expected a different relationship with Trump administration.

Zakharova described Obama's moves as a "provocation" intended at derailing Trump's attempts to improve bilateral relations.
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Clinton as President would have made America weaker, Putin happier: Trump

US President Donald Trump has said that his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin would have been happier if his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton would have won the last year's general elections, as this would have made America weaker.

In his first major interview after his last week's maiden meeting with Putin in Hamburg, Germany on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit, Trump said he and the Russian leader both are advocating interest of their respective countries. But there is scope for co-operation between the two at the global stage.

"We are the most powerful country in the world and we are getting more and more powerful because I'm a big military person. As an example, if Hillary had won, our military would be decimated. Our energy would be much more expensive. That's what Putin doesn't like about me," Trump told Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) in an interview.

"And that's why I say, why would he want me? Because from day one I wanted a strong military, he doesn't want to see that," he said, according to the excerpts of the interview released by CBN.

"From day one I want fracking and everything else to get energy prices low and to create tremendous energy. We're going to be self-supporting, we just about are now. We're going to be exporting energy - he doesn't want that.

"He would like Hillary where she wants to have windmills. He would much rather have that because energy prices would go up and Russia as you know relies very much on energy," he continued.
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Trump's friendly meeting with Putin further blurs US-Russia relations

It emerged early this morning: a few seconds of grainy footage showing U.S. President Donald Trump shaking hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G-20 summit in Hamburg, Germany.

Trump, the taller man, stoops to meet Putin on equal terms. He pats him repeatedly on the elbow, and then on the back.

Later, as they sat side-by-side in matching cream-colored chairs, Trump called it “an honor” to meet Putin. The Russian president noted that they had talked on the telephone several times, but that talking on the telephone is never enough. An interesting choice of words, given Putin’s disconcerting habit of leaking the private conversations of foreign leaders.

So what can we learn about their relationship and the future of U.S.-Russia relations from this single meeting?

Hidden planning

They talked for more than two hours, far longer than the scheduled half hour. According to a briefing given later in the afternoon by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, they discussed Syria, Ukraine, terrorism and cybersecurity, including “interference in the democratic processes” of the U.S. and other countries. And Tillerson announced that the U.S., Russia and Jordan have agreed to a ceasefire in Southwest Syria between the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and opposition forces.

This was a substantial agenda, made to seem more impressive by clever expectations setting and misdirection undertaken by administration officials in advance of the meeting.

The official announcement of the ceasefire was held back so that the meeting would have a “deliverable.” However, the Associated Press gave the game away by reporting the deal while Trump and Putin were still talking.
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