"The arrival of Russia's spy chief in Washington creates new intrigue. Bortnikov is one of Russia's most influential men... Officially, Bortnikov is in the United States for two days to attend the White House Summit on Countering Violent Extremism. There are no reports that he will attend any other talks while he is in the country, but we would be surprised if his agenda did not include sideline meetings. The decision to ask Bortnikov to the United States just as the cease-fire is starting to settle into place is critical. Putin trusts very few people to speak to the United States on his behalf — Bortnikov being one of them." - Stratfor | » Op-Ed Contributor: A Closer Look at the Ukraine Cease-Fire Agreement 19/02/15 10:16 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks: This new Minsk agreement is deeply flawed. It may well break down into a new spiral of deadly warfare, but it is all we have to avert further death and destruction. The West has no choice but to respond intelligently and assertively to Mr. Putin’s new strategy.
Op-Ed Contributor: A Closer Look at the Ukraine Cease-Fire Agreement by By ADRIAN KARATNYCKY Thursday February 19 th , 2015 at 11:16 AM NYT > Europe 1 Share Even if the fragile truce in eastern Ukraine fails, it has allowed us to grasp Vladimir Putin's new strategy. Read the whole story · · Watch: Russian planes escorted by RAF Typhoons by Ben Farmer and Tom Parfitt Thursday February 19 th , 2015 at 11:16 AM Russian News, All The Latest And Breaking Russia News 1 Share Video footage emerges apparently taken onboard Russian planes as they are escorted by RAF Typhoons Turkey To Go Ahead with Chinese Missile Defense System by webdesk@voanews.com (Reuters) Thursday February 19 th , 2015 at 11:16 AM Voice Of America 1 Share Turkey will go ahead with plans to order a $3.4-billion missile defense system from China, Defense Minister Ismet Yilmaz