On February 2, eighteen players of the Wild Pandas, Vladivostok’s American football team, led by U.S. coach and NCAA star Bobby Rome, came to the Consulate for a live Super Bowl party. The event was indeed a spectacular one: participants had a chance to enjoy the 9:30 AM local time kick off of the premier ... Read More»
President Obama’s Interview with Fareed Zakaria of CNN
(Excerpt – on Ukraine Situation) FAREED ZAKARIA: Would it be fair to say that with regard to Russia, your policy has been pretty effective in imposing real costs on the Russian economy, but it has not deterred Vladimir Putin from creating instability in Ukraine. Conflict seems to have even escalated in the last few weeks. ... Read More»
President Obama on Ukraine and Russia. Excerpts from Press-Conference in New Delhi, India
Q: <…> On Ukraine, pro-Russian rebels are again launching new offenses. How at this point can you justify not taking a different approach, given that the Minsk Agreement has all but failed, and sanctions may have had an impact on the Russian economy but they don’t appear to be changing Russia’s calculus when it comes ... Read More»
Speech to the American Chamber of Commerce in Russia Ambassador John F. Tefft
Thank you for that introduction, Alex. I am grateful for this opportunity to speak to members of the American Chamber of Commerce in Russia. I am sure you already know them and work closely with them, but let me start by introducing my team. First, there is Deputy Chief of Mission Lynne Tracy who has ... Read More»
State Department Deputy Spokesperson Marie Harf on Ongoing Violations of the Minsk Agreements in Eastern Ukraine
“We condemn continued attacks by separatists as they attempt to control additional territory in violation of the Minsk agreements. Today’s vicious and repeated attacks on the Donetsk Airport and the shelling of a bus that killed 10 people and wounded 13 are just the latest egregious violations of the commitments made by the Russia-backed separatists. ... Read More»