THE RUSSO-JAPANESE WAR BEGAN ONE HUNDRED TEN YEARS AGO; TODAY PUTIN AND ABE MET TO TALK ABOUT TALKING ABOUT SOME OF THE SAME OLD ISSUES

THE RUSSO-JAPANESE 

WAR BROKE OUT 

February 8, 1904 

THE SEA OF OKHOTSK 

off the Southeastern Shore 
of Sakhalin Island 

South Sakhalin ("Karafuto") was won by the Japanese as a result 
of  their victory in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 

Captured by the USSR in World War II; the entire island is part of Russia 

Still in contention: 

Four islands and groups of islets known as the Kurils (Kuriles) by the Russians, and as the Northern Territories by the Japanese;

under Soviet and then Russian control since World War II 

Some background, here 

Today on the sidelines of the Sochi Winter Olympics Russian President Vladimir Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met and agreed to talk about the sticky island dispute, which has prevented the two countries from signing a peace treaty winding up World War II, at their next meeting, scheduled to take place again in Sochi, at the upcoming G8 summit in June of this year. 

President Putin will then visit Japan in the fall. 

PUTIN TELLS THE EUROPEAN UNION: HANDS OFF UKRAINE (WOULD BE GOOD)

THE RUSSIAN PRESIDENT 
WOULD LIKE TO 

DECLARE UKRAINE 

A NO-GO ZONE 

FOR THE EU 

PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN 

The Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was offering concessions to the Opposition today as Vladimir Putin was having a truncated summit with the European Union (the EU's way of showing its displeasure was to cancel a formal dinner). 

The EU was apparently going to keep going to Ukraine anyway. And Russia may or may not give the $15 billion aid package it promised Yanukovych even if the opposition takes power. It was said that both sides seemed to want to play up the positives. 

Accounts of the Russia-EU summit and the new developments in Ukraine can be found here and here and here and here. 

BEHIND THE CURVE, BUT INTERESTING: VLADIMIR PUTIN PITCHES IN ENGLISH

RUSSIAN PRESIDENT PUTIN 

MAKES A PITCH FOR 

YEKATERINBURG 

VLADIMIR PUTIN 

 Moscow, March 2000 

Last year Russia made a bid for the 2020 World Expo to be held in Yekaterinburg. To help promote Russia's chances, President Putin made a video appeal in English, which can be seen here (with an HD option).  It is dated June 2013; the photograph above was taken      the day of Putin's first election. 

The website for the Yekaterinburg bid is here. 

Vladimir Putin said that surely it was time for Russia to host the World Expo, but in November it was announced that Dubai had won instead. 

PUTIN ADDRESSES AMERICA

VLADIMIR PUTIN 

HOLDS FORTH 

ON SYRIA -- AND 
ON AMERICA 

RUSSIAN PRESIDENT PUTIN CENTER STAGE AT THE 2012 APEC SUMMIT IN VLADIVOSTOK, RUSSIA; PRESIDENT OBAMA WAS A NO-SHOW 

Today Vladimir Putin made a big splash with an op-ed piece in the New York Times entitled "A Plea for Caution from Russia." 

Some quotations that speak for themselves, if perhaps not always in the way the author intended: 

"We are not protecting the Syrian government, but international law." 

"It is alarming that military intervention in internal conflicts in foreign countries has become commonplace for the United States." 

"Millions around the world increasingly see America [or --] not as a model of democracy but as relying solely on brute force, cobbling coalitions together under the slogan 'you’re either with us or against us.'" 

"We must stop using the language of force and return to the path of civilized diplomatic and political settlement." 

"My working and personal relationship with President Obama is marked by growing trust." 

"It is extremely dangerous to encourage people to see themselves as exceptional, whatever the motivation." 

In three-and-a-half weeks Vladimir Putin and Barack Obama are both due to be attending another multilateral summit, this one on Bali, Indonesia, with nineteen other leaders of the Asia-Pacific (APEC) economies. The Russian and American presidents will have another opportunity to deal with Syria directly, and to try out their "growing trust." 

President Obama skipped last year's summit, held in Vladivostok, Russia (see above); President Putin had skipped Obama's first G-8 summit, held at Camp David supposedly for the Russian leader's convenience. Obama ostentatiously called off a Moscow meeting with Putin before the recent G-20 summit, and then ended up talking to him in St. Petersburg instead. Both of them have tossed rather un-presidential zingers at one another. 

Next? Watch this space. 

VLADIMIR PUTIN TO EDWARD SNOWDEN: STOP HURTING OUR AMERICAN PARTNERS!

THE SPYING GAME  

I 

VLADIMIR PUTIN 

SETS TERMS 

II 
EDWARD SNOWDEN ACCEPTS 
IS GRANTED RUSSIAN VISA 

III 
WASHINGTON IS UNHAPPY 

IV 
ONGOING 

UPDATE 
A difference that can be split (still in the balance): 
Go to the G20; skip any Moscow summit; see, e.g., here. 

UPDATE II (August 7, 2013) 
President Obama did split the difference: 
Yes to G20, no to Moscow summit (here). 

VLADIMIR PUTIN CENTER STAGE AT TODAY'S G-8 SUMMIT

"INSIDE THE TENT, 

OUTSIDE THE TENT" 

RUSSIAN PRESIDENT 

VLADIMIR PUTIN 

APEC 2012 Summit 

Vladivostok, Russia 

Today the G-8 leaders met in Lough Erne, Northern Ireland, for their annual summit, and the U.S. and Russian presidents met on the sidelines.  Much analysis was dedicated to the differences between Russia and the U.S., Putin and Obama, on Syria. 

Some of the headlines:  "Putin, Obama face off over Syria at tense G8 summit meeting" (Reuters); "Russian, U.S. view on Syria doesn't match: Putin" (Sydney Morning Herald); "Obama, Putin in stare-down over (no, not the Super Bowl ring) Syria war" (Christian Science Monitor).  One of the more positive reports: "G8 meeting: Obama and Putin push for Syria summit" (BBC). 

The White House provided a transcript; and the Kremlin its account and transcript. 

THE PUTINS ANNOUNCE ... THE END

VLADIMIR & LYUDMILA 

PUTIN 

DIVORCE 

THE PUTINS HOSTING 
THE FIRST RUSSIAN G8 SUMMIT 
St. Petersburg, July 2006 

Today the Russian President and First Lady publicly announced the end of their marriage.  They did make one -- last? -- public appearance together today, attending one act of the ballet Esmeralda, at the Kremlin Palace. 

Some discussion here and here.