Conflicts over the informal ban flare up occasionally, but this one is unusual in that it is taking place against the backdrop of warming Baku-Moscow ties.
The likelihood that Turkey and Russia can establish a long-term strategic alliance isn’t high, argues this commentary. In part, that’s because both see themselves as empires.
At the elite annual schmoozefest, Putin emphasized that Russia can survive under Western pressure, and that his priority is not to lift sanctions, but to adapt to them.
The church said it is taking its time in formulating a response to the schism, while senior ecclesiastical officials have come out on both sides of the conflict.
Russian military officials renewed their scare campaign about a U.S. research lab in Georgia, this time bringing Azerbaijan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan into it, as well.
