Russia

Russia is ready to restore military cooperation with NATO almost two years after relations were frozen during the Georgian war, Russia's top general was quoted as saying on July 23. The United States hopes a thaw in ties between Moscow and the Western military bloc could lead to greater cooperation in the war against Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan. "We are ready again to seek together responses to modern challenges and threats to international security," General Nikolai Makarov said after talks in Moscow with Admiral Giampaolo Di Paola, NATO's military committee chairman. Makarov, who is chief of Russia's armed forces general staff, said that Russia was pursuing a possible deal to supply the helicopters but gave no further details. "We are working on the question related to the helicopters as they are needed in Afghanistan. So this set of questions is at the stage of being decided," Makarov said. "The long-term interests of Russia and the alliance coincide in this … [Read more...] about Russia says ready to resume NATO military ties

Moscow is mobilising more forces to fight hundreds of wildfires raging across a vast area of central Russia amid a record heatwave. At least 40 people have died in fires in the past week, and seven regions are under a state of emergency. Some fires are in danger of getting out of control, the government said. Earlier, the defence ministry denied Russian media reports that scores of planes and helicopters had been destroyed. About a fifth of Russia's grain crop has been destroyed and there was another big rise in the price of wheat on international markets on Monday. Thousands of people have lost their homes in 14 regions of Russia, the worst-hit being Nizhny Novgorod, Voronezh and Ryazan. At a meeting with President Dmitry Medvedev, Emergencies Minister Sergei Shoigu said firefighters had managed to protect 360 populated areas in danger of forest blazes. But he warned that the situation was dangerously unpredictable. About 155,000 people, including 124,000 … [Read more...] about Fires still spreading in parched Russia

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and his Russian counterpart, Anatoly Serdyukov, have vowed to expand military cooperation signaling an improvement in relations between the former Cold War foes. In the first visit to the Pentagon by a Russian defense minister in five years, Serdyukov was greeted by a military band and color guard before heading into talks here at the Pentagon with Gates and other U.S. officials. After several hours of meetings, the Russian defense minister and the U.S. defense secretary signed two documents on defense cooperation, including a memorandum that Gates said replaces an outdated 1993 accord. "It underscores that defense cooperation is an important element of strengthening the wider U.S. - Russian relationship, especially now when our two countries confront many similar security threats and challenges," said Robert Gates. In addition to efforts to streamline their respective militaries, the Russian defense minister said discussions included … [Read more...] about US, Russia vow to expand defense cooperation