Russia Matters

The eminent U.S. statesman offers ways to reconcile America’s necessities with Russia’s concerns.

Four influential foreign-policy thinkers—former senior officials from Germany, Russia, the UK and the U.S.—call on Moscow and Washington to “stop the downward spiral in relations" and work together on areas of existential common interest.

The veteran U.S. lawmaker, who played a key role in dismantling and safeguarding the nuclear weapons of a disintegrating Soviet Union, reflects on the program’s motives, impact and shortcomings.

Bilateral ties are in crisis, with a trust level “below zero.” The stakes are too high to let relations deteriorate further. Here are several areas of potential cooperation.

At a time when the U.S. and the newly independent states of the former Soviet Union still saw each other as mortal enemies, they found the courage, creativity and capacity for trust to work together in the name of preventing nuclear catastrophe.

Now that the U.S. and Russia have agreed to resume talks on strategic stability, they should begin them as soon as possible in order to prevent a conflict with dire consequences.

As U.S. military efforts meet with little success, Russia has taken a much more active approach to Afghanistan, building bridges with the Taliban and hoping to enhance its role in the region.

The former presidential advisor on national security retained a deep skepticism about Russia’s aims and intentions, even when calling on the U.S. to integrate it into the West.