I. U.S. and Russian priorities for the bilateral agenda

Nuclear security and safety:

• Despite earlier plans to use low-enriched uranium fuel to power its new icebreakers, Russia has apparently decided to develop high-enriched uranium fuel for these reactors. The "integrated propulsion unit" with a nuclear reactor, known as RITM-200, was developed by the Afrikantov OKBM design bureau in Nizhniy Novgorod. (IPFM, 11.29.17)
• The Mining and Chemical Combine in Zheleznogorsk reported that it completed removal of all irradiated fuel of plutonium production reactors from the site. The fuel was transferred to the Mayak reprocessing facility. (IPFM, 11.23.17)
• France has found traces of radioactive cesium on mushrooms imported from Russia. Chief of French nuclear regulator ASN, Pierre-Franck Chevet, told the French senate that levels of radioactive Ruthenium-106 in the air, found in a cloud of radioactive pollution coming from Russia, had posed no safety threat to French citizens. The Russian Meteorological Service recorded the release of Ruthenium-106 in the southern Urals in late September and classified it as “extremely high contamination,” while the suspected culprit, the Mayak nuclear fuel processing plant, denied it was the source. (Reuters, 11.30.17, AP, 11.21.17)
• The operator of Russia’s Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant has demonstrated a commitment to safety and is taking many improvement initiatives, an operational safety review team from the International Atomic Energy Agency has concluded. (World Nuclear News, 11.30.17)
• The installation of critical systems is progressing within Chernobyl’s New Safe Confinement covering the damaged unit four. The enormous arched structure was put in place one year ago and is expected to be commissioned in the first half of 2018. (World Nuclear News, 11.29.17)
• Russia's Rosatom and the French radioactive waste management agency Andra have signed a cooperation agreement concerning the final isolation of radioactive waste. The agreement builds on a 2012 memorandum of understanding. (World Nuclear News, 11.23.17)
• Police in the closed city of Lesnoy in the Sverdlovsk region investigated improper conduct in upgrading the city’s perimeter protection. Lesnov is the site of Rosatom’s Electrohimpribor plant, one of two remaining weapon assembly sites. (Russian Nuclear Security Update, 11.21.17)
• In 2017 Rosatom decided to supply nuclear power plant physical protection systems to its foreign customers. (Russian Nuclear Security Update, 11.21.17)

North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs:

• Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused the U.S. of seeking to provoke North Korea into stepping up its nuclear missile program. Speaking on a visit to Belarus Nov. 30, Lavrov rejected a U.S. call to sever ties with North Korea following its latest ballistic missile test. Lavrov said the U.S. should make clear whether it’s seeking a “pretext to destroy” Kim Jong Un’s regime. U.S. plans for joint military exercises with South Korea next month and its calls for new sanctions to isolate North Korea seem designed to provoke Kim into further reckless acts, Lavrov said, and that the possibilities of pressuring North Korea with more sanctions have been exhausted. Tensions flared after Pyongyang said it successfully tested a new intercontinental ballistic missile Nov. 29 in a "breakthrough" that put all of the U.S. mainland within range. Washington warned that North Korea's leadership will be "utterly destroyed" if war breaks out. (RFE/RL, 12.01.17, Bloomberg, 11.30.17, AP, 11.30.17)
• Prior to the Nov. 29 launch of the North Korean missile, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov had said North Korea’s current pause in provocations—the longest since last winter—indicates a step toward denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. “I think North Korea’s restraint for the past two months is within the simultaneous freeze road map” suggested by China and Russia, Morgulov said Nov. 27. (Bloomberg, 11.27.17)
• Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vasily Nebenzia called on North Korea to stop its missile and nuclear tests and for the United States and South Korea not to hold military drills in December as it would “inflame an already explosive situation.” (Reuters, 11.29.17)
• Russian President Vladimir Putin has no plans for phone calls in the near future with U.S. President Donald Trump or Chinese leader Xi Jinping to discuss North Korea, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. (Bloomberg, 11.30.17)
• French President Emmanuel Macron said Nov. 29 he was counting on U.N. Security Council members China and Russia to step up sanctions on North Korea after its latest missile test. (Reuters, 11.29.17)

Iran’s nuclear program and related issues:

• No significant developments.

Military issues, including NATO-Russia relations:

• In a Nov. 28 speech, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the United States would be the first to respond to any attack on a European ally under NATO’s Article 5 mutual defense clause. “We ask Turkey as a NATO ally to prioritize the common defense of its treaty allies,” Tillerson said. “Iran and Russia cannot offer the Turkish people the economic benefits” that the West can provide, he added. (Bloomberg, 11.28.17, RFE/RL, 11.28.17)
• China’s growing military strength and a resurgent Russia will pose growing challenges to NATO in coming years, and NATO’s moves to bolster its capabilities could trigger a new Cold War-style arms race, a NATO report said. The report showed a higher risk of major interstate war than the 2013 report. (Reuters, 11.28.17)
• NATO should defend Sweden and Finland in the event of an armed aggression, although neither country is an alliance member, Commodore Hans Helseth, special adviser to the NATO Joint Warfare Center in Norway, said at an event that underscored growing concerns about Russia’s military buildup. (Reuters, 11.29.17)
• Germany is best suited to host a new NATO military logistics command, according to Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, the top U.S. Army general in Europe. (Reuters, 11.28.17)
• Kirill Logvinov, head of the NATO section at the Russian foreign ministry, said he was not worried by the EU’s move to integrate European defenses, saying the initiative was “just words” and did not appear to be aimed at Moscow. (Reuters, 11.28.17)
• A Russian Su-30 fighter reportedly flew as close as 50 feet in front of a U.S. P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft over the Black Sea on Nov. 25, causing “violent turbulence.” The U.S. military characterized the 24-minute interaction as unsafe. The Russian air force said the Su-30 was scrambled to force the P-8A to change course as it was approaching the Russian border. (The Moscow Times, 11.29.17)
• The U.S. State Department approved a possible $10.5 billion sale of Raytheon Co.’s Patriot missile defense system to Poland. (Reuters, 11.17.17)

Missile defense:

• The United States is poised to significantly expand its ballistic missile defense capabilities in the coming years thanks to the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act. The act authorizes $12.3 billion for the Missile Defense Agency, a staggering $4.4 billion more than its initial budget request of $7.9 billion. (The National Interest, 11.28.17)

Nuclear arms control:

• Air Force Gen. John Hyten, commander of U.S. Strategic Command, says he would resist any "illegal" order from a president to launch a strike and would attempt to recommend an alternative move. (RFE/RL, 11.19.17)

Counter-terrorism:

• “With respect to Russia, there are areas of mutual cooperation. We’re working hard in Syria to defeat ISIS … I think there are other areas of counterterrorism. Russia has great fear of migration out of the Central Asian regions and terrorism inside of Russia … We think there’s areas of greater cooperation on counterterrorism with Russia. There may be opportunities for cooperation in Afghanistan,” U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said. (U.S. Department of State, 11.28.17)
• The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons needs to take more active steps to fight against chemical terrorism, Russian Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Georgy Kalamanov said Nov. 28. (TASS, 11.28.17)
• A U.S. grand jury has leveled 22 new charges, including murder and support for Islamic State, against Uzbek immigrant Sayfullo Saipov, accused of running down eight people in a truck attack in New York City in October. If convicted on the murder charges, Saipov could face the death penalty. (RFE/RL, 11.22.17)

Conflict in Syria:

• Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone with U.S. President Donald Trump and other world leaders on Nov. 21 following a lengthy meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. In his conversation with Trump, "Putin stressed readiness to facilitate a durable political settlement process in Syria on the basis of the U.N. Security Council's Resolution 2254 in the spirit of agreements reached in the Astana format and provisions of the Joint Statement” endorsed by the two presidents Nov. 11. Following this conversation, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov discussed Syria in a phone call with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Putin also spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Egypt’s Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Saudi Arabia’s King Salman. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iranian leader Hassan Rouhani met Putin in Sochi on Nov. 22 to discuss a political resolution in Syria. Putin also held talks with the emir of Qatar Nov. 20. (Bloomberg, 11.21.17, TASS, 11.21.17, 11.21.17, 11.21.17, Al-Arabiya, 11.21.17, Reuters, 11.21.17)
• Syrian President Bashar al-Assad met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi for three hours Nov. 20 to discuss potential peace initiatives drafted by Russia, Iran and Turkey as Russia prepares to scale down its military presence in Syria. “The most important question, of course, is what will happen after the defeat of the terrorists in terms of a peaceful political settlement,” Putin told Assad. Expressing thanks for Russia’s role, Assad said the time is right for negotiations, “especially after we attained victory” over Damascus’ opponents. Assad has only ventured outside Syria twice since the conflict began—both times to Russia. (AP, 11.20.17, Bloomberg, 11.21.17)
• “We are working together with Russia on how to prevent the civil war from re-erupting, and so we’ve had a lot of conversations over what does Russia see as the end state of Syria, what do we see as the end state and there’s a lot of commonality there,” U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said. (U.S. Department of State, 11.28.17)
• Russia’s U.N. envoy Vassily Nebenzia accused the U.S.-led coalition in Syria on Nov. 29 of trying to partition the country by setting up local governing bodies in areas seized from Islamic State. Nebenzia clashed with the U.N. humanitarian chief as well as U.S. and other Western diplomats on Nov. 29 over extending the delivery of humanitarian aid across borders and conflict lines in Syria. (AP, 11.29.17, Reuters, 11.29.17) 
• The Syrian opposition delegation at peace talks in Geneva is aiming for the removal of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and wants Russia and other states to put pressure on Assad to engage in peace talks to produce a political solution within six months, despite speculation they could soften their stance in light of the government’s battlefield strength. (Reuters, 11.22.17, Reuters, 11.27.17, Reuters, 11.29.17)
• No firm date has been set yet for a Congress of Syria’s peoples proposed by Russia, the Kremlin said Nov. 28, stressing that such a forum should be as inclusive as possible. (Reuters, 11.28.17)
• On Nov. 20, Riad Hijab, a former Syrian prime minister who defected and headed the main Western-backed opposition group for the past two years, resigned without explanation. Hijab’s High Negotiations Committee refused to attend a Russia-organized peace conference between Assad and opposition groups in Sochi. Russia said on Nov. 21 that the resignation of “radically minded” opposition figures such as Hijab would help unite Assad’s disparate opponents around a more “realistic” platform. (Bloomberg, 11.21.17, Reuters, 11.21.17)
• Russia on Nov. 16 vetoed a U.S.-sponsored U.N. Security Council resolution to extend the international probe into chemical weapons use in Syria. Hours later, the council rejected a Russian-sponsored resolution. On Nov. 17, Russia then vetoed a stopgap measure that would have temporarily preserved the probe. (Voice of America, 11.16.17, New York Times, 11.17.17) 
• Russia plans to conclude its military intervention in Syria by the end of the year, leaving behind only enough forces to maintain an airfield and naval base. Russian President Vladimir Putin told Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during their meeting in Sochi Nov. 20 that “as far as our joint work in fighting terrorism on the territory of Syria is concerned, this military operation is indeed wrapping up.” Russian military bases will remain in Syria, but the contingent of ground and air forces will be reduced. (Bloomberg, 11.21.17, Guardian, 11.21.17, Financial Times, 11.21.17, Interfax, 11.21.17)
• “The active phase of the military operation in Syria is coming to an end,” chief of the Russian General Staff Valery Gerasimov told his Turkish and Iranian counterparts Nov. 21. The three agreed on measures to increase coordination in the Idlib de-escalation zone and developed specific steps to complete the elimination of remaining Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra units. (Bloomberg, 11.21.17, TASS, 11.21.17)
• Syrian government forces shelled a rebel-held enclave of eastern Ghouta on Nov. 29. The reported shelling came after a Nov. 28 announcement by the U.N. envoy to Syria that the Syrian government had agreed to a Russian plan for a truce in Eastern Ghouta, following days of intense bombardment. The United Nations called on world powers on Nov. 30 to help arrange the medical evacuation of 500 people, calling the besieged Damascus suburb a “humanitarian emergency.” (Reuters, 11.30.17, al Jazeera, 11.30.17)
• More than 90 people have returned to Russia from Iraq and Syria in the past four months, most of them children. The returnees include residents of Chechnya, Dagestan, the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Region and the Tver region, as well as Kazakh and Uzbek nationals. (TASS, 11.21.17)
• Islamic State has been gathering strength in Afghanistan, with a force that has grown to 10,000 men. (Interfax, 11.21.17)
• Russian President Vladimir Putin said there’s a “real chance” to end the 6 1/2 year civil war in Syria as he met his counterparts from Iran and Turkey on Nov. 22 in Sochi seeking to seal a peace deal likely to keep his ally Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in power. (The Moscow Times, 11.22.17)
• Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said in Sochi on Nov. 22 that foreign interference in the Syrian conflict must end and that foreign military presence in Syria may only be acceptable at Damascus’ invitation. (Reuters, 11.22.17)
• “We had a great call with President Putin,” U.S. President Donald Trump said before departing the White House for Thanksgiving Day. He noted that they covered topics ranging from “peace in Syria,” North Korea and Ukraine. Russian official Franz Klintsevich described Putin’s back-to-back with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Trump as “an example of honest and open policy.” (The Moscow Times, 11.22.17)
• Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated their commitment to securing a settlement within the parameters of the U.N.-backed peace process in Geneva, as well as to ensuring a Syria free of “malign intervention”— a reference to Iran’s extensive influence there. “We’re talking very strongly about bringing peace for Syria,” Trump said. (The Washington Post, 11.21.17)
• “Both sides expressed satisfaction with the conversation that was held, which was businesslike and informative,” the Kremlin said regarding Russian President Vladimir Putin’s call with U.S. President Donald Trump. The discussions also touched on North Korea, Ukraine, Iran and Afghanistan. (Bloomberg, 11.21.17)
• Russian President Vladimir Putin later telephoned Egypt’s President Abdel Fatah al-Sissi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to relay details of his conversations with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. (The Washington Post, 11.21.17)
• The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 53 civilians, including children, had been killed in Russian air strikes in the village of Al-Shafah in the Deir el-Zour province. Russia’s Defense Ministry denied on Nov. 27 that Russian war planes had carried out these air strikes. (Reuters, 11.27.17)
• Russian Tu-22M3 long-range bombers on Nov. 25 struck at Islamic State infrastructure and forces in Syria. The bombers had taken off from an airfield in Russia. While in Syrian airspace, they were escorted by Sukhoi Su-30SM fighters stationed at the Hmeimim airbase. On Nov. 26, six Tu-22M3 long-range bombers hit IS targets in the Deir el-Zour province. (Reuters, 11.26.17, Interfax, 11.27.17)
• Russian mine-clearing engineers received a unique compact robotized reconnaissance complex, the Strekoza. It is a drone equipped with off-line radar, a video camera and GPS-module and has been tested in Syria. (Interfax, 11.28.17)
• Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev and Iraqi National Security Advisor Falah al-Fayadh confirmed the importance of further coordination in fighting international terror groups in Iraq, Syria and the entire Middle East. (TASS, 11.28.17)
• After blocking U.N. Security Council action against Syria, Russia proposed changing the rules for inspectors at the world’s chemical weapons body in The Hague, a move Western diplomats and experts said would undermine its work. (Reuters, 11.21.17)

Cyber security:

• The FBI failed to notify scores of U.S. officials that Russian hackers were trying to break into their personal Gmail accounts despite having evidence for at least a year. Data suggests that 131 out of 312 U.S. officials targeted by Fancy Bear clicked the links sent to them, meaning as many as two in five came close to handing over their passwords. (AP, 11.26.17)
• Russian cyber security group Kaspersky Lab has said its revenues in North America will take a 5 to 8 percent hit this year after allegations about its alleged exploitation by intelligence officials in Moscow. The company’s founder said on Nov. 28 he would quit Russia if its intelligence agencies ever asked his company to spy for it. Kaspersky Lab was flagged by U.S. military intelligence as a potential security threat as early as 2004. In 2013, the Defense Intelligence Agency also issued a Pentagon-wide threat assessment about products made by Kaspersky Lab. (Wall Street Journal, 11.17.17, Reuters, 11.28.17, Financial Times, 11.29.17)
• U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson delivered a stern message to Russia during a speech on U.S.-European relations, saying the country’s cyberattacks, energy policy and invasion of Ukraine “are not the behaviors of a responsible nation.” (Bloomberg, 11.28.17)
• Canadian Karim Baratov, accused by the U.S. of helping Russian intelligence agents break into email accounts as part of a massive 2014 breach of Yahoo accounts, pleaded guilty on Nov. 28. (Reuters, 11.24.17)
• Russian citizen Roman Seleznyov was sentenced by the U.S. court to 14 years for his role in a "racketeering enterprise" and for conspiracy to defraud banks of $9 million. He was also ordered to pay restitution of more than $52 million for participating in the credit-card and identify-theft schemes. (RFE/RL, 12.01.17)
• A Czech court has ruled that suspected Russian hacker Yevgeny Nikulin at the center of a tug-of-war between Washington and Moscow can be extradited to the United States. (RFE/RL, 11.24.17)
• Cyprus’ government on Nov. 29 appointed a top civil servant to probe leaked emails that have raised concerns they may have influenced ongoing court cases involving Russia. (AP, 11.29.17)
• Google says that it will not change the way it ranks websites after Moscow expressed concerns the search engine might discriminate against Russian media. (RFE/RL, 11.27.17, Reuters, 11.21.17)
• A group of NATO allies are considering a more muscular response to state-sponsored computer hackers that could involve using cyber-attacks to bring down enemy networks. (Reuters, 11.30.17)

Elections interference:

• Michael Flynn, U.S. President Donald Trump's former national security adviser, pleaded guilty on Dec. 1 to lying to the FBI about conversations with the Russian ambassador last December, becoming the first senior White House official to pledge cooperation in the special counsel’s wide-ranging inquiry of election meddling. In an interview with the FBI in January, Flynn said he didn't ask the ambassador, Sergei Kislyak, to "refrain from escalating the situation" in response to sanctions the Obama administration had imposed on Dec. 29. Flynn also told agents he "did not recall" Kislyak telling him Russia had chosen to moderate its response as a result of the request. In addition, Flynn told the FBI he didn't ask the Russian ambassador to delay a vote on a pending U.N. Security Council resolution. Flynn made those statements "willfully and knowingly," even though they were false, documents released as part of his plea agreement show. Flynn’s admissions could deeply undercut the arguments made in January by Trump and his aides that they were not fully aware of Flynn’s discussion with Russians about the sanctions imposed by the Obama administration. In fact, the documents say multiple members of the team coordinated the specifics of Flynn’s outreach to Russia and knew that the conversations were about sanctions. (New York Times, 12.01.17, Wall Street Journal, 12.01.17)
  • Lawyers for former national security adviser Michael Flynn have earlier told U.S. President Donald Trump’s lawyers that they are no longer communicating with them about special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian election interference. (AP, 11.24.17)
• U.S. President Donald Trump over the summer repeatedly urged senior Senate Republicans, including the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, to end the panel’s investigation into Russian election interference. (New York Times, 11.30.17)
• U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions refused to answer questions on Nov. 30 during a closed congressional hearing about whether U.S. President Donald Trump ever instructed him to hinder the Justice Department’s investigation into Russian election interference. (Reuters, 11.30.17)
• U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and adviser, Jared Kushner, met in November with investigators working for Robert Mueller, the special counsel, and answered questions about a December 2016 meeting between Kushner, Russian ambassador Sergei Kislyak and Michael Flynn. (New York Times, 11.29.17)
• Donald Trump Jr., the U.S. president’s eldest son, will be interviewed behind closed doors Dec. 6 by the House Intelligence Committee as part of its investigation into Russian election interference. (Bloomberg, 11.30.17)
• Paul Manafort, U.S. President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman, has agreed to an $11.65 million bail agreement with Robert Mueller’s special counsel. (RFE/RL, 12.01.17)
• Erik Prince, founder of the Blackwater private security firm and a presence during U.S. President Donald Trump’s presidential transition, was scheduled to appear before the House Intelligence Committee as part of its Russia probe. (Bloomberg, 11.21.17)
• New York comedian Randy Credico has been compelled to appear before a House Intelligence Committee investigating suspected Russian election meddling, where he will likely face questions about acting as a go-between for Wikileaks and an ally of U.S. President Donald Trump. (Reuters, 11.30.17)
• On Nov. 28, the House Intelligence Committee interviewed a translator who attended the controversial June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower between Donald Trump Jr. and Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya. (Bloomberg, 11.29.17)
• Alexander Torshin, deputy governor of the Russian central bank linked both to Russia's security services and organized crime, claimed to be acting at the behest of Russian President Vladimir Putin when he tried in May 2016 to arrange a meeting between Putin and Donald Trump.  (New York Times, 11.17.17)
• Six months into a special counsel’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election, White House aides and others in U.S. President Donald Trump’s close orbit are increasingly divided in their assessments of the expanding probe and how worried they should be about their potential legal peril.  (The Washington Post, 11.19.17)
• Republicans in the House Intelligence Committee are planning to wrap up their Russia probe as early as February, but they’re not likely to agree with Democrats on a bipartisan report. A Republican “majority” report will assert there’s no evidence of collusion, while Democrats are likely to counter with a minority report asserting there’s plenty of substantive evidence, while saying they weren’t given enough time to investigate it. (Bloomberg, 11.29.17)
• The U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency is refusing to publicly release a wide array of documents related to former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, as turning them over could interfere with ongoing congressional and federal investigations. (AP, 11.28.17)
• Reddit co-founder and CEO Steve Huffman said he and chief technology officer Chris Slowe have been "looking deeply" into whether Russian operatives may have used the platform to spread divisive messages, as on Facebook, Twitter and Google. Reddit hasn't been asked to present evidence to congressional committees. (Wall Street Journal, 11.17.17)
• U.S. President Donald Trump’s lawyer Ty Cobb says the criminal investigation into possible collusion with Russia in last year’s election could be over by December, but Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe is expected to continue well into next year. (Bloomberg, 11.20.17)

Energy exports from CIS:

• Oil edged up on Dec. 1 after OPEC and other major producers agreed to continue reining in output until the end of next year to try to reduce the global oil glut and boost prices. Brent was trading at $63.17 by 1351 GMT, up 54 cents on the day. U.S. light crude was up 43 cents at $57.82. All OPEC members and Russia, the biggest producer outside the group to join the deal, agree the cuts should last until the end of 2018. (Reuters, 12.01.17, Bloomberg, 11.30.17)
• Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Arabia’s King Salman stressed the importance of further coordinating their actions on the energy markets. (Reuters, 11.21.17)
• Russia’s oil producers and energy ministry have discussed a six-month extension to global oil output cuts. (Reuters, 11.21.17)
• Global gas supplies currently exceed demand, a situation that could lead to a “crisis” drop in prices similar to what occurred in the crude oil market, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said Nov. 24. Gas prices have plunged more than 80 percent in the last decade and remain under pressure due to growing supplies of shale gas and increased availability of liquefied natural gas that can be shipped overseas. (Reuters, 11.24.17)
• The Gas Exporting Countries Forum sees no glut of natural gas in the global market and said competition is needed. (Reuters, 11.21.17)
• “The Ukraine crisis also made clear how energy supplies can be wielded as a political weapon. … The United States is liberalizing rules governing the export of liquefied natural gas and U.S.-produced crude, and we’re eager to work with European allies to ensure the development of needed infrastructure like import terminals and interconnecting pipelines to promote the diversity of supply to Europe,” U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said. (U.S. Department of State, 11.28.17)
• U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State John McCarrick said Nov. 29 that U.S. officials "don't see the possibility that Nord Stream 2 can be built." (RFE/RL, 11.29.17)
• Denmark passed a law Nov. 30 that could allow it to ban Russia’s Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from going through its waters on grounds of security or foreign policy. (Reuters, 11.30.17)
• Hamburg in northwest Germany will soon become the center for a drive in Europe’s biggest economy to diversify natural gas imports. Costing up to $600 million, the liquefied natural gas import facility would be Germany’s first and a tool to supplement pipeline supply from Russia and Norway. (Bloomberg, 11.27.17)

Bilateral economic ties:

• GE Steam Power Systems has announced a signed contract to deliver the main equipment of the conventional island for the Akkuyu nuclear power plant in Büyükeceli, Turkey. The contract has been awarded to AAEM Turbine Technology LLC, the Saint Petersburg-headquartered joint venture between Atomenergomash JSC and General Electric. (World Nuclear News, 11.29.17)
• Uber and Yandex, often referred to as the “Google of Russia,” announced plans in July to combine operations in 127 cities in Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia and Kazakhstan. (Reuters, 11.24.17)
• TMK, Russia’s largest maker of steel pipes for the oil and gas industry, is preparing its U.S. subsidiary IPSCO Tubulars for an initial public offering of shares. (Reuters, 11.30.17)
• For more than a decade, Russian aluminum magnate Oleg Deripaska has secretly held ties to Washington’s grand Haft mansion near Embassy Row, a property in the heart of the city, surrounded by powerful political figures and foreign embassies. (The Washington Post, 11.29.17)

Other bilateral issues:

• The threat of new U.S. sanctions has spread anxiety among Russia’s wealthiest that their association with Russian President Vladimir Putin could land them on a U.S. government blacklist. The list, to be drawn up by the U.S. Treasury Department, is set to name the most significant Russian oligarchs “as determined by their closeness to the Russian regime and their net worth” and is meant to be sent to Congress by the end of January. The Kremlin has accused the U.S. of trying to set the Russian business elite against Putin before the 2018 presidential election. (Reuters, 11.30.17, RFE/RL, 11.30.17)
• The U.S. Treasury Department on Nov. 28 further tightened its restrictions on certain short-term Russian state-owned corporate debt, in line with a law signed by U.S. President Donald Trump. (Wall Street Journal, 11.29.17)
• Borrowing costs will rise by between 50 basis points and 150 basis points if the U.S. extends sanctions to bar its citizens from buying new Russian domestic government debt. The Russian central bank estimates yields will stabilize 30 basis points to 40 basis points higher after an initial spike. (Bloomberg, 11.27.17)
• Visa consultations in U.S. consulates in Russia could be resumed in the near future, U.S. Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman said Nov. 20. (Reuters, 11.20.17)
• A Washington radio station that recently took over broadcasts of Russian state-funded news outlet Sputnik has registered under the U.S. foreign-agent law, just days after TV channel RT did so. (RFE/RL, 11.17.17)
• The Kremlin voiced dismay Nov. 30 over the loss of a Russian state-funded TV station’s credentials in the U.S. and warned of a quick retaliation. RT lost its credentials for access to Capitol Hill on Nov. 29 after it complied earlier in November with a U.S. demand that it register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act. The Russian State Duma is considering barring all U.S. media from the lower house of parliament and will discuss the proposal next week. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law on Nov. 25 new measures allowing authorities to list foreign media outlets as “foreign agents” in response to what Moscow says is unacceptable U.S. pressure on Russian media. (Reuters, 11.25.17, RFE/RL, 12.01.17, AP, 11.30.17)
• The U.S. State Department said on Nov. 28 that a new law allowing Russia’s Justice Ministry to list foreign media outlets as “foreign agents” posed a threat to free press and it urged Moscow not to use the measure to tighten control over the media. U.S. Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman says he’s disappointed by the new bill (Reuters, 11.28.17, The Moscow Times, 11.22.17)
• “Europe and the United States seek a normalized relationship with Russia. However, Russia has shown it seeks to define a new post-Soviet global balance of power, one in which Russia, by virtue of its nuclear arsenal, seeks to impose its will on others by force … Russia can continue to isolate and impoverish itself by sowing disorder abroad and impeding liberty at home, or it can become a force that will advance the freedom of Russians and the stability of Eurasia. While the West continues to seek a productive new relationship with post-Soviet Russia, thus far it has proved elusive … We, together with our friends in Europe, recognize the active threat of a recently resurgent Russia,” U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said. (U.S. Department of State, 11.28.17)
  • The White House has developed a plan to force out U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and replace him with Mike Pompeo. Pompeo would probably be succeeded at the CIA by Sen. Tom Cotton. Top economic adviser Gary Cohn and son-in-law Jared Kushner could also be among those who depart. (New York Times, 12.30.17, Reuters, 10.30.17)
• Relations between Russia and the U.S. are in a “disgusting” condition despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s desire to improve them, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said. The atmosphere in the relationship “is the worst in my memory,” going back to the time of former Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev, Medvedev said. (Bloomberg, 11.30.17)
• Many of U.S. President Donald Trump’s policies “don’t really differ” from those of his predecessor Barack Obama amid a “wave of Russophobic hysteria” in the U.S. that leaves little hope for better ties, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said. (Bloomberg, 11.30.17)
• Anatoly Antonov, the new Russian ambassador to the United States, told a San Francisco crowd Nov. 29 that the two countries must put the past behind them and learn to at least work together again, if not quite embrace friendship, so that “the whole world can sleep well.” While in California, Antonov was also to inspect the Russian consulate in San Francisco, from which staff has been expelled. (SFGate, 11.29.17, Reuters, 11.28.17)
• Lawmakers in Washington have introduced legislation that would rename a street near the Russian Embassy after the murdered opposition leader Boris Nemtsov. (The Moscow Times, 11.22.17)
• Russia has proposed ending the publication of the names of banks which finance Russian state-controlled arms producers, a possible sign that Moscow is preparing for new U.S. sanctions. (Reuters, 11.21.17)
• Russian citizen Svetlana Zakharova, who was accused of blackmailing disgraced former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, is seeking to lift a court-mandated gag order so she can talk about what she says are Spitzer’s fetishes. (AP, 11.30.17)

II. Russia’s domestic news

Politics, economy and energy:

• After subtracting inflation, food and utilities, the amount of money Russians have left to spend on themselves has shrunk for the fourth year running. Despite record low inflation rates touted by the country’s leadership, real disposable income fell 1.3 percent compared to October 2016. (The Moscow Times, 11.22.17)
• Gazprom on Nov. 29 posted a third-quarter net profit of 200.5 billion rubles ($3.4 billion). Gazprom’s next spending would hit a record 1.28 trillion rubles ($22 billion) and 1.4 trillion rubles in 2018 in a bid to ensure growth in gas exports. These rose 26 percent between 2014 and 2016, but the average price per cubic meter fell by around 45 percent. Gazprom said Nov. 28 it would receive 1 billion euros ($1.19 billion) in a five-year loan from Japan’s Mizuho Bank Ltd and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp, as well as U.S. lender JP Morgan Chase Bank. (Financial Times, 11.29.17, Reuters, 11.28.17)
• Russia, Malaysia and Mexico look the most appealing among global emerging equity markets, with the Philippines and Chile the least favored in a z-score analysis by Credit Suisse Group AG.  (Bloomberg, 11.30.17)
• Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold his annual end-of-year press conference on Dec. 14. The address to the Federal Assembly will be reportedly postponed until February 2018, a month before presidential elections. (The Moscow Times, 11.21.17)
• Russia’s ruling United Russia party will support President Vladimir Putin if he decides to run for a new term in office, its leader, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, said on Nov. 30. (Reuters, 11.30.17)
• Russian President Vladimir Putin will use Russia’s possible ban from next year’s Olympic Games as evidence of Western antagonism in the run-up to the 2018 presidential campaign. Russia has been knocked off the medals top spot for the 2014 Sochi winter Olympics after five more athletes received lifetime bans on Nov. 27 over doping violations, but the final medal count could be months or even years away. (The Moscow Times, 12.01.17, Reuters, 11.27.17) 
• Russian business ombudsman Boris Titov will run for president in the 2018 election, representing the business-oriented Party of Growth. Longtime leader of Russia’s Liberal Democratic Party Vladimir Zhirinovsky will also run in the 2018 presidential elections. (The Moscow Times, 11.21.17, The Moscow Times, 11.27.17)
• Chechnya’s leader Ramzan Kadyrov, who won a new five-year term last year, said it’s time for him to step aside and let the Kremlin choose a successor. The Kremlin said Kadyrov is staying in his post. (Bloomberg, 11.26.17)
• One fifth of Russia’s 85 regional governors have been replaced this year and almost half of the lower house of parliament changed in elections last year after Russian President Vladimir Putin brought in a new chief of staff. The average age of officials in the cabinet, the upper house of parliament, the Security Council and the presidential administration is almost three years higher than when Putin began his third term in 2012. (Reuters, 11.20.17)
• Voicing concern over the "acute demographic situation in Russia," Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the state will pay parents allowances for 18 months after they have their first child. The government will spend 500 billion rubles ($8.6 billion) over three years on measures to encourage Russians to have more babies, including mortgage subsidies and payments to new and growing families. (Bloomberg, 11.29.17, RFE/RL, 11.28.17)
• Contrary to global trends, Russia has experienced soaring infection and death rates from HIV/AIDS in recent years as an epidemic spread from intravenous drug users to the broader population. Today, 900,000 Russians are living with HIV, with 10 new cases emerging every hour. (Financial Times, 11.30.17, ZME Science,11.30.17)
• Russian individuals and groups are being persecuted for posting hyperlinks to websites of foreign organizations declared "undesirable" under legislation signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2015. (RFE/RL, 11.30.17)
• A majority of Russians hold President Vladimir Putin responsible for Russia's problems, according to a Levada Center poll published Nov. 20. Seventy-six percent of respondents said they held Putin responsible to at least some extent, while 19 percent abdicated him of any responsibility. (The Moscow Times, 11.20.17)
• A colleague of Katerina Tikhonova from the world of acrobatic rock‘n‘roll confirmed that Tikhonova is the younger daughter of Russian President Vladimir Putin, and then later withdrew his comments, saying he had misheard the question. (Reuters, 11.28.17)
• The head of a Russian Orthodox Church panel looking into the 1918 killing of Russia’s last czar and his family said it is investigating whether it was a ritual murder—a statement that has angered Jewish groups. (AP, 11.28.17)
• The reactor vessel for unit two of the Leningrad Phase II nuclear power plant was installed, Rosatom announced. (World Nuclear News, 12.01.17)

Defense and aerospace:

• By the end of 2017, Russian President Vladimir Putin will approve Russia’s State Armament Program for 2018-2027. The cost of the successor program is expected to total 19 trillion, suggesting that military procurement spending is actually being kept fairly constant. (Ponars, November 2017)
• A brigade set of Iskander-M tactical ballistic missile systems has been delivered to Russia’s 152nd Missile Brigade based at Chernyakhovsk in Kaliningrad. (TASS, 11.22.17, Russian Defense Policy Blog, 11.27.17)
• Russian space agency Roscosmos said Nov. 28 it had failed to establish contact with a newly-launched weather satellite. (Reuters, 11.28.17)

Security, law-enforcement and justice:

• Hate crimes against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in Russia have doubled in five years in the wake of a law banning “gay propaganda.” Murders accounted for almost 200 out of 250 crimes analyzed, the Center for Independent Social Research said. (Reuters, 11.21.17)
• A Russian court has refused to call a top oil company chief to testify in a bribery trial against former Russian Economy Minister Aleksei Ulyukayev. Ulyukayev faces up to 15 years in prison if found guilty of accepting $2 million in cash from Igor Sechin, chief executive of Rosneft and a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. (RFE/RL, 11.28.17)

III. Foreign affairs, trade and investment

Russia’s general foreign policy and relations with “far abroad” countries:

• Russia has approved a draft agreement with Egypt for Russian warplanes to use Egyptian military bases, in a deal that would allow Moscow to further increase its military footprint in the Middle East. (AP, 11.30.17)
• The Council of Europe, the leading pro-democracy body in the region, is considering lifting sanctions it imposed over Russia’s aggression in Ukraine for fear Moscow could otherwise pull out, dealing a blow to human rights protection. (Financial Times, 11.26.17)
• PSA, the owner of Peugeot and Citroën, will begin making commercial vehicles at its Russian plant next year to capitalize on the booming van market that is being driven by the region’s economic recovery. (Financial Times, 11.27.17)
• Russia's Rosatom has signed a memorandum of understanding with Brazilian companies Centrais Elétricas Brasileiras and Eletrobras Termonuclear SA to promote cooperation in nuclear power, including the possible construction of a new nuclear power plant in Brazil. (World Nuclear News, 11.28.17)
• Pope Francis will visit the Baltic States in 2018 as Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania mark 100 years since they gained independence from Russia. (RFE/RL, 11.22.17)
• Polish historian Henryk Glebocki has reportedly been deported from Russia, a day after giving a lecture on the fate of Polish citizens during the Stalinist purges of the late 1930s. (The Moscow Times, 11.27.17)
• A Russian court on Nov. 28 refused to impound four German-made power turbines that ended up in Russia-annexed Crimea, dismissing a lawsuit filed by industrial giant Siemens to block what it contended was an illegal transfer. (RFE/RL, 11.29.17)
• British lawmakers are stepping up their inquiry into fake news in an effort to extract answers from Facebook and Twitter about the extent of Russian interference in last year’s EU referendum and this year’s U.K. general election. (Financial Times, 11.21.17)
• European Council President Donald Tusk lashed out at Poland, suggesting the ruling Law and Justice party is forwarding Russian interests in an unprecedented attack by an EU leader on a member state’s sitting government. “Strident dispute with Ukraine, isolation in the European Union, walking away from rule of law and judicial independence, attack on non-governmental sector and free media,” Tusk wrote on his personal Twitter account on Nov. 19. “Law & Justice strategy or Kremlin plan? Too similar to sleep well.” (Bloomberg, 11.19.17)
• The Kremlin barred Brazilian pork and beef imports from Dec. 1, saying testing had found the muscle growth stimulant ractopamine, which is prohibited in Russia. (Bloomberg, 11.21.17)

China:

• Russia’s Finance Ministry has hired banks to organize its first-ever sale of yuan bonds as the government braces for possible U.S. sanctions on its sovereign debt markets. Russia hired Bank of China Ltd., Gazprombank and Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd. to arrange investor meetings for the sale of 6 billion yuan ($907 million) in five-year notes. (Bloomberg, 11.30.17)
• Russia’s state-run oil group Rosneft has agreed to supply its new partner CEFC China Energy with almost 61 million tons of oil over the next five years, strengthening the most high-profile corporate link in the burgeoning relationship between Moscow and Beijing. (Financial Times, 11.20.17)
• Over the past 18 months, Chinese companies have spent almost $15 billion on Russian energy projects, including CEFC’s decision this month to invest $500 million in EN+, the Russian metals and energy group owned by Oleg Deripaska, through an associated venture. (Financial Times, 11.20.17)

Ukraine:

• Ukraine will hold referendums in the near future on whether to seek NATO and EU memberships, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said. Forty-three percent of Ukrainians back joining NATO, according to a recent survey, more than double the 2013 figure of 20 percent. Poroshenko has told NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg that Ukraine is interested in promoting further cooperation with NATO. NATO has said its doors are open for Ukraine, but the decision to allow it to join the alliance would be taken by all 29 members. (Interfax, 11.27.17, RFE/RL, 12.01.17, Interfax-Ukraine, 11.18.17)
• EU leaders offered Ukraine closer ties on Nov. 24 at a summit meant to cement Kiev’s ties with the West, but they declined to promise that Ukraine could one day join the bloc. In a summit statement also signed by Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Belarus, EU leaders agreed to “the European aspirations and European choice of the partners”—code for deeper integration without offering membership. (Reuters, 11.24.17)
• “The European Deterrence Initiative, or EDI … includes $150 million to help Ukraine build its capacity for defending its territorial integrity. … Any resolution of the war that does not entail a fully independent, sovereign and territorially whole Ukraine is unacceptable. … Minsk-related sanctions will remain in place until Russia reverses the actions that triggered them. … Russia chose to violate the sovereignty of the largest country in Europe,” U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said. (U.S. Department of State, 11.28.17)
• U.S. special envoy Kurt Volker, tasked with ending the fighting in Ukraine, says he sees no end to the war there, which pits government troops against Russian-backed separatists—and Russian troops. Volker said that he sees an “80 percent” chance that the war will grind on for at least another year, particularly after his Nov. 13 meeting with a top Kremlin adviser, Vladislav Surkov, which Volker called a “step back” in negotiations on deploying a U.N. peacekeeping mission in Donbass. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov has said he does not see the latest round of talks between Surkov and Volker as a step backwards. (Politico, 11.27.17, Foreign Policy, 11.28.17, TASS, 11.28.17)
• After months of internal debates, both the U.S. Pentagon and the State Department have reportedly recommended that U.S. President Donald Trump approve a $47 million package of arms, including Javelin anti-tank missiles that Ukraine has heavily lobbied for. But Trump himself has not yet signed off and many Russia watchers believe he remains reluctant to do so; with the Russian presidential election looming and the fate of the talks with Surkov still unclear, it’s possible the U.S. may not act on the recommendation anytime soon. “There isn’t any decision here,” Volker said. (Politico, 11.27.17, RFE/RL, 11.19.17, ABC, 11.17.17)
• Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has said the Minsk process for resolving the conflict in eastern Ukraine has failed to produce results and needs to be accompanied by a parallel peace process based on the 1994 Budapest Memorandum. (RFE/RL, 11.24.17)
• The Kremlin says a leadership change for Russia-backed separatists in Luhansk will not affect the implementation of the Minsk peace agreements. Separatist leader Igor Plotnitsky's resignation was announced Nov. 24 in the midst of a fierce power struggle. Leonid Pasechnik, the self-proclaimed security minister of the separatist formation, would be acting leader "until the next elections." Days earlier armed men had seized the breakaway region’s capital amid the struggle between two top officials. (RFE/RL, 11.27.17, RFE/RL, 11.21.17, Reuters, 11.21.17, Telegraph, 11.21.17)
• The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine has registered over 400 civilian casualties in Donbass this year. Meanwhile, the U.N. reports that Donbass is becoming one of the most mined areas in the world and Poroshenko said Nov. 21 that 469 Ukrainian paratroopers have been killed during the fighting in eastern Ukraine. (Interfax, 11.24.17, The Washington Post, 11.18.17, UNIAN, 11.21.17)
• Negotiators say an agreement has been reached for the release by year’s end of 470 people held prisoner, three-quarters of whom are held by Ukraine, in the war between Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed separatists. (AP, 11.29.17)
• Ukrainian combat units have reportedly retaken the village of Hladosove in no-man’s land near the Russian-occupied city of Horlivka in the Donetsk region, some 590 kilometers southeast of Kiev. (Kyiv Post, 11.23.17)
• Poroshenko has called on Russia to recognize as genocide the famine that killed millions of people in Ukraine under Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, "or at least repent for it." (RFE/RL, 11.25.17)
• When the International Monetary Fund stepped in, Ukraine’s foreign currency reserves were down to just $5 billion—barely enough to cover a few weeks of imports. Now they are at $19 billion. (Financial Times, 11.24.17)
• European Commissioner Johannes Hahn, who oversees EU integration, said it was “ridiculous” that 1.5 million Ukrainians signed up to a wealth declarations register last year, but only 100 people had been assessed to date. (Reuters, 11.24.17)
• Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman said exports of Ukrainian goods to the European market have grown by 10 percent during the action period of the free trade area agreement between Ukraine and the European Union. (Interfax, 11.28.17)
• Belarus’s KGB state security service said it uncovered a spy ring working for the Ukrainian defense ministry, which had been set up by a detained Ukrainian radio correspondent. Ukraine then expelled a Belarussian diplomat in a tit-for-tat move linked to these allegations. (Reuters, 11.21.17, Reuters, 11.20.17)
• Ukraine’s intelligence agency detained a man wanted for the high-profile murder of Paul Klebnikov, the U.S.-born editor of Forbes magazine’s Russian edition in Russia 13 years ago. Russian Interior Ministry spokeswoman Irina Volk identified the man as Magomed Dukuzov, from Russia's North Caucasus region of Chechnya. (AP, 11.18.17, RFE/RL, 11.20.17)
• The European Union has slapped a travel ban and asset freeze on the top official in the city of Sevastopol, which Russia annexed along with Crimea in 2014. (AP, 11.21.17)

Russia’s other post-Soviet neighbors:

• The presidents of the Collective Security Treaty Organization’s member states on Nov. 30 signed 21 documents on cooperation as a result of their summit in Minsk, including a plan for implementing the CSTO Collective Security Strategy for the period until 2025. CSTO leaders have called on the U.N. and international organizations to unite in a broad coalition to fight against international terrorism. Discussions on deploying troops to Syria from Russia's CSTO allies—Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan—has gained momentum over the past year. (AKIPress, 10.30.17, Eurasianet, 12.01.17, Xinhua, 10.30.17)
• Georgian authorities have identified one of the gunmen killed in a recent counterterrorism operation as a suspect in a suicide bombing in Turkey last year. The Georgian State Security Service said in a statement on Dec. 1 that it had identified the gunman who blew himself up as Akhmed Chatayev. The Russian citizen whom Georgian security forces detained before starting a special operation in Tbilisi on Nov. 21 is Sukho Dudayev, a native of Chechnya, Rustavi-2 television reported on Dec. 1. (Interfax, 11.27.17, RFE/RL, 12.01.17)
• Three Georgian soldiers were injured when their vehicle came under attack near Bagram Airfield outside the Afghan capital, Kabul. (RFE/RL, 11.23.17)
• Georgia's Constitutional Court has decriminalized marijuana use. (RFE/RL, 12.01.17)
• State media reports in Uzbekistan say President Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed an order on Nov. 27 replacing Galina Saidova, the economy minister since 2011, with Botir Hojayev. Hojayev had been finance minister before the appointment. Elyor Genie, who had served as minister of economic ties, investments and trade since 2012, was also removed from the post, the reports said. (RFE/RL, 11.29.17)
• In October 2017 the IVG.1M research reactor in Kazakhstan was tested with low-enriched uranium fuel assemblies in the core. The reactor reached a power level of 6 MW and worked for 5 hours, 35 minutes. (IPFM Blog)
• Kazakhstan's Foreign Ministry says it has held talks with Chinese officials regarding "frequent complaints by ethnic Kazakhs about problems they face in the People's Republic of China." (RFE/RL, 11.28.17)
• The presidents of Kazakhstan and Belarus hailed their countries' trade and economic ties after a bilateral meeting in Minsk. (RFE/RL, 11.29.17)
• Kyrgyz President Sooronbai Jeenbekov has visited Moscow on his first trip abroad since his Nov. 24 inauguration. He has also conferred the title of national hero on his predecessor Almazbek Atambaev. Atambaev has vowed to remain in politics after leaving office, saying that he plans to lead the ruling Social Democratic Party in parliamentary elections in 2020. (RFE/RL, 11.27.17, RFE/RL, 11.29.17, RFE/RL, 11.20.17)
• During a visit to Armenia, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said there is no cause for "too much optimism" over a resolution of the long-standing conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh. (RFE/RL, 11.21.17)

IV. Quoteworthy

• No significant developments.