Russia warned it would block NATO’s supply routes to Afghanistan if the US and NATO forces continued to fail to address Moscow’s concerns. Russian said the Western military alliance must consider its objections regarding US installation of defense shields in Europe. The Russian government has demanded a written guarantee from Washington and NATO, promising that US anti-missile shields will not be used against it. Neither the US nor NATO have so far agreed to the demand.

Russia’s Ambassador to NATO, Dmitri Rogozin threatened that Moscow would withdraw its cooperation if its fears were not placated over US Missile Shield. Meanwhile, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev commented his country would deploy nuclear weapons in response to the growing US military presence in Europe. He further stated Russia would block NATO routes to Afghanistan; NATO has been using routes in Russia for transporting supplies since 2009.

Over the weekend, Pakistan shut down NATO supply lines as it protested NATO attack on its Mohmand check post, killing 24 of Pakistani troops.

The post After Pakistan Blocks NATO’s Afghan Supply Line, Russia Threatens The Same appeared first on Politact.

Protestors on Thursday blocked construction of an Indo-Russian nuclear plant in Southern India.700 engineers and several thousand workers were prevented from reaching the construction site due to the demonstrations. The project is unpopular with local villagers who have begun a hunger strike to protest against the construction. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said the plant is necessary for state development.

The nuclear plant in the Koodankulam facility is being built with Russian assistance Russian nuclear chief Sergei Kiriyenko stated the plant will begin low level operation by the end of this year.

The post Protesters Block Construction Of Indo-Russian Nuclear Plant appeared first on Politact.

Russia and China on pledged to work towards closer cooperation on Tuesday. These sentiments were expressed on Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s visit to China. Both Putin and his Chinese counterpart, Wen Jiabo affirmed their commitment to building a comprehensive strategic partnership based on equality trust and mutual support. The two premiers stated their aim to increase trade to 100 billion U.S. dollars by 2015 and 200 billion U.S. dollars by 2020. Nine Sino-Russian agreements covering areas such as agriculture, tourism and economy were also signed during the visit. Furthermore, Beijing and Moscow have agreed to further their cooperation in the oil, natural gas, nuclear energy, coal, electric power sectors. Youth exchange will be promoted as well. The two states will also work towards solving “occasionally occurring” problems.

This is the 16th regular meeting held between the two countries’ prime ministers.

The post Chinese And Russian PMs Pledge To Cooperate Closely appeared first on Politact.

In a UN Security Council meeting on Thursday, Russia insisted Afghanistan must stay neutral after troops withdraw from the region. Russian deputy ambassador to the UN, Alexander Pankin said, “if Kabul sets a goal of restoring neutrality as early as now, this can ease the reconciliation dialogue with the opposition.” The diplomat told UN members that military means were not enough to stabilize Afghanistan.

Alexander Pankin stated that talks should be held with insurgents if they agree to abide by the Afghan constitution, sever their links to Al-Qaeda and to lay down their arms.
Pankin criticized Nato’s ineffectiveness in controlling the situation and warned militancy networks could spread to bordering countries.

Russia fears, the situation in Afghanistan could spark terrorist activities in Central Asian states.

The post Russia: Afghanistan Should Be Neutral After Coalition Forces Withdraw appeared first on Politact.

Context
Russian space and defense industries will get massive investments under existing development programs, according to President Dmitry Medvedev. During a visit to a college in the Moscow area, Medvedev announced that the government would assist the military-industrial cluster in financing those industries. “Money will be invested into the country’s military-industrial cluster. It will be taken not from the budget but from these plants’ own business activity,” said the president. Medvedev, however, warned that the changes are not expected to occur within a few years. As per the government development plan for military-industrial complex, the state is going to allocate 20 trillion rubles (US$ 720 billion) for weaponry modernization.

The post Russia Pledges Massive Space, Military Investments appeared first on Politact.