Opinion

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is seeking to gain support within the EU, and with good reason: US President-elect Donald Trump isn't conceal his plans to reconsider Washington's foreign policy and change the established status quo, Polish journalist Adam Wielomski told Sputnik.

Barack Obama has taken every effort to complicate the US-Russian relationship on the eve of his departure: the outgoing US President has extended anti-Russian sanctions, dispatched US troops and heavy tanks to Eastern Europe and kicked off NATO maneuvers near Russia's borders, Italian military journalist Mirko Molteni told Sputnik.

Obama's decision to commute Chelsea Manning's 35-year prison sentence to 7 years, thus bringing forward the former US Army intelligence analyst's release from military prison to May of this year, is a welcome one. However it does not go far enough.

Although Senator John McCain called Russia "a major player in the Middle East," it is clear that his intent was to spite Donald Trump and outgoing President Barack Obama, rather than to recognize Moscow's success, Russian academic Dmitry Egorchenkov told Radio Sputnik.

Russia's nuclear triad guarantees the nation's security and sovereignty, RIA Novosti political analyst Alexander Khrolenko notes, adding that Moscow's Topol-M ICBMs' test launches demonstrate Russia's strong defense commitment.

The potential Sino-American economic confrontation under Donald Trump will prompt China to make the New Silk Road a cornerstone of its economic strategy, Russian expert on Chinese affairs Nikolay Vavilov noted, adding that Russia is likely to play a bigger role in the Beijing-led project.

The key to success in the Cyprus negotiations is to abandon the "principle of competition" between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, Dr. Ahmet Sozen told Sputnik. He believes that if the parties concerned demonstrate enough flexibility and political will they will reach a compromise within a few days.

Nuclear weapons continue to be essential for Russia's national security, Russian military expert Konstantin Sivkov told RIA Novosti, adding that potential economic benefits of the lifting of sanctions cannot overshadow the importance of the country's defense matters.

Delanda est Cathargo ("Carthage must be destroyed") are words that come down to us from ancient history. It is said they were spoken by the famed Roman statesman and orator Cato the Elder at the end of his speeches. They remain relevant today in the case of Trump, Russia and a Washington establishment that is intent on destroying both.

The Syrian opposition is allegedly seeking ways to save al-Nusra Front's militants by demanding the Syrian government to introduce a truce in areas with a high concentration of terrorists, Sadad mayor Suleiman al-Khalil suggested in an interview with RIA Novosti.

While the US intelligence community and the British government signal they have nothing to do with the unverified report on Donald Trump's alleged ties with Russia, a former British intelligence agent believed to be behind the so-called "Trump dossier" has gone underground. So who is Christopher David Steele?

The recapture of Mosul from Daesh (ISIS/ISIL) has become a matter of honor for Pentagon generals following the Russo-Syrian coalition's success in Aleppo. However, despite the optimistic prognoses of the US Secretary of Defense, the liberation of Mosul is likely to drag on for months, retired Colonel Mikhail Khodarenok writes for Gazeta.ru.

Outgoing President Barack Obama’s attacks on alleged Russian interference in the American presidential campaign are naïve and hypocritical. All rational governments try to affect the outcome of other countries’ elections and political conflicts when their tangible self-interest is at stake.

US policy-makers have long been obsessed with scapegoating, pinning the blame on the Russians, the Chinese or Muslims for their own problems. The intelligence report on Russia's alleged meddling in US presidential election is yet another example of this disturbing trend.

The Pentagon has raised the alarm over the alleged "dangerous rapprochement" between Russian and US aircraft ignoring the fact that the US Air Force's operations over Syrian airspace are illegal. While accusing Russia of aggression, the US dropped over 26,000 bombs in seven countries in 2016, killing thousands of innocent civilians in the process.

Growing disillusionment with the EU spreads its shadow over Ukraine. Although Brussels pledged to grant Ukrainians visa-free travel to the EU Schengen Zone in 2017, some in Ukraine have doubts that Brussels is prepared to fulfill its promises.

Analysts claim that outgoing US President Barack Obama’s decision to send 3,500 more American troops and hundreds of tanks and other military equipment to Eastern and Central Europe announced this week allegedly to counter "Russian aggression" will escalate an already dangerous and unnecessary war scare.

Rex W. Tillerson's statements in support of the US' anti-Russian sanctions made during the Wednesday confirmation hearing resemble nothing so much as usual US establishment's mantras, Professor Alexander Mikhailenko told Radio Sputnik. Mikhailenko dubbed sanctions an "outdated tool" and assumed that Tillerson will pursue a more realistic policy.

US President-elect Donald Trump may fix Obama's foreign policy flaws by adopting a more realistic US strategy. It is equally probable that Trump will add just another problem on top of all the existing headaches, renowned US economist Jeffrey Sachs told Radio Sputnik referring to the possibility of America's economic confrontation with China.

For decades, Vietnam has cooperated closely to develop armor and weaponry jointly with Russia, as it once did with the Soviet Union. Speaking to Sputnik, Colonel Nguyen Khac Nguyet underscored that Russian weapons possess certain competitive advantages over their foreign analogues.