Articles by Steven Pifer



Will Putin Prefer Obama's Successor?

By all appearances, U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin don't care much for each other.

Kremlin Is Dissolving Ukraine's East-West Divide (Op-Ed)

Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Steven Pifer reflects on the breakdown of the east/west divide in Ukraine.

U.S. And Russia Still Share Some Common Ground

While the U.S.-Russia relationship is becoming ever more adversarial, important areas remain where their interests converge, writes Steven Pifer.

Putin's NATO Fears Are Groundless

Putin's fear that Ukraine will join NATO stem either from a deep misreading of the situation or is just a cynical justification for Crimea's annexation, writes Steven Pifer.

Don't Junk New START

U.S. lawmakers Trent Franks and Doug Lamborn, writing on these pages, called for the U.S. to withdraw from the 2010 New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. But their arguments do not stand up to serious scrutiny.

Putin's Problem of Irrelevance

Washington may decide that Putin has little to offer — and does not really matter — for Obama in his last three years in office.

Moscow Should Stop Stonewalling on Arms Cuts

The Kremlin is trying to undermine Obama's plan on further nuclear arms cuts by demanding that all global nuclear states sit down at the negotiating table.

A Trial Marriage on Missile Defense

During his campaign to return to the presidency, Vladimir Putin sharply criticized U.S. missile defense plans for Europe, claiming they pose a threat to Russia's strategic missiles. U.S. officials argue that Russia has no cause for concern. This difference has blocked an agreement between NATO and Russia on missile defense cooperation.

Russia Can Be a NATO Ally

U.S. and Russian officials have for many months discussed possible NATO-Russian missile defense cooperation, but agreement has eluded them so far. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov recently poured cold water on the prospect, and U.S. officials seem less optimistic than in the past.


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