(Motherland's policies) are very, very popular with the Russian people. |
He was a big-time political operator, behind many political developments, not least Yeltsin's re-election in 1996. |
He was a big-time political operator. After he was pushed out of the country, his influence has dwindled. |
Polls show the attitude of Russians toward Ukraine has deteriorated lately. So, people might easily believe that Ukrainians want to do them harm. |
The goal of Kremlin strategists appears to be a weak coalition government in Ukraine that will be more vulnerable to Russian economic pressure. One twin is looking to Moscow, the other to Washington. And they can't separate. |
There is clearly a policy shift underway. We're talking about a bad trend; not just a cooling but a deterioration in relations. |