Russia's Pivot To Asia: Issue 37

Amongst all the Ukraine and Trump political talk this week, it has been a significant few days in Russia-Islamic nations relations, with a major international conference involving Islamic heads of State from Africa and Asia attending in Kazan. Significant, billion-dollar deals were quietly signed in an event ignored by the West and overshadowed by Trump’s own Middle East visit. We also discuss a key issue in Russia-US relations: Russia is not a competitor (unlike Europe) to American interests and can offer US investors significant supply chain access both to Europe (currently frozen, but capable of revival) and Asia (booming). This issue – US access and involvement in Russia’s supply chains - will be a major part of any understanding with the Trump administration. Meanwhile – Sergey Lavrov’s speech to the Diplomatic Club is also well worth a read – along with intriguing, wealth-generating proposals for dealing with the billions of dollars of Western funds that Russia has frozen. With best regards; Russia’s Pivot To Asia