Russia Needs a Friend
Alfred Kokh, f. deputy P.M. under Yeltsin | October 16, 2008
The West is "pushing away" Russia, not the other way around. ++ The US needs to see Russia's point of view for a change. ++ At the end of the Cold War, there was "no move to meet Russia partway;" instead, the US "talked away" Russian attempts at integration with Western institutions. ++ Yeltsin looked like a puppet for trying to gain acceptance and Putin came to power as a result. ++ It's time for the West to talk to Russia about real integration - membership in the WTO and cooperation with NATO would be a great start.
