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| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| Russia to offer air base to US for Afghan transit |
| 2012-03-14 |
| A new deal allowing the United States and its NATO allies to use a Russian air base for transit of troops and military cargo to Afghanistan would help ensure Russia's own security, Russia's foreign minister said Wednesday. Sergey Lavrov said a plan to permit the U.S. and other NATO nations to use the base in the city of Ulyanovsk on the Volga River will soon be considered by the Russian Cabinet. If approved, the deal could help repair Russian ties with the United States, which have become increasingly strained over Washington's missile defense plans in Europe and the Syrian crisis. Moscow has provided the U.S. and other NATO member states with air corridors and railway routes for carrying supplies to and from Afghanistan. The new agreement would for the first time allow alliance members to set up a logistics facility for troops and cargo on Russian territory. Lavrov strongly defended such a deal, saying the success of NATO's mission is essential for fending off the spread of terrorism and illegal drugs from Afghanistan into ex-Soviet Central Asian nations and Russia. |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #6 Now that they've "beaten" us out of Afghanistan, they will of course turn to closer to home. Like Pakistan, or worse for Russia, Chechnya. Chechnya probably third though, since if the Jihadists get the Pakistan nukes Russia HAS to know they are vunerable. Honestly I see Russia getting hit before us by a Jihadi nuke. |
| Posted by: Charles 2012-03-14 21:35 |
| #5 Compare wid INDIAN DEFENCE FORUM > KYRGYZSTAN TO US: NO EXTENSION OF MANAS DEAL. Could become a moot point iff ... * TOPIX, DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > PAKISTAN WILLING TO RESTORE NATO SUPPLIES. versus * DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > US, RUSSIA CONFRONTATION OVER PAKISTAN [Pipeline Wars]. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2012-03-14 21:14 |
| #4 There would be so much electronic espionage against the US on that base that anyone who stayed there for a week would get leukemia in a month. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2012-03-14 14:14 |
| #3 Now that it looks like we're about to hand over Afghanistan to the Taliban, these guys decide to make nice. A day late, and a dollar short. I hope they had fun jeering from the sidelines. Because our problems are about to become their problems, given the Taliban's ambitions in Central Asia, and the likelihood that Afghanistan will become both a training ground and a funnel for jihadis and equipment into the region. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2012-03-14 13:33 |
| #2 This is good. The elections are over. I hope we don't mess this up. |
| Posted by: Dale 2012-03-14 13:12 |
| #1 This is all you offer? Naa, you are stuck with Afghanistan again. Enjoy! |
| Posted by: newc 2012-03-14 12:25 |