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Russia began the week with a blunt message to the West: You may need us, but we don’t need you.
First, Russian President Dmitri Medvedev told the Russian press that NATO isn’t sincere in its desire to cooperate with Russia, and therefore Russia is prepared to completely break ties with the Western military alliance. According to Medvedev, even if NATO chooses to cut ties with Russia, “nothing terrible will happen” to Moscow.
Second, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin announced that World Trade Organization membership no longer interests Moscow. He added that Russia would soon be pulling out of several WTO-related agreements, thereby paving the way for Russia to formally withdraw its membership bid after more than a decade of negotiations.
Third, the Russian Duma and Federal Council unanimously approved a nonbinding resolution calling for the recognition of the Georgian breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Though this is largely a symbolic gesture for now, the Russians are making clear that they can turn the Kosovo precedent on the West in a snap.
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