Charles Hecker has spent 40 years travelling and working in the Soviet Union and Russia. He has worked as a journalist and a geopolitical risk consultant, and has lived in Miami, Moscow and London. A fluent Russian speaker, he holds degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University. His book Zero Sum: The Arc of International Business in Russia was published by Hurst in November 2024.
From our UK edition
Donald Trump on Thursday allowed India to import more Russian oil. India recently did a deal with the US that reduced tariffs in exchange for it buying less crude from Moscow. That deal now seems to be on pause. The move might be seen as a version of the Trump tariff acronym ‘Taco’ (Trump Always
From our UK edition
A most unlikely proposition emerged this week in Davos. Larry Fink, interim co-head of the World Economic Forum, proposed moving the annual gathering of the world’s ultra-elite to Detroit or Dublin. The WEF, he said, should ‘start doing something new: showing up – and listening – in the places where the modern world is actually
From our UK edition
It didn’t take long for preliminary discussions between the US and Russia on Ukraine to morph into something dramatically more ambitious. As negotiators left talks in Riyadh this week, both sides signalled their intent to reach agreement not only Ukraine, but also on economic and geopolitical cooperation. President Donald Trump’s remarks following the talks –
From our UK edition
A revealing, damning and fascinating diplomatic memorandum, sent in 1994 from the US embassy in Moscow to the State Department in Washington, D.C. has recently been declassified. It is also a gripping and lacerating read, even for the non-specialist. It comes at time of heightened tension and ongoing head-scratching: why are US-Russia relations so terminally
From our UK edition
Carlsberg, the brewing giant whose presence in Russia transformed that country’s beverage market, has left. What remains is the lingering residue of a boozy party that peaked too soon, ended in a brawl and left many questions dangling. As it heads for the exit of Russia’s brutal, wartime asset reallocation process, Carlsberg – a flagship
