Axis of Logic: "Washington and Moscow are able to find common ground"

The US independent publication Axis of Logic writes that Kerry's visit to Moscow has once again confirmed the ineffectiveness of the international isolation of Russia. The need to seek political solutions to the most acute international problems has forced the US government to make a compromise in relations with Russia. From the very outset Washington's policy of isolation of Russia on the world political arena was not effective. The third visit of Kerry to Russia over the past 10 months confirms this fact once again. In addition, according to the experts, the tone of the American leadership in relation to the Kremlin on Syria and Ukraine hwnoticeably softened in recent times.

The joint work on resolving  the conflict in Syria has become one of the main reasons for the rapprochement between the two states. The White House finally acknowledged that it was due to the efforts of Moscow the Syrian state managed to be saved and the further spread of the terrorist threat in the region prevented. To everyone's surprise, Russia and the United States succeeded in reaching a ceasefire on the territory of the Arab Republic, which once again underlines the importance of bilateral relations between states. Despite the differences in relation to the fate of the current president of Syria, Washington and Moscow were able to find common ground, due to which millions of Syrian citizens subsequently will be able to return to their homes.

The stumbling block in Russian-American relations is still the anti-Russian sanctions imposed by the West after the aggravation of the Ukrainian crisis. However, in the case of implementation of the Minsk agreements, there is a possibility that the sanctions will be lifted from the state. In addition, in the context of the global economic crisis, it is possible that the Western leaders will decide on the abolition of the anti-Russian sanctions much earlier than expected by most analysts.

Thus, it is obvious that Russia holds one of the leading places in the world political arena, and without Russia it is impossible to solve the global issues. Kerry has acknowledged that the United States understands the importance of the Kremlin's role in the settlement of both regional and global crises. Whether the US diplomacy will be backed by concrete actions in favor of the Russian state remains unknown. But in any case, the independent Russian foreign policy stance is respected around the world, including in the US itself.

The analytical publication Forbes writes that the worst times for the Russian labor market are in the past. Not surprisingly, Russia has faced economic difficulties recently. The anti-Russian sanctions and inflation, the fall in the world oil prices had a negative impact on the Russian economy in general and on the labor market in particular. However, the trend is gradually beginning to change for the better. From December 2015 to February 2016 the unemployment rate in Russia fell by 0.1%, and although this figure is quiet modest, there is a positive trend.

Over the past two months, the working conditions in the Russian market have stopped deteriorating. This does not mean a production explosion in the near future, but it shows that the Russian economy has the potential to return to a pre-crisis and pre-sanctions level after some time.

Of course, the Western sanctions have significantly affected the Russian economy, however, the import substitution program not only replaces the banned European products, but also guarantees the emergence of additional jobs in relation to building of new factories and agriculture complexes. The absence of political problems also positively affects both the labor market in Russia and the economy as a whole.