Of particular importance was his path-breaking analysis of documents from the formerUSSR, including memoirs published by officials associated with the Kremlin's anti-ballistic missile programs.
By contrast, other forms of Western assistance intended to affect the prospects for long-term economic viability in the formerUSSR must be strictly conditioned on systemic reform .
The chief Russian statistician, Vladimir Sokolin, backed Mr Gref's assertions by saying that Russia was entering "the stage of tough competition for immigrants with European and formerUSSR countries".
The United States is concerned about the command and control of Soviet nuclear weapons, the potential for ethnic strife inside the formerUSSR and the international implications of economic collapse there.
Third, the Russians will probably not agree to reschedule the debt owed to the formerUSSR, improving the prospects of repayment to Moscow thanks to a Western taxpayer-subsidized debt-relief for Syria.