December 29, 2008 By James Kimer

RA’s Daily Russia News Blast – Dec. 29, 2008

blast122908.jpgTODAY: China and Russia establish high military links, Putin holds cabinet meeting on crisis, promising continuity, Stalin comes in third, predictions of a U.S. collapse, Gaddafi defends Russia, anger over Israel’s Gaza bombings, Gazprom-Ukraine deadlock continues, and a new film production of a 1968 science fiction story resonates strongly with today’s Russia.

Today top military officials from Beijing and Moscow held their first conversation over the newly established “hot line,” which is meant to signal closer “pragmatic cooperation between the two armed forces on global events.  Even though the link was established last March, it was not clear why it was just inaugurated today with such ceremony.  The Pentagon has not yet been able to negotiate a military hot line with China.

A year-end wrap up cabinet session was called in the Kremlin this morning, in which both President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin called for unity in face of the difficult economic crisis the country will face in 2009. 

“We can have different points of view on various problems. But at a time of global challenges it is important to maintain the unity of the government. In my opinion, today we are succeeding in this,” Medvedev said.  Putin said that despite the “negative dynamic” in the fourth quarter, Russia would still grow by 6% in 2009, and the government would not change its spending plans.