WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden was quickly thrown into a strong balancing act with Russia as he tried to strengthen his administration’s stance against Vladimir Putin while retaining room for diplomacy in a post-Donald Trump era .
The relationship is certainly different from the one Putin liked, who was in love with the Russian leader and asked for his approval, questioning Russian interference in the 2016 elections and involvement in a massive hack last year. Despite this conciliatory approach, his administration has taken a hard line against Moscow, imposing sanctions on the country, Russian companies and business leaders for issues ranging from Ukraine to energy supplies and attacks on dissidents.
Unlike his immediate predecessors, Biden did not support the hope of a “reset” in relations with Russia, but instead indicated that he wanted to manage the differences with the former enemy of the Cold War without necessarily resolving them or improving ties. And with a heavy domestic agenda and decisions approaching Iran and China, a direct confrontation with Russia is not something he is looking for.
When Biden speaks with Putin for the first time, he expects to call on Putin to arrest opposition figure Alexei Navalny and crack down on his supporters, raising allegations that Russian security services are behind the recent massive cyber security breach and supporting allegations that Russia offered Taliban rewards for killing American troops in Afghanistan.
At the same time, Biden must consider his own proposal to extend for five years the last remaining treaty between the US and Russia, which is due to expire in early February.
On Monday, Biden told reporters that he had not yet decided how to respond to the Navalny situation, but expressed hope that the United States and Russia could cooperate in areas where they both considered beneficial.
“I see that we can both operate in the mutual interest of our countries as a new START agreement and make it clear to Russia that we are very concerned about their behavior, whether it’s Navalny, SolarWinds, or rewards reports on head of the Americans in Afghanistan, “Biden said.
Biden has already ordered the intelligence community to launch reviews of each of these issues, according to the White House, which on Friday said the US proposal to extend the new START would be accompanied by a calculation of the other issues.
This approach has received the approval of former US diplomats who have dealt with Russia and is looking forward to the way Biden’s team, including National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and his State Department No. 3 candidate Victoria Nuland, delimits the contours of Russian politics.
Nuland, in particular, is offended by Putin and his aides for their support of pro-Western politicians in Ukraine and holds Europe’s portfolio at the State Department in the second term of President Barack Obama. She and Sullivan are said to share views on how to deal with Moscow, taking a hard line on Russia’s human rights and intentions in Eastern and Central Europe, while keeping an open channel to the Kremlin on other issues.
But their starting position is complicated, they say, especially given Putin’s experience in his dealings with Trump, who frequently undermines his own administration’s insane attitude toward Russia by privately trying to receive the Russian leader. .
“It’s hard, but it’s achievable,” said Daniel Fried, the US ambassador to Poland and deputy secretary of state for European affairs in the George W. Bush administration. “He’ll have to find out on the go, but it’s important to watch New START without hesitation and push back Navalny’s arrest and other innocent issues.”
“He has to do both and not let Putin tell them he won’t accept New START unless he gives up Navalny, SolarWinds or Afghanistan,” said Fried, who is now in the Atlantic Council. “You have to push back and you can’t let Putin set the terms.”
However, Putin could be cautious, given his insecure domestic position following pro-Navalny protests in more than 100 cities over the weekend.
Biden’s team has already reacted strongly to the crackdown on Navalny supporters over the weekend, in which more than 3,700 people were arrested at protests across Russia, including more than 1,400 in Moscow.
Navalny, an anti-corruption activist and Putin’s strongest critic, was arrested on January 17 while returning to Russia from Germany, where he had spent nearly five months recovering from nervous breakdowns, which he blames. Kremlin. Russian authorities deny the allegations.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki and State Department spokesman Ned Price demanded the immediate and unconditional release of Navalny and those detained in the crackdown.