Biden adopts 'reconciliatory' tone in escalating tension with Russia
Since Joe Biden came to the White House, relations between Moscow and Washington have cooled considerably. There has been simmering tension between the two presidents ever since Biden called Putin a "murderer". Since then, the US-Russian relationship has been based on sanctions and criticism. Moreover, Ukraine warns of escalating tensions on its border with Russia.
Biden, faced with this Cold War-like scenario, has decided to be reconciliatory with his Russian counterpart. The US president announced that he had a "sincere and respectful" phone call with Putin. "When I spoke with President Putin, I expressed my belief that personal and direct communication between the two of us is essential to moving toward a more effective relationship, and he agreed with that point," Biden said.
He also proposed organising a summit meeting somewhere in Europe this summer to "launch a strategic stability dialogue in pursuit of cooperation on arms control and security", he added. Despite these fine words from President Biden, Washington has approved new sanctions against Russia. Specifically, 16 Russian entities and 16 Russian personalities have been sanctioned for involvement in "aggressive and harmful activities by the Government of the Russian Federation". The US government has also announced the expulsion of 10 Russian diplomats for allegedly interfering in the last presidential elections. However, Biden has assured Putin that he could have gone further. "The United States is not looking to start a cycle of escalation and conflict with Russia. We want a stable and predictable relationship," Biden said.
Moscow's response has not been what Biden wanted. Predictably, the announcement of new sanctions has not gone down well with the Kremlin, which has declared that this move will not "in any way" help a meeting between Biden and Putin. "Washington must realise that it will have to pay for the degradation of bilateral relations. The responsibility for what is happening lies entirely with the United States," said Maria Zakharova, Russia's foreign minister. The ministry has also recalled the US ambassador, John Sullivan, for consultations.
Meanwhile, the situation in Eastern Europe remains worrying after Russia deployed 20,000 troops 100 kilometres from the Ukrainian border. This Russian military deployment is the largest since 2014 according to OTAN. OTAN, as well as other Western countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States and Germany, have expressed their concern about this action. However, the Kremlin has assured that this operation "should not worry anyone", as it "does not pose a threat to anyone". The deployment has been justified by Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu because of NATO's military activities that "threaten Russia".
The Ukrainian government, however, disagrees. "We condemn the worsening of the situation provoked by Russia, as well as the actions and statements of Moscow, which wants to increase military tension and undermine diplomatic efforts," Kiev said. Moreover, Foreign Minister Dimitro Kuleva warns that "if Russia crosses the red line, it will have to suffer".
Ukraine has the support of the Baltic states, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, with whom it has met to discuss the border situation. Other European countries have backed Kiev. Angela Merkel has urged Putin to "reduce these military reinforcements in order to reach a de-escalation". OTAN has also expressed its support for Ukraine, calling the Russian military operation "unjustified, unexplored and deeply worrying". OTAN Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the allies "reaffirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity".
