International relations Nuclear weapons, assassination attempts, dictators and wars: At least these things are rubbing between the US and Russia

Abroad|International relations

Russia and the United States has launched negotiations that have been awaited for weeks in a tense mood. Negotiations were concluded when Russia presented a detailed list of demands to the United States and NATO in December. Possibly in order to make its demands more effective, Russia has brought its armed forces close to Ukraine’s borders.

Russia negotiated with the United States on Monday. Negotiations with NATO are scheduled for Wednesday and with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) on Thursday.

Below are some of the controversial issues that make the negotiations work from a very difficult starting point.

NATO

Russia has insisted that NATO no longer expand east. This includes the positive response expressed by Georgia and Ukraine to the military alliance, as expressed in its resolution at the NATO Spring 2008 Summit. According to Russia, it should be canceled.

Russia’s demands also that NATO should not bring its armaments too close to Russia’s borders: whether the state in which they are stationed is a member of NATO or not. This could be interpreted to apply at least to Finland, as Finland and NATO have a host country agreement that allows NATO to utilize the territory and bases of the Finnish state.

Of course, the United States and NATO are not the same thing, but the United States is a key member and locomotive of NATO. That is why the question is rubbing between the two great powers.

Ukraine

Russia has recently assembled tens of thousands of armed forces and equipment near Ukraine’s borders. Less than eight years ago, Russia conquered the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine and has since supported and incited a burning war in eastern Ukraine. In total, the war has already claimed more than 13,000 lives. Now the situation is feared to worsen further.

The United States has repeatedly warned Russia against using force against Ukraine. According to the United States, this would have “serious consequences”. According to the US media, these consequences would be much more severe economic sanctions, a ban on exports of technology manufactured or planned in the United States to Russia, and arms shipments to Ukraine.

Belarus and Kazakhstan

In August 2020 has ruled Belarus since 1994 Alexander Lukashenko once again declared himself president. The declaration sparked months of widespread protests that led to unprecedented persecution of the opposition.

Lukashenko has kept the Russian president as his public back Vladimir Putin support – especially in recent months as the EU and the US impose more sanctions on the Lukashenko regime. In recent weeks, both Russia and the Lukashenko administration have been pushing for the possibility of deploying Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus, whose closest neighbors are NATO and Lithuania, as well as Russia and Ukraine.

After Russia had already issued its demands and negotiations had been agreed, unrest broke out in Kazakhstan. Russia and Kazakhstan are both members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). Russia sent troops, including dreaded ground troops, to calm the situation.

“I think one lesson from recent history is that once the Russians come to your house, it’s sometimes very hard to get them to leave,” said the U.S. Secretary of State. Anthony Blinken situation.

Syria, Libya, Mali and the private army Wagner

In Russia private armies are illegal. It has not prevented the Russian private army Wagner from operating where Russia wants to advance its own interests. Wagner has been accused of abuse and is suspected of murdering Russian journalists.

These include, for example, the Central African Republic, Libya and Mali, which Wagner says is the next target.

Wagner has also sent his contract troops to Syria, where the civil war has been raging for more than a decade. Russia has stubbornly supported the dictator Bashar al-Assadia where the US-led Western Alliance has supported al-Assad’s opponents accused of numerous human rights abuses.

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Arms control

United States and Russia are the two largest nuclear-weapon states in the world. Former President of the United States Donald Trump terminated the Inter – State Missile Limitation Agreement INF in 2019 after the countries had accused each other of violating the agreement.

Joe Biden election victory in 2020 paved the way for new negotiations and the US and Russia have already new Start Agreement.

In Monday’s talks between U.S. and Russian deputy foreign ministers, both said they agreed that a nuclear war could not be won and therefore should never be.

Foreign minister Anthony Blinkenin says the United States is ready to negotiate a reduction in threats in Europe as long as Russia withdraws its troops from Ukraine’s borders.

Human rights

Last In recent months, Russia has declared several actors critical of its administration to be foreign agents and closed the Memorial, which investigates victims of persecution. Recent memories also include the former double agent Sergei Skripalin assassination attempt with a chemical weapon in London in the spring of 2018; and opposition leader Alexei Navalnyin assassination attempt in August 2020.

Navalnyi is also currently being sentenced to prison. The charges have been widely seen as political, and the United States has imposed sanctions on Navalny’s treatment. Vladimir Putin avoids publicly saying Navanly’s name.