President Biden’s desire to face an increasingly adverse Russia strongly is mitigated by the immediate need to cooperate with Moscow on various shared interests.
Biden is looking for a five-year extension of the nuclear weapons treaty known as the New START that will expire in the first week of February and for arms control experts to consider key to ensuring international security.
Meanwhile, intelligence officials are launching a series of reviews on what the Biden administration called “reckless and counterproductive actions” that have transpired since the Trump era.
These areas of concern include SolarWinds’ unprecedented investigation into US federal agencies and private companies last year and the arrest this month of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny after his recovery. a poisoning allegedly carried out by Russian security services. Officials are also reviewing Kremlin reports on rewards to members of U.S. services in Afghanistan.
“I find that we can both operate for the mutual interest of our countries … and make it clear to Russia that we are very concerned about their behavior,” President Biden told reporters on Monday.
Biden reiterated that he awaits the assessment of the intelligence community of Moscow’s malicious activity before initiating a response, but said he “would not hesitate to raise these issues with the Russians.”
Evelyn Farkas, who served as deputy deputy secretary of defense of Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia during the Obama administration, praised Biden’s approach, which he described as an effort to deal with Russia clearly and directly. of the old President Trump
Donald Trump Schumer: The impeachment trial will be quick, there doesn’t need to be many witnesses that Biden has to use the nurse as acting surgeon: the Schumer report calls for Biden to declare a climate emergency, who was criticized for his openings towards the Russian president Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin: Putin labels pro-Navalny protests as dangerous and illegal Hill’s Morning – Biden report: Focus on vaccine, virus and travel Mexican president gives positive to COVID-19 MORE. He said Biden is able to balance cooperation with confrontation in his dealings with Putin.
“We can move forward with Russia if we deal directly and firmly, which the Trump administration did not try to do,” Farkas said.
Still, pressure is mounting for Biden to take swift action against Moscow, in particular to detain Navalny, and complete an assessment of the initial poisoning and how the internal security services of Putin and Russia, the FSB, fit.
“We urge your administration to conduct this investigation, present your findings to Congress and make a determination without delay,” bipartisan MPs wrote in a letter to Biden on Friday.
“If your investigation confirms that Putin’s regime was behind this blatant attack, as the overwhelming evidence presented by our allies and independent investigators suggests, then you should be held accountable,” lawmakers continued.
Over the weekend, the State Department demanded Navalny’s “immediate and unconditional release” and rebuked Russia’s crackdown on radical protests in favor of the opposition leader. The State Department also demanded the release of more than 3,000 protesters who have been arrested.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki
Jen PsakiOn The Money: The Senate confirms Yellen as first Treasury secretary | Biden says he is open to stricter revenue limits for stimulus controls The administration will try to expedite Tubman’s consideration. Biden’s press secretary jokingly accepts the advice of his “Scandal” counterpart. Modern says the vaccine is effective in variants, but proves the booster shot California lifts the regional reserve to ask for MORE told reporters on Monday that the intelligence community’s assessment of a number of Russian activities would be prioritized, but offered no chronology or information on the retaliatory actions being considered.
Legislative authorities in Congress provide the administration with key tools to respond, including the Sergei Magnitsky Act, which allows Russian officials who commit human rights abuses against people who work to expose corruption to be sanctioned.
There is also the U.S. Anti-Opposition Act, passed following Russia’s interference in the 2016 election.
Biden’s candidate for secretary of state, Anthony Blink
Antony BlinkenBiden’s “buy-in” for stability in the Middle East is crucial The Hill’s Morning Report – Biden: Focus on vaccine, virus and travel The group of American carriers enters the sea of South China amid tensions between China and Taiwan MORE, noted during its confirmation hearing last week that the administration’s decision to pursue actions against Russia will not be taken lightly.
While Biden believes the U.S. should impose “sustained costs and consequences” on Russia, Blinken said, every bad activity “will deserve a deep conversation” between the administration and Congress.
Former officials said the Biden administration could consider actions provided to cyberspace to respond to SolarWinds hacking, though officials are likely to be wary of the possible escalation.
Farkas, a former Obama administration official, said Biden could also consider restricting the issuance of new sovereign debt to Russian state entities.
“We need to be less risk averse than in the past,” he said. “Right now, Putin’s regime is at a weak point.”
The Biden administration will also have to navigate the arrest of three Americans from Moscow, including Paul Whelan, who last year was sentenced to 16 years in prison on espionage charges. Whelan argues he was framed and U.S. officials have called the charges politically motivated.
Whelan’s brother, David Whelan, said the family has had no communication with the Biden administration, but welcomed the appointment of Blinken as secretary of state, as well as Biden’s decision not to replace him. the U.S. ambassador to Russia and the Trump Administration’s special envoy for hostage affairs.
These decisions “give us confidence that Paul’s case will be handled by a government with deep experience in Russia,” David Whelan said.
The other two Americans arrested are Trevor Reed, a former US sailor who was sentenced in July to nine years in prison for assaulting a police officer – allegations by US opposition – and investor Michael Calvey, who is under house arrest limited to Russia awaiting trial on allegations of embezzlement that the United States has criticized.
The other congressional pressure Biden is facing is referring to Russia’s construction of the North Stream 2 pipeline that critics warn will give Moscow leverage over Europe.
Blinken, in his statements to Congress, said Biden is committed to preventing the completion of the pipeline, but prioritizes coordination with European allies over the imposition of unilateral sanctions.
This means that Biden should convince Germany to abandon its support for the project at a time when it is also trying to repair the relationship between Washington and Berlin after its split under Trump.
“In an ideal world, we will collaborate very quickly with our partners and allies in Europe, and I think we will try to convince them to leave,” Blinken told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last week, and went add that sanctions remain in effect the table.
Biden spoke with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday and “conveyed her desire to deepen relations between our countries,” according to the White House, which also said the two leaders discussed Russia, Ukraine and the United States. NATO alliance.
National security adviser Jake Sullivan
Jake SullivanBiden talks about NATO and climate change in first presidential call with Frenchman Macron Biden has to wait the weekend for the State Department to choose the White House: it will take “some time” before the first trip foreign of Biden MORE has held calls with its counterparts in the UK, France and Germany and addressed shared concerns related to Russia, among other issues.
Psaki on Monday would not say whether Biden is expected to speak with Putin, but he indicated in general that more calls with foreign leaders were planned.
Still, the U.S. will seek Russia’s cooperation to address issues such as climate change and arms control.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Monday that Russian and US officials have started talks on New START and have shown optimism in working with the Biden administration.
Angela Stent, a government professor at Georgetown University and an expert on Russia, said relations between the two countries are unlikely to heat up. Instead, he said, they will likely pursue a cold peace to achieve strategic gains for both sides.
“I think the people at Biden have said from the beginning that they don’t want to get back with Russia because that would be exciting and we should deal with Russia on issues that are of interest to us,” Stent said.
“On these issues it is important to sit down with Russia, but the relationship is not expected to heat up.”