One reason for the Russians to be suspicious of any offers from Washington is simply recent precedent. Over ten years ago when Obama was still full of Hope and Change his feisty new Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with a great big smile presented Foreign Minister Lavrov the infamous Russian Reset Button. The red button had the word "overload" accidentally written on it in place of "reset". This mistake due to a fake desire to make it seem like Washington cared enough to learn one word of Russian was very telling as during the brief era of the Russian Reset, America's Soft Power machine was working day and night to organize the Maidan in Kiev. From a Western perspective this revolution was another piece of evidence that the people of Eastern Europe want nothing to do with naughty Moscow, but from a Russian perspective the Maidan was the beginning of an endless waking nightmare. This all led to the genocidal war in the Donbass breaking out, the return of Neo-Nazism to Europe, and the now official systemic racism that Russian speakers have to endure in the "Zimbabwe of Europe". After an experience like that, can one really expect any sort of optimism from the Russian side because Biden sort of stepped back a bit on the whole Nord-Stream 2 thing?
Besides bitter precedent, the key barrier in US-Russian relations is that they are again locked in a new zero-sum game but with a different dynamic than during the Cold War. Russia wants to rise as one of many powers in a Multipolar World while the United States in accordance with the "Project for a New American Century" wants to make sure that no competitor ever rises again, maintaining the Monopolar advantage that it won from the Cold War. Because of this situation neither side could possibly hope to get what they want from the other unless things in America are far worse than they seem, turning this meeting into a reverse Reykjavík Summit. But that is so unlikely, that even the most hardened gambling addict wouldn't place a bet on it. So let's take a look at what's on the table and why no progress can possibly be made.
- The Crimea: The U.S. wants this peninsula returned to Ukraine. If Russia were to do this it would remove them from the Black Sea entirely and kill any ambitions they may have to rise as a world power. It would also be the end of Putin's presidency as a national betrayal. Returning it is impossible. Any Russian pleas to recognize the Crimea as Russian will fall on deaf ears because it would set the precedent for many regions of the world to go back to Russia like Abkhazia, North Ossetia and Transdniestria. Washington cannot allow this domino effect to occur.
- Alexey Navalny: Like Lenin he got to live in comfort with support in the West while at the same time having the ambitions of Yeltsin to strive for greatness via submission. He is in jail for parole violation and Putin is not going to pardon him. Even when his sentence is up this blatant Manchurian candidate is never going to be given the status that Washington wants for him.
- The Donbass: Russia will not give up support for the Donbass and the United States will never green light carving up the Ukraine into a logical Eastern and Western chunk. If the Donbass were to "win" then Russia would wind up getting all the parts of the Ukraine that it needs for renewed greatness where the majority want to go back home. Conversely if Russia were to completely throw the Donbass to the dogs it could crush patriotic support for the establishment in Moscow.
- Climate Stuff: Because climate change is irrelevant virtue signaling, plenty of "progress" could be made on that front.
- Russian Meddling: The Democrats believe the Russians are behind lots of conspiracies, the Russians say they didn't do any of it. Again this issue will remain stagnant. The Democrats could drop this narrative, but it isn't worth using as a bargaining chip because the Russian side really doesn't care. Removing this scandal offers no value for negotiating.
- Sanctions and Embassies: Both sides seem fairly content with the long bitter divorce they are going through. Travel between the countries is now hard and sanctions seem to suit the mood of both sides. This is unlikely to change as there is no motivation for it. Washington wants Russia out of Europe's economy and Russia is benefitting from the economic isolation that sanctions offer. It's a win-win as is.
The only gains at this meeting that can be made are of an emotional nature to the advantage of the U.S. as the Russians have been suckered in time and time again. For the Russians to resist this they need to "call a spade a spade" at every moment, while being interruptive, rude and in general spoiling any Anglo-Saxon snake oil sales pitches that come up. The Russian desire for social acceptance is its greatest weakness in these sorts of scenarios. But hopefully, finally, they have learned their lesson.
our Russian friends liberated most death camps as they were there first, then notified the Americans via video media documented footage, and yet the west have scrubbed out our Russian friends to put out they were the ones to liberate such evil places, and claimed the footage was there own, and yet the UK knew about these camps back in 1939-1940 flying spy ops, then forgetting to report such photos, oh, um, oops, could of should of would of!! Auschwitz was first seen in or around 1939-40,,
our Russian friends lost the most, in civilian and armed forces deaths than any other country, Germany went for them, our Russian friends fought tooth and nail, and fought them back to there own chancellery where this evil was born from, yet the west doesnt and refuses to recognize such a fact,
when the Germans were smashed and defeated, our Russian friends and the Chinese joined in the defeat helping the allies beat back the Japanese and again without the help of our Russian friends, what to this day and age would be the end result ffs!!
when will America learn, when will other countrys learn to not follow the ones whom committed the worst crime of all, of dropping an atomic weapon two times on a country that already surrendered, all be it to see the end result from spending millions on it, the after the war, planning to nuke 286 Russian cities to gain global dominance for its resources and elements..
WTF PEOPLE, cant these so called leaders just fukn get along without kissing each others arses, and betraying and decieving the people whom got them into power FFS!!!!!!!
so, today, its the west, vs Russia and China!! NO FUKIN WAY.. i have friends from both countrys, met some from the USA, and sorry, but the Americans have a far more massive ego than most, just saying.. fuk sake earth, sort out your shit!!