"Today, President Biden signed a new sanctions executive order that provides strengthened authorities to demonstrate the Administration's resolve in responding to and deterring the full scope of Russia's harmful foreign activities."The sanctions, which Russia swiftly denounced while warning of retaliation, are certain to exacerbate an already tense relationship between the U.S. and Russia.
The Russian Foreign Ministry announced on Thursday that it would soon respond in kind to a new package of sanctions unveiled against the country by US President Joe Biden.And, the potential Biden-Putin meeting Joe spoke about? Nyet!
Maria Zakharova, the ministry's spokeswoman, told reporters that retaliation against the move was "unavoidable," and that the American ambassador, John Sullivan, had been summoned for "tough talks". "I would hardly have said this before, but I can say it now: It's not going to be a pleasant meeting for him."
Just weeks ago, the country's Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin warned that the US may resort to attacking bonds as part of "a deliberate calculation to create a toxic atmosphere around Russian securities in order to reduce their investment potential." He revealed that Moscow has already been working to create a battle plan to limit the effect such sanctions would have on the economy.
Ned Price, the State Department spokesman, also tweeted that "we are sending a clear message to Moscow" with the new measures.
However, Dmitry Polyanskiy, Russia's deputy permanent representative to the UN, replied saying that "now it is our turn to 'hold the US to account' for promoting unsubstantiated allegations and unfriendly moves. That's how it works in diplomacy."
Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of Russia's State Duma, claimed the measures demonstrated that the "whole arsenal of accusations has been exhausted, and the US is going in a circle." He added that "by imposing sanctions, they punish themselves. In the end, they will have to build relationships that they themselves have destroyed."
Responding to the news, the US-led NATO military bloc said that its members "support and express their solidarity" with Washington, and warned that "Russia continues to adhere to a recurring pattern of destabilizing behavior." The statement concluded that its constituency nations "will continue to work in close consultation on how to respond to Russian actions that pose a threat to Euro-Atlantic security."
The EU's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, added his voice to those backing Biden's move. "We share the concerns of our partners about the increasing number of malicious cyber activities," the former Spanish foreign minister said. "All actors must refrain from irresponsible and destabilizing behavior in cyberspace."
Speaking to reporters on Thursday morning, Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said that the White House's invitation to meet "in a third country in the coming months" would not be possible to organize, at least in the short term. When asked whether the talks were likely to go ahead within that timeframe, Peskov said, "No, a bilateral meeting of course cannot be organized that quickly." He added that the"issue is still under analysis. It is clear there is no smoke without fire. For now, we will not be commenting on newspaper reports, and we will be waiting to see if any specific decisions are announced officially. The fact that the sanctions are probably being discussed will in no way help the likelihood of such a meeting taking place - that can be stated unambiguously.There has been skepticism in Moscow over whether the White House is prepared for the kind of compromise needed for constructive talks to take place. In comments to journalists a fortnight ago, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said...the two nations must treat each other as equals.
"Whether these things hinder [the proposal] or not, that will be a decision for the presidents. There was a proposal from the president of the United States, and then it will be a subject for a decision by the president of Russia.
"As for the sanctions themselves, we condemn any such measures - we consider them illegal - and, in any case, the principle of reciprocity applies here. Reciprocity that allows us to best ensure our own interests are being met."
"Allies have determined that we will start the withdrawal of Resolute Support Mission forces by May 1. We plan to have the withdrawal of all U.S. and Resolute Support Mission forces completed within a few months. We went into Afghanistan together, we have adjusted our posture together and we are united in leaving together. This is not an easy decision, and it entails risks."The withdrawal was not the end of the alliance's relationship with the Afghan government in Kabul, but rather a "new chapter." According to Stoltenberg, withdrawing NATO troops from Afghanistan is not a risk-free decision, but the alternative would be a bigger, open-ended military presence to withstand growing Taliban pressure.
"Spain will synchronize the departure of its troops from Afghanistan with that of the United States and other allies, who have announced today that they will put an end to the 'Resolute Support' Mission coinciding with the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks," the ministry said in a statement.In a phone call commitment, Biden and Ghani to continue partnership after US boots retreat:
Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles said that the US-backed withdrawal plan promotes the consolidation of "the democratic progress made in the country" and is sufficient to ensure that Afghanistan would avoid becoming a hotbed for terrorist activities. Nonetheless, the minister added that once the foreign forces leave the country, NATO should pursue a bilateral security and defense agreement with Afghanistan.
Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya said Madrid was committed to continuing to support the Afghan government and voiced its intention to withdraw troops from the country in line with the alliance's strategy.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili wrote on Facebook:
"According to the schedule agreed with NATO, Georgian troops will also leave Afghanistan. We are holding intensive consultations with our strategic partner - the United States. The Georgian contingent will leave Afghanistan in coordination with them."
The readout said:In other words, the US is going into 'Phase II' of its un-occupation of Afghanistan."President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. spoke today with President Ashraf Ghani. They discussed their continued commitment to a strong bilateral partnership following the departure of US troops from Afghanistan and affirmed shared respect and gratitude for the sacrifices made by American forces, alongside NATO allies and operational partners, as well as by the Afghan people and Afghan service members over the past two decades."The United States will continue to support Afghanistan through continued development, humanitarian and security assistance. Biden said the US will continue to monitor the terror threat in Afghanistan, adding that his administration is refining the US national strategy to monitor and disrupt significant terror threats anywhere they may arise and continue to provide assistance to the Afghan Security Forces.
Note: in my analysis yesterday I quoted Margarita Simonian, the head of Russia Today. Today I have asked my director of research, Scott, to translate yet another thought provoking series of comments made by Simonian yesterday. Now that we see that Biden has imposed even more sanctions on Russia (right after his phone call), her words take on an even deeper meaning.
The Saker
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