"It's quite difficult to understand their logic": how the US intends to establish "stable relations" with Russia

The US wants a "stable and predictable" relationship with Russia, despite "deep divisions."

This was stated by the head of the press service of the United States Department of State Ned Price.

“As we noted, we do have deep disagreements with the Russian Federation ... But we also noted that we want our relations with Moscow to be stable and predictable, and we consider diplomacy an important tool to achieve this, even if we continue to impose on Moscow responsibility for the violations I mentioned earlier, ”the diplomat said during the briefing.

Last week, Price recalled that the United States has a number of claims against the Russian Federation.

We are talking, in particular, about accusations against Russia of “attacks” on American democracy in 2016 and 2020, about “rewarding the Taliban for American soldiers” in Afghanistan and “malicious cyber operations” by Moscow.

Nevertheless, at the same time, the American official emphasized that "the presence of the aforementioned deep disagreements and the state of our relations now does not mean that (we have -

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will not appear.

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He also assured that the United States "continues to really strive for stability and predictability in its relationship with Russia."

Sanctions palette

It is worth noting that Washington's statements about its desire to establish contacts with Moscow sound against the backdrop of reports from the American media that the United States is preparing another portion of sanctions restrictions against the Russian Federation.

For example, Politico, citing an unnamed official, reported that last month the US Justice Department “approved at least two packages of sanctions against Nord Stream 2 AG, which is responsible for the planning, construction and subsequent operation of the pipeline, as well as its head Matthias Warnig ".

“However, these packages of measures have not yet been implemented, and it is not yet clear whether Nord Stream 2 AG and Warnig will be included in the list of subject to sanctions, which the administration is to submit to Congress next month,” the report says.

It is also reported that the White House is discussing the appointment of a special representative who will lead "negotiations on the termination of the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia to Germany."

"Although the specific powers and parameters of the special representative's work are still unknown, at least initially, his role will be to conduct difficult negotiations on how to prevent the construction of the pipeline and not alienate the key American ally in the person of Berlin," the newspaper writes. ...

Press Secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov, in turn, called the possible appointment of the US special envoy for Nord Stream 2 interference in the internal affairs of the Russian Federation and in the economic interests of other countries.

According to him, this project "is extremely important for European energy security and for providing Europe with energy resources."

For his part, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov suggested that the American special envoy "would just go and threaten everyone."

Earlier, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin stated that "attempts to put a spoke in the wheels at the stage of commissioning" of the project and during its operation are "illegal".

According to him, "restrictive measures practiced by the American side, including as an instrument of unfair competition," will not stop the construction of Nord Stream 2.

Pankin also recalled that the project is purely economic in nature.

"The politicization of this issue is dangerous and only harms the normal development of economic cooperation," RIA Novosti quoted him as saying.

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In addition to the proposed two sanctions packages against Nord Stream 2, the United States is also planning to announce soon retaliatory measures for Russia's alleged election meddling and cyberattack on SolarWinds.

This was reported by Bloomberg, citing sources.

It is noted that the Biden administration has already studied the corresponding report of the special services.

“Possible actions could include sanctions and the expulsion of Russian intelligence officers in the United States disguised as diplomats,” the agency said.

It is also noted that retaliatory actions "will include sanctions against individuals close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as structures associated with interference in elections" in the United States.

We will remind, Moscow has repeatedly denied Washington's accusations of hacker attacks on the United States.

“Russia is not involved in such attacks, and in particular in this one.

We declare this officially and decisively, ”Dmitry Peskov said last December.

He called such accusations against Russia "absolutely unfounded", describing them as a continuation of "blind Russophobia, which is resorted to in any incident."

Commenting on media reports about possible new measures against the Russian Federation, Peskov stressed that "the hostility and unpredictability of the actions of the American side" obliges the Russian Federation to be prepared for the worst scenarios.

“That is, when you have a rather aggressive, unpredictable interlocutor, naturally, you are in a mobilized state all the time,” he said.

In turn, Sergei Lavrov promised that Moscow would respond to "any unfriendly steps" by Washington.

Recall that the review of the foreign policy and diplomatic activities of the Russian Federation in 2020, prepared by the Russian Foreign Ministry, states that "Washington's multifaceted efforts to contain Russia" have led to the accumulation of tensions in bilateral relations.

"Special Understanding of Stability"

Speaking about the current "conciliatory rhetoric" on the part of the United States, experts note that it is unlikely to correspond to Washington's true geopolitical plans with regard to Moscow.

"The American partners should be asked how they are going to establish 'stable and predictable' contacts with Russia, while preparing anti-Russian sanctions and not stopping attempts to discredit it," Vladimir, head of the Center for Military-Political Studies of the Institute of the United States and Canada of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said in a conversation with RT. Batyuk.

According to the expert, “it is rather difficult to understand their logic.

Apparently, Washington interprets the understanding of stability in relations with Moscow in its own way: this is when it acts the way the United States likes.

If Russia begins to actively manifest its position, guided by its own interests, this is already regarded as an undermining of international stability. "

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Political scientist Alexander Asafov adheres to a similar position.

In an interview with RT, he said that in the understanding of the United States, stable and predictable relations with Russia "are possible only in the format of submission."

“Therefore, the sovereign and independent policy of the Russian Federation in the global financial economic markets and in the political space does not suit them.

In this regard, Washington is engaged in the so-called "containment" of Moscow, which in fact is an attack on sovereignty, interference in the internal affairs of the state and the use of methods of unfair competition, "Asafov said.

Experts agreed that US pressure on Russia over Nord Stream 2 is the most striking example of this approach.

According to Batyuk, the United States intends to sell its own gas to Europe, and therefore "wants to oust its competitor, Russia, from this market by non-economic methods."

"Russian natural gas is cheaper than the American one, it is more profitable for Europe, but Washington still seeks to establish its monopoly on supplies," the analyst said.

Alexander Asafov, for his part, added that the White House in this matter "acts by political methods, since it does not withstand direct economic competition with the Russian Federation."

As for the possible US response to cyberattacks attributed to Russia, this has already become "a traditional theme of the American authorities, which they are promoting to solve internal political problems," said Vladimir Batyuk.

“The United States is now going through a deep political crisis, there is a serious split in society.

To somehow unite the masses, Washington needs a constantly cultivated "Russian threat."

Instead of solving their internal problems and conducting a decent dialogue with their political opponents, the Biden administration claims that hackers, acting in the interests of the Russian Federation, attacked democracy and powdered the brains of millions of Americans, forcing them to vote for the wrong person.

It sounds very strange, but the problem is that many US citizens believe this, ”the expert noted.

Analysts come to the conclusion that positive changes in bilateral relations should not be expected against the background of "openly anti-Russian actions" by the United States.

“In order for the dialogue between Moscow and Washington to develop in a constructive manner, the American authorities must take the path of political realism, since it was they who initiated a new round of ideological struggle, seeking to affirm the values ​​and ideals of the United States on a global scale,” Batiuk concluded.