Although the Trump administration’s term is coming to an end, Washington’s pressure and sanctions on Russia have not diminished. Several U.S. media quoted sources on the 23rd and reported that the United States is brewing more sanctions against Russia.
According to a report by the U.S. THE Hill on the 23rd, the U.S. State Department issued a statement saying that Washington believes that the Russian Federal Security Agency is the “behind-the-scenes” of the “poisoning” incident of opposition leader Navalline.
CNN quoted sources as saying that the United States has formulated possible sanctions against Russia due to the Navalline incident. However, the formal implementation of sanctions requires the signature of US President Trump.
In addition, there are media reports that the Trump administration plans to introduce further sanctions on the North Stream-2 gas pipeline project in the near future. The U.S. government has just announced that it will impose sanctions on 41 Russian enterprises and institutions.
According to CNN on the 23rd, sources revealed that O’Brien, the assistant to national security affairs of the President of the United States, talked with intelligence officials from other member countries of the Five Eyes Alliance on Tuesday to discuss the recent hacking of U.S. government agencies.
O’Brien proposed a joint statement condemning hacking. Sources revealed that the statement is under consideration, and it is not known whether it will mention Russia. U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo has publicly accused Russia of being the initiator of the cyber attack.
CNN previously quoted sources as saying that the White House had planned to issue a statement on the 18th, accusing Russia of planning the attack, but did not rule out statements from other participants. This statement has not yet been issued.
The only effective arms control treaty between Russia and the United States, the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, will expire on February 5, 2021. The Russian Embassy in the United States once again appealed to the United States on the 22nd, hoping that the Trump administration would use the last time of its term to extend the treaty for the well-being of the two countries and the world.
However, the response of U.S. President Trump’s Special Representative for Arms Control Billingsley broke Russia’s expectations.
According to a report by the Russian Satellite News Agency on the 24th, Billingsley said that the United States is not interested in extending the current form of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty.
According to AFP, Russian President Putin said on the 23rd that he did not expect any changes in Russian-US relations after President-elect Biden took office.
The article said that Biden is expected to take a more severe stance towards Russia than Trump. The U.S. National Interest magazine called on the American leadership to change its foreign policy towards Russia to China.
The article said that there are three major threats implied by the U.S. policy towards Russia, including the possible direct conflict between the United States and Russia in Syria and other countries and regions, more Russians will think that Russian-US relations will only deteriorate, and Russia and China may form alliances.
If the United States continues to follow the existing approach, it may have sad consequences. The possibility of nuclear confrontation in the world is increasing, while Washington seeks to maintain its hegemony and underestimate the consequences of its diplomatic decisions.
The article emphasizes that Russia and China are more willing to develop normal relations with the United States than to establish an anti-American alliance. The United States is relying on “unreliable allies”, such as NATO, against “unnecessary enemies – Russia and China”.
