WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden made his first call with Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, expressing concern over the arrest of opposition figure Alexei Navalny as he pressured the Russian president on his country’s involvement in a massive cyber-espionage campaign and abundance of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, two senior officials said.
Biden has tried to establish a sharp rift on the hot rhetoric his predecessor, Donald Trump, often reveals to Putin. According to officials familiar with the call, the new president also sought to retain space for diplomacy and told the Russian leader that the two countries should complete an extension of a five-year arms control treaty before it expires early next month. . but is not authorized to discuss it in public.
Unlike his immediate predecessors, Biden did not show hope for a ‘recovery’ in relations with Russia, but rather indicated that he wanted to manage the differences with the former enemy of the Cold War without necessarily resolving them or to improve the tires. And with a heavy domestic agenda and looming decisions over Iran and China, a direct confrontation with Russia is not something he wants.
According to officials, Moscow reached out last week to request the call. Biden agreed, but first wanted to prepare with his staff and talk to European allies, including the leaders of Britain, France and Germany.
And on Tuesday before his call with Putin, Biden spoke with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and dedicated himself to the United States’ commitment to the decades-old alliance established as a bulwark against Russian aggression.
Biden told Putin that his government was condemning the SolarWinds violation and allegations in the press that Russia had offered the Taliban bounties to kill US troops in Afghanistan. Biden said the United States was prepared to defend itself and would act, which could include further sanctions, to ensure Moscow did not act with impunity, according to administration officials.
The Kremlin’s call was not immediately available.
The call comes as Putin considers the aftermath of pro-Navalny protests that have taken place in more than 100 Russian cities over the past weekend. Biden’s team has already reacted strongly to the protest against the protests, in which more than 3,700 people across Russia were arrested, including more than 1,400 in Moscow. More protests are planned for the coming weekend.
Navalny, an anti-corruption campaigner and Putin’s fiercest critic, was arrested on January 17 when he returned from Germany to Russia, where he spent nearly five months recovering from the poisoning of the nerve agent he blamed. Kremlin blames. Biden has previously condemned the use of chemical weapons.
Russian authorities deny the allegations.
Trump has long been in love with Putin and has sought his approval, regularly questioning Russian interference in the 2016 election, including standing next to Putin at their 2018 summit in Helsinki. He also downplayed Russia’s involvement in the hijacking of federal government agencies last year and allegations that Russia hosted the Taliban bounties.
Despite this conciliatory approach, its administration has shown a hard line against Moscow and imposed sanctions on the country, Russian companies and business leaders for issues ranging from Ukraine to energy supply and attacks on dissidents.
Biden broke sharply with Trump in his call with Putin, declaring that he knows Russia is trying to interfere in the 2016 and 2020 elections. But he also stresses the need for New START, the last remaining arms control treaty between America and Russia , to expand, which should expire in early February. U.S. officials have expressed confidence in reaching an agreement that will provide transparency in each country’s core arsenal.
Biden told reporters on Monday he hopes the US and Russia can work together in areas where both benefit.
“I think we can both act in the mutual self-interest of our countries as a New START agreement and make it clear to Russia that we are very concerned about their behavior, whether it is Navalny, whether it is SolarWinds or reports of bounties on heads. “Americans in Afghanistan,” Biden said.
Biden’s approach has been endorsed by some former US diplomats dealing with Russia and looks forward to seeing Biden’s team, including national security adviser Jake Sullivan and his nominee for the no. 3 at the State Department, Victoria Nuland. the contours of Russia’s policy.
Nuland, who held the European portfolio at the State Department in the second term of President Barack Obama, is particularly praised by Putin and his associates for her support of pro-Western politicians in Ukraine. She and Sullivan are said to be sharing opinions on how to deal with Moscow, while strictly dealing with human rights and Russia’s intentions in Eastern and Central Europe, while keeping an open channel for the Kremlin on other matters.
But their starting position is complicated, they say, especially in light of Putin’s experience in dealing with Trump, who regularly undermines the hawkish stance of his own government over Russia by privately trying to tie up the Russian leader. Trump was also regularly unprepared for calls from foreign leaders, ignoring the warnings of the staff, and limiting those who could listen to the calls and, especially after calls with Putin, telling very few collaborators what was discussed.
“It’s difficult, but it’s feasible,” said Daniel Fried, a U.S. ambassador to Poland and assistant secretary of state for European affairs in the George W. Bush administration. “They will have to find out right away, but it’s important to pursue New START without hesitation and drive back the blame on the Navalny arrest and other issues.”
“They should do both and not let Putin tell them he will not accept a NEW START unless they abandon Navalny, SolarWinds or Afghanistan,” said Fried, who is now with the Atlantic Council. “You have to push back and you can not allow Putin to determine the terms.”