The US ambassador to Russia is refusing to leave the country after the Kremlin “advised” him to return home after the new sanctions imposed by the Biden government, Axios said.
Why it matters: John Sullivan, a respected diplomat who has retained President Biden so far in the Trump era, is at the center of one of the most important early tests of Biden’s decision.
- The Russian Foreign Ministry announced on Friday that it would suspend ten U.S. diplomats and current officials, including Attorney General Merrick Garland, from visiting Russia.
- But the Russians did not expel Sullivan. Instead, the Kremlin convened him to meet with top foreign policy official Yuri Ushakov, who recommended that he return to Washington for consultations with Biden officials.
- According to people familiar with his thinking, Sullivan’s view is that if Putin wants him to leave, he will have to force himself.
- A State Department spokesman declined to comment.
The whole picture: Last week, in response to Russian cyber espionage and interference in the US election, Biden introduced a series of sanctions on the Russian economy.
- Biden spoke to President Putin last Tuesday and told him that sanctions were coming, while also investigating the possibility of a summit between the two later this year.
- In announcing the sanctions, Biden calls it “proportionate” and notes that he does not want to start a cycle of escalation with Putin.
- National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan spoke to Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolay Patrushev on Monday, discussing a possible presidential summit and “agreeing to stay in touch”, according to a White House statement.
Flash back: Biden agreed last month that Putin is a “killer”. The Russian – who is accused of poisoning some of his enemies – wished the new president “good health”.
- Putin also recalled Russian Ambassador to Russia Anatoly Antonov to Moscow for consultations.
- The diplomatic signal was intended to underscore the Kremlin’s unhappiness with the Biden government.
Between the lines door: In response to the new sanctions, Russia did not suspend Sullivan – or make him a “persona non grata”, “PNG” in diplomatic language.
- “If the Kremlin wants to PNG him, it will be a very escalating step,” said Mike McFaul, who served as ambassador to Russia under President Obama. “The last ambassador PNG received from Moscow was George Kennan by Stalin in 1952.”
- “I commend Ambassador Sullivan for continuing his work,” he said.
The plot: Russia gathers thousands of troops along its border with Ukraine.
- U.S. officials worked behind the scenes with allies to warn Russia about the cost of the seizure in additional territory, but made it clear they would not take military action to deter Russia from becoming a non-NATO nation.
The conclusion: Biden wants stability and predictability to define its relations with Putin and Russia, while its government focuses on China.
- By ignoring the Kremlin’s proposal to recall Sullivan, the government is not taking the bait to escalate, while it is becoming clear that Biden can decide who his ambassador is, not Putin.