The interview requested by the Russian president, the White House: continue with the dialogue
WASHINGTON – Finch Joe Biden e Vladimir Putin dialogue, the Ukrainian crisis remains frozen, albeit dangerously. The two leaders spoke on the phone last night, only three weeks after the last virtual summit (it was December 7). This time it was the Russian president who took the initiative, taking the American interlocutor by surprise, who returned to Delaware for the end of the year holidays. Putin immediately requested and obtained direct contact with Joe. Reason? The Kremlin did not explain it and a Biden adviser admitted, in a conference call with reporters, that he did not have a precise answer, adding, however, an opportunity to give strength to diplomatic action.
US intelligence reports that the Russian army continues to maneuver menacingly especially on the eastern border of Ukraine, in the Donbass area, controlled by pro-Moscow militias since 2014. The generals in Kiev fear that Putin’s tanks could, to begin with, attack Mariupol, a port town, strategically located on the road to Crimea, annexed with weapons by the Russian Federation.
There are basically two schools of thought in Washington. The first believes that Putin wants to probe deeply into Biden’s real intentions, before launching a military offensive against Ukraine, with devastating political-diplomatic effects. Would Putin want to understand how far the Americans and their European allies are willing to go to protect Kiev?
But the most popular hypothesis is the second: the former KGB agent intends to verify whether it is possible to negotiate on an equal footing. His main request notes: Ukraine must not join NATO. Biden has already rejected it outright: Moscow cannot decide for Kiev and the Atlantic Alliance. But the Russians know that on this point the Europeans, beyond formal declarations, are tormented by doubts.
In the virtual summit on December 7, Biden warned his counterpart: in the event of an invasion of Ukraine, the US and the main European states would have hit Russia with economic sanctions never seen before. It was also decided, however, to put the delegations of the two Super Powers to work. Have there been any steps forward? It is legitimate to deduce that Putin is not satisfied and therefore wants to urge Biden to tighten the time. For Moscow, however, a considerable effort keep about 175,000 soldiers in combat gear along the border with Ukraine.
There is, therefore, a sense of urgency in Putin’s move. Also because in the next few days there will be more opportunities for contact between Washington and Moscow.
The calendar includes three important events in the week of 10 January: the Russian-American bilateral on nuclear weapons (Strategic Stability Dialogue); the NATO-Russia Council and, finally, the meeting of the Permanent Council of the OSCE (the organization for security and cooperation in Europe).
December 30, 2021 (change December 30, 2021 | 23:29)
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