Can the U.S.and Russia Bury the Bones Of Contention?

By Han Lu

Even before U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken sought to explore possible areas of cooperation with his Russian counterpart， Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov， in Iceland on the sidelines of the Arctic Council ministerial meeting on May 20， a lot of damage had already been done to the traditionally fragile bilateral relationship. As recently as in April， Lavrov said in a state television interview that Russias relations with the U.S. are now even worse than during Cold War times because of a lack of mutual respect.

He was echoed by Dmitry Medvedev， Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council， who said， “During the recent years， the relations between Russia and the U.S. have actually moved from rivalry to confrontation. In fact， they have returned to the era of the Cold War.”

Tensions between the two countries intensified recently over several issues. They included the U.S. reaction to the RussiaUkraine standoff， with Blinken saying in early May that the U.S. could increase security assistance to Ukraine in response to the increasing Russian military deployments near the Ukrainian border.

Another bone of contention is the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project that would deliver natural gas directly to Germany from Russia through the Baltic Sea， with the U.S. branding it a “Russian geopolitical project” to divide Europe and weaken its energy security. In March， Blinken even threatened to sanction the companies involved in the project. In addition， accusations of espionage and assassination bids against Russia and military exercises have seen tensions escalate in the recent months.

The U.S. action

U.S. President Joe Biden sees Russia as a major “spoiler” that seeks to “thwart the Wests plans” with its every move. In keeping with the traditions of his Democratic Party， Biden professes that reviving “democracy” worldwide is key to U.S. national security. He has called Russia the enemy of democracy and the United States greatest competitor.

During his first 100 days as president， Biden called for the release of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny， who was jailed in February for an earlier fraud case after the authorities accused him of violating probation conditions. In March， a new report issued by the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence alleged extensive interference by Russia in the 2016 and 2020 U.S. elections. Supposedly in retaliation to the interference， the Biden administration expelled 10 Russian diplomats and announced broad sanctions against Russian officials and entities. And now it has talked of providing both military and economic support for Ukraine.