Putin And Biden Signal Chilly Relations To Come

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Russian President Vladimir Putin, photographed at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow in 2017, has seen U.S. relations reach their lowest point since the Cold War. By waiting over a month to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden, Putin tried to show strength and that «he’s ready to take the fight all the way to Washington, Russian political commentator Konstantin Eggert says.

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Then-Vice President Joe Biden shakes hands with then-Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in Moscow, March 10, 2011. Biden has said he once told Putin he looked into his eyes and didn’t see a soul.

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President-elect Joe Biden listens as his Secretary of State nominee Tony Blinken speaks at The Queen theater, Tuesday, Nov. 24, in Wilmington, Del. Analysts expect Blinken to help bring back a sense of normalcy within the U.S. administration and in its day-to-day dealings with Moscow.

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President-elect Joe Biden listens as his Secretary of State nominee Tony Blinken speaks at The Queen theater, Tuesday, Nov. 24, in Wilmington, Del. Analysts expect Blinken to help bring back a sense of normalcy within the U.S. administration and in its day-to-day dealings with Moscow.

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How U.S. foreign policy is implemented will likely fall to Antony Blinken, Obama’s deputy secretary of state and deputy national security adviser, whom Biden has nominated as his secretary of state.

Stent says Blinken, who has worked closely with Biden, would bring back a sense of normalcy both within the U.S. administration and in its day-to-day dealings with Moscow.

«I think one could see a desire to, first of all, have a more coherent policy toward Russia — unlike the Trump administration, where the president himself had his own policy of trying to improve ties and the rest of the executive branch were much tougher, she says. Diplomatic channels that «atrophied in the Trump State Department are likely to be reestablished, says Stent.

In Moscow, Blinken is not expected to revive the close working relationship that Obama’s second secretary of state, John Kerry, developed with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Eggert says that while the Kremlin viewed Kerry as weak and naïve, Blinken is preceded by a much tougher reputation in Russia.

«Maybe he will be quite an unpleasant interlocutor for Lavrov, which may not be bad because the Russian political class only respects force and strength, Eggert says.

But if Blinken represents Biden’s strength toward Russia, the president-elect’s son, Hunter, could become a liability.

Hunter Biden is currently under a federal tax investigation. He also sat on the board of a Ukrainian energy company while his father was responsible for Ukraine as vice president.

«Putin will use his online trolls and disinformation to use this story to weaken Biden, Eggert says. «But on the other hand, if he feels that the current administration is prepared to talk to him, I think he will not overstep a certain limit.

For now, Putin is watching and waiting as the new administration prepares to take office. His public remarks about Biden have been restrained, just like his congratulations to the president-elect.

In fact, there is a certain amount of glee in the Kremlin about the results of the U.S. presidential election, says Belkovsky.

«Putin is very happy about the chaos in the U.S. political system and in tallying up the votes. The Kremlin believes that America no longer has the moral right to criticize Russia’s electoral system, he says.

What’s important for Putin, Belkovsky says, is that political theater in the United States has discredited American democracy in the eyes of the world.