The summit of the Russian and US presidents, which lasted less than 4 hours, ended better than many predicted. A joint communique on strategic stability was signed, and the ambassadors of both countries are returning in the coming days to work on bilateral relations. Furthermore, in the next six months, the Russian Foreign Ministry and the US Department of State should find a compromise on returning prisoners from jails, and an expert group will gather to discuss cybersecurity issues. Both Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden noted the positive tone of the talks. Both leaders hope that practical results of the meeting will be seen in the coming months, Izvestia writes.
Expert of the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) Alexander Yermakov told Vedomosti that Russia was able to make the US confirm the principles enshrined in a declaration between former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and US President Ronald Reagan on the impossibility of a nuclear war, adopted in 1985 in Geneva. Earlier, under the Trump administration, Washington avoided reaffirming this declaration. As for the comprehensive dialogue mentioned in the joint statement, the expert believes that this concerns the future that will come after New START’s expiration in 2026. It is early now to speak about what the new arms control treaty will look like. According to the expert, the only thing that can be said right now for sure is that the US is definitely trying to involve China in this treaty, while Russia wants France and the United Kingdom to participate. The bilateral New START could be replaced by a multilateral format.
Director of the Center for Applied Research of the Institute of US and Canada at the Russian Academy of Sciences Pavel Sharikov notes that the summit is valuable only by the fact that it was held rather than any particular achievements. “The most important is the course towards establishing contacts and dialogue,” the expert said. Certain steps were made for building dialogue, namely returning envoys. However, the summit is not expected to lead to a reset and improving ties, the expert said. The outcome of the summit will be most likely the discussion on the accrued problems between Russia and the US. Cybersecurity dialogue is now possible in the format of consultations as part of the foreign policy agencies, Sharikov said. This idea was put forward by ex-president Donald Trump at the Helsinki summit in 2018, but it was not fulfilled then. Now the situation has changed, and the reason for this is Biden’s more stable position in the domestic political arena. “It’s easier for Biden now to come to terms with Congress,” the expert explained.
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