After the meeting between US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin of the armed conflict in Ukraine, there will most likely not be a harsh reaction to possible provocations, said political strategist Marat Bashirov. In a conversation with Lenta.ru, he added that Biden does not control the entire US administration, and Russia needs to take this into account.
According to a White House report, Biden voiced US and European concerns to Putin about a buildup of Russian military forces near Ukraine's borders. He made it clear that in the event of a military escalation, the allies will respond with “decisive economic sanctions” and other measures. The result of this part of the conversation was the agreement of the presidents to continue the dialogue on the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine.
Positive dynamics
Bashirov called the conversation of the heads of state extremely informative. He also drew attention to the fact that the presidents greeted each other benevolently, there was no aggression or tension between them, which suggests that they at least tried to understand the situation.
“From our point of view, what is happening in Ukraine is an artificially created situation, where provocations could really entail retaliatory actions from Russia. Putin also said that an extremely important topic for our country is the issue of security, the approach of NATO weapons to our borders and the risks that arise from this. We say that we will react to such actions, but we will not create threats. True, it is not very clear how much Biden heard Putin in this regard, ”the political strategist noted.
Despite some understatement on this issue, Bashirov believes that the instructions to the working groups to study this issue are recorded by both parties. Exact conclusions about how productive work in this direction will be can be made based on the dynamics of events on the borders of Ukraine and Belarus.
“It seems to me that in any case there will be no armed clash. Even if now someone provokes someone, someone kills someone on these two lines of demarcation, this will not lead to such a harsh response, which is very important. The day before yesterday this might have been expected. And after yesterday's conversation, it’s gone, ”the political scientist is sure.
Nevertheless, according to the political strategist, it must be borne in mind that Biden does not control everything. Even within his administration, there are forces that would like to use his rather lenient control. The states are run by many different forces, for which Biden is not as tough as a leader and authority like Putin.
“We are more and more integral, but there is a real struggle. We saw this even from the fact that at yesterday's meeting, Biden was sitting in the presence of four or five people who were saying something to him. And Putin was sitting alone. In the United States, the situation is more complicated in terms of governance, ”Bashirov said.
The Russian leader contacted the American president from his residence in Sochi. Putin arrived there from New Delhi, where he was on a visit. The presidents' current contact is the fifth since Biden took office.
