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Ten points of tension between Putin and Biden -Breaking

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© Reuters. FILEPHOTO: U.S. president Joe Biden makes a left turn as he heads for the airport, following his news conference with President Vladimir Putin of Russia, Geneva, Switzerland. June 16th, 2021. Peter Klaunzer/ Pool via REUTERS

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(Reuters.) – U.S. president Joe Biden and Russian president Vladimir Putin will talk by videolink on Tuesday. Their respective countries have had a long list of disputes since the June Geneva Summit. Here’s a quick summary.

UKRAINE AND POSSIBLE WESTERLY SANCTIONS

Russia has been warned by the United States that it could face severe consequences, including economic sanctions and high-impact financial penalties if it invades Ukraine. The United States claims more than 94,000 Russian soldiers have moved within its borders. Washington has called on Russia to return to the Minsk accords of 2014 and 2015. These agreements were meant to end the conflict between Ukrainian government forces, and Russian-backed separatists. The war has now gone on for seven more years.

RUSSIA CALLING FOR NATO SECURITY GUARANTEES

Russia asserts that its troop deployments are in response to NATO and Ukraine’s aggressive behavior, which includes U.S. strategic air bomber flights and maneuvers by warships in Black Sea. Russia demands legally binding security commitments from the West to ensure that NATO does not extend eastwards. This would stop Ukraine being a NATO member. According to the United States, no country has the right to veto Ukraine’s NATO ambitions.

BELARUS

Russia’s ally Belarus has been accused by the United States of “weaponizing” migrants from the Middle East. It encouraged thousands of people to attempt to reach the European Union via its territory. This created a crisis in the EU. Russia has supported Alexander Lukashenko as president of Belarus, sending warplanes capable of carrying nuclear weapons to monitor Belarusian airspace.

ENERGY

The United States stated that Russia should and could do more to reduce Europe’s dependence on oil and has warned the country not to use it as a political tool, in particular against Ukraine. Russia has imposed sanctions to punish Russian firms involved in Nord Stream 2 (a recently built pipeline beneath the Baltic Sea). Nord Stream 2 needs to be approved by a German regulator before Russia is allowed to pump gas through it. If the Ukraine crisis worsens, this could make Nord Stream 2 vulnerable.

EMBASSIES DISPUTE

Russia and the United States are reducing the size of their embassies each other in a series tit for tat maneuvers. On Dec. 2, Sergei Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister suggested that there was an area in which both countries could draw a line to reopen their relations and remove any restrictions on representation.

CYBERATTACKS

United States accuses Russian hackers of mounting attacks on U.S. companies, political parties and infrastructure. Russia has denied allowing or supporting cyberattacks. Biden discussed the matter with Putin on June 16th. Biden listed 16 key areas that should be “off limits” to cyberattacks. But, the sides haven’t publicly made any progress in this area since.

ARMS CONTROL

Biden’s election was quickly followed by a major agreement between the two nations that would limit the size of their nuclear strategic arsenals. They pledged to “lay the foundation for future arms control measures and risk reduction” in Geneva. Biden stated that it would take 6 months to 1 year to determine if a genuine strategic dialogue is possible. No signs have shown that progress has been made.

NAVALNY

Washington may reaffirm its concern about Russian human rights and has condemned the arrest of Alexei Navalny (Putin’s most famous political foe).

JAILED AMERICANS

American officials have repeatedly brought up the case of Paul Whelan and Trevor Reed, two ex-Marines who were detained in Russia for false charges.

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

Both countries disagree on many issues. This includes Syria where Russia intervened in military conflict in 2015 in order to help President Bashar Al Assad. However, U.S. Secretary Antony Blinken stated last week that there are still areas in which they can work together, despite the tensions. He also mentioned the international efforts to block Iran’s acquisition of nuclear weapons.

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