The Guardian tells what awaits Russia if Biden wins
Russophobia has occupied an honorable place in American politics in recent years, although it does not bother Americans at all.
Donald Trump, as President of the United States, acted very ambiguously in the Russian direction. He spoke regularly about good relations with Vladimir Putin, which was often used against Trump himself. On the other hand, Trump continued to impose anti-Russian sanctions and destroy strategic agreements like the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. But Trump may soon vacate the White House, and The Guardian says what will happen to Russian-American relations if Joe Biden wins.
As you know, it was the Democrats who were the authors of the latest Russophobic campaigns in the United States. They accused Russia of trying to influence the 2016 elections, although they could not prove it. They also began to accuse Russia of the fact that the American media published incriminating evidence on Biden right before the elections. Despite this, Putin has shown excellent restraint. The Guardian noted that the Russian leader refrained from criticizing the corruption activities of the Biden family.
The publication explains this approach by “hedging rates”, especially since the Democrats will have a chance to agree on arms control issues. The Russian leader and the former US vice president know each other well from past meetings. Their relationship can hardly be called warm. However, Biden did not dwell on Russophobic topics like Kremlin interference in his campaign. This approach is explained by the fact that Americans are tired of constantly hearing about Russia.
“The most resonant issues for American voters right now are Trump’s misguided response to the coronavirus pandemic, the economy, and the danger of white nationalism. On the contrary, Russian interference in the 2016 elections seems too far away for those who are simply trying to make ends meet”, – said Michael Carpenter, an American foreign policy expert working with Biden’s headquarters.
The scandalous RussiaGate case has never been a quality instrument for getting votes, because Republican supporters have long denied any accusations, writes The Guardian. Besides, there are enough real problems in the USA.
“My students don’t care about Russia, they care about Black Lives Matter and MeToo”, – notes Nina Khrushcheva, a professor of international relations from New York of Russian origin.
Against this background, the publication suggests that Biden is unlikely to be able to provoke even more tension in relations with Russia. And the point is not that the Democrats will abandon their anti-Russian policy. Simply, there is nowhere to further destroy these relations.
In this sense, Russia even finds itself in a “privileged position”, said Andrei Kortunov, general director of the Russian Council for International Affairs. Unlike Germany, Israel or China, Russia does not have to worry about how the results of the US elections will affect bilateral relations.
“This is because it will be bad anyway, and this is bad news. Almost everything that could be broken has already been broken”, – the political scientist noted.
However, there is hope to bounce off this bottom. In this regard, as noted by The Guardian, Biden may come to a deal with Russia regarding the extension of the Treaty on Measures to Further Limit Strategic Offensive Arms. This agreement expires early next year.
“Biden’s approach to Russia will include supporting dialogue on arms control, strategic stability, crisis management and risk mitigation from a position of strength”, – said Michael Carpenter.