Sergey Markov: “Solutions to problems are found within direct Russian-American contacts"

The mass media has reported, citing the US Secretary of State, that John Kerry intends to visit Russia and conduct negotiations. Kerry plans to visit Moscow next week and meet the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and President Vladimir Putin. The Director of the Institute of Political Studies, Sergey Markov, told Vestnik Kavkaza about the current stage of Russian-American relations.

-       Has the agenda of Russian-American relations changed in recent times?

-       I believe the agenda is changing quickly. Ukraine is leaving the central focus. Today the Americans are controlling the Kiev leadership completely, but they don’t know what to do with it. Joe Biden, the real manager of Ukraine in America, made a very obscure speech in Ukraine, speaking about some reforms. What reforms can there be in a destroyed country? Due to the sharp deficit of resources, Biden didn’t promise money, urging to follow the Minsk Agreements, but he did it in a strange interpretation – he said it was necessary to make Russia fulfill the Minsk Agreements. Then he chanted the praises of federalization, urging to look up to America in the formation of the political system. Of course it would be nice, but it is an absolutely inadequate approach, as we cannot even dream about such a form of federalization in Ukraine, as that which is presented in the American political system. It would be great to achieve the German model at least. It is well-known that pro-American politicians don’t want to talk about a minimal form of federalization. The Americans are entrapped in the Ukrainian crisis. They don’t speak about anything, except the necessary consolidation of the pro-American regime. So the issue is paling into insignificance.

-       Today trilateral consultations between representatives of Russia, the USA and the UN on Syria will be held in Geneva. Is it possible that Moscow and Washington will find common grounds on Syria?

-       The Syrian issue is coming more and more to the fore. The terrorist attacks in Paris were prepared from the territory of Syria and Iraq. And the Syrian issue turned out to be burdened with the intervention of Turkey on the side of ISIS and al-Qaeda, primarily the al-Nusra Front.

Washington is concerned about the possibility of unpredictable scenarios in the conflict. I think the Americans supported the shooting-down of the Russian aircraft by Turkey, but not over the territory of Syria, over the territory of Turkey. The Americans didn’t expect that the aircraft to be shot down over Syrian territory.

In reply, Russia completely disclosed facts about cooperation between Turkey and al-Nusra and with ISIS on selling armaments. It placed the American authorities in a difficult position, as the American media and opponents of the current administration heavily criticize Barack Obama for allowing various political forces to help ISIS, hinting at the Turkish leadership. Al-Qaeda is represented in Turkey by al-Nusra. And the Syrian issue makes Russia and the USA objectively cooperate with each other.

-       In what directions is cooperation possible?

-       I think the sides will be engaged in the most pressing problems. Now this is the creation of a list of organizations that can be considered as terrorist, and those organizations that cannot be considered as terrorist. I do not know if a compromise is possible or not, but the fact is that they will do this for sure.

In addition, they will discuss the Turkish border through which the volunteers and money for terrorists are flowing in a massive manner, they have an opportunity to have medical care and go to Europe and arrange the attacks there.

And the third problem, which I think they will discuss, is possible talks with Bashar al-Assad, the establishment of indirect cooperation between the US administration and the Damascus authorities and so on. By the way, de facto, this has been already carried out.

-       Is the format of direct Russian-American contacts effective?

-       Of course it is. Within the framework of direct Russian-American contacts, among other things, we were able to solve a lot of problems. In particular, the interaction between the pilots of the US and Russia, resulting in no conflicts between them. However, Putin pointed out that the Russians informed the Americans about their flights, the Americans handed the information to the Turks, and the Turks used it to shoot down the Russian aircraft. So there are problems.

The brightest example of the effectiveness of the cooperation is that, as a result of the meetings between Lavrov and Kerry, and Putin and Obama, Barack Obama dismissed Evelyn Farkas, who used to be responsible in the Pentagon for Ukraine. Obama dismissed her a couple of hours after the meeting with Putin. It seems Putin showed Obama that the Pentagon deliberately misinformed him about the developments in Ukraine. After that, Barack Obama ordered to make Kiev start withdrawal of armaments. It seemed before this, that the Pentagon covered Poroshenko before Obama’s eyes. The problem was solved during the talks. And it was an important problem.