The Parlamentskaya Gazeta paper has hosted a round-table conference to discuss prospects and challenges of Russian-US relations. The talks were attended by Veronika Krasheninnikova, a member of the Russian Public Chamber and Director General of the Institute for Foreign Political Studies and Initiatives, Candidate of Political Sciences Alexander Bedritsky, deputy head of the Center for Euro-Atlantic Studies, and Alexey Pilko, a senior scientist of the History Faculty of the MSU named after M.V. Lomonosov.
Krasheninnikova believes that complications in relations of the two states are multi-layered. The situation around Snowden was only the beginning of US grievances against Russia, which include the issues of Syria and Pussy Riot. The expert reminded how Biden had predicted problems for Russia with the third term of Vladimir Putin’s presidency. Russia can rely on the support of China and most countries of the world. China views Russia as sort of a buffer, she noted.
She reminded that the US was leaving Afghanistan. The US has not left Germany or Japan in the past 68 years. Commenting on Syria, Krasheninnikova noted that the US had no honourable goals in the crisis-struck republic. The goal was not democracy, but introduction of leaders loyal to the US.
Bedritsky urged attendees of the conference to avoid dramatization of Russian-US relations. The problem of Snowden will be overcome. The two states have both issues of debate and peaceful talks, such as Afghanistan and nuclear non-proliferation. Bedritsky said that Syria was a topic of disagreements. He predicts that Russia will keep its position on Syria and Iran soft. He does not expect the meeting of Putin and Obama in September to result in any changes.
Pilko noted that the Middle East had a totally new situation. There would have been military intervention if it were the 1990s now, he assumes. The expert blames the US for the rise of the Shiite government in Iraq and the strengthening of Iran. A Shiite axis was formed by Lebanon, Syria, Iran and Iraq. Pilko said that Russia implemented the correct policy on Syria, compared with that on Libya.
