WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden had his first phone call with Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, expressing concern about the arrest of opposition figure Alexei Navalny, while pressing the Russian president about his country’s involvement in a massive cyber-espionage campaign and bounties on U.S. troops in Afghanistan, two senior officials said.
Biden has tried to make a sharp break from the warm rhetoric that his predecessor, Donald Trump, often displayed towards Putin. But the new president also tried to keep room for diplomacy, telling the Russian leader that the two nations should finalize a five-year extension of an arms-control treaty before it expires early next month, officials familiar with the call said. but not authorized to discuss it in public.
Unlike his immediate predecessors, Biden has no hope of a “reset” in relations with Russia, but instead indicates that he wants to manage disagreements with the former enemy of the Cold War without necessarily resolving them or cutting ties. improve. And with a tough domestic agenda and impending decisions about Iran and China, a direct confrontation with Russia is not something he’s looking for.
Moscow reached out last week to request the call, officials said. Biden agreed, but wanted to prepare with his staff first and speak to European allies, including the leaders of Britain, France and Germany.
And on Tuesday, ahead of his call with Putin, Biden spoke with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, pledging the United States’ commitment to the decades-old alliance established as a bulwark against Russian aggression.
Biden told Putin that his government was reviewing SolarWinds’ breakthrough and press charges that Russia offered Taliban bounties to kill US troops in Afghanistan. Biden said the United States is ready to defend itself and will take action, which may include further sanctions, to ensure Moscow does not act with impunity, officials said.
A reading of the Kremlin’s call was not immediately available.
The call came as Putin reflects on the aftermath of pro-Navalny protests that took place in more than 100 Russian cities this weekend. Biden’s team has already reacted vigorously to the crackdown on the protests, in which more than 3,700 people were arrested across Russia, including more than 1,400 in Moscow. More protests are planned this weekend.
Navalny, an anti-corruption campaigner and Putin’s harshest critic, was arrested January 17 as he returned to Russia from Germany, where he had recovered nearly five months from a nerve poisoning he blames on the Kremlin. Biden has previously condemned the use of chemical weapons.
Russian authorities deny the charges.
Trump had long been enamored with Putin and sought his approval, regularly raising doubts about Russia’s interference in the 2016 elections, including when he stood alongside Putin at their 2018 summit in Helsinki. He also downplayed Russia’s involvement in the hack of federal government agencies last year and allegations that Russia offered the Taliban bounties.
Despite this conciliatory approach, his government took a hardline against Moscow, imposing sanctions on the country, Russian companies and business leaders on issues ranging from Ukraine to energy supplies and attacks on dissidents.
Biden, in his appeal with Putin, broke sharply with Trump by stating that he knew Russia was trying to interfere in both the 2016 and 2020 elections. But he also stressed the need to launch New START, the last remaining US-arms control treaty. Russia, which expires in early February. US officials have expressed confidence in reaching a deal that would provide transparency in each country’s nuclear arsenal.
Biden told reporters on Monday that he hoped the US and Russia could work together in areas where both see benefits.
“I find that we can operate in the mutual self-interest of our countries as well as a New START agreement and make it clear to Russia that we are deeply concerned about their behavior, be it Navalny, whether it is SolarWinds or bounty reports. in the lead. of Americans in Afghanistan, ”Biden said.
Biden’s approach has gained the approval of some former US diplomats who have dealt with Russia and are looking forward to seeing how Biden’s team, including national security adviser Jake Sullivan and his nominee to be No. 3 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Victoria Nuland, outlines the contours of Russia’s policy.
Nuland, who held the Europe portfolio at the State Department during President Barack Obama’s second term, is particularly taunted by Putin and his aides for her support of pro-Western politicians in Ukraine. She and Sullivan would share their views on how to deal with Moscow, crack down on Russia’s human rights and intentions in Eastern and Central Europe, while keeping an open channel to the Kremlin on other matters.
But their starting position is complicated, they say, especially given Putin’s experience dealing with Trump, who often undermines his own administration’s aggressive stance on Russia by trying to deal privately with the Russian leader. Trump was also often ill-prepared for calls from foreign leaders, ignored warnings from staff, restricted those who could listen to the calls, and, especially after calls with Putin, told very few aides what was being discussed.
“It’s hard, but it’s doable,” said Daniel Fried, a US ambassador to Poland and deputy secretary of state for European affairs in the George W. Bush administration. “They will have to figure this out on the spot, but it’s important to pursue New START without hesitation and to push back the arrest of Navalny and other issues without guilt.”
“They should do both and not let Putin tell you he won’t accept a new START unless they drop Navalny, SolarWinds or Afghanistan,” said Fried, who is now a member of the Atlantic Council. “You have to push back and you can’t let Putin set the terms.”