Biden: Russia has “nuclear weapons, oil and nothing else”

The mood was conservative when the Americans and Russians met today in Geneva. On paper, the meeting was about a nuclear deal, but it is also seen as a test of whether the icy relationship can thaw something.

Any hopes in that direction — or fears, depending on who you ask — got a thorn even before the meeting. The White House, on Tuesday evening, accused Russia of actually participating in the 2022 US congressional elections through misinformation.

– It is a clear violation of our sovereignty, Sad President Biden One at the speech in Washington.

Biden added that Putin “is sitting on an economy with nuclear weapons and oil but nothing else,” which received a sharp reaction from Moscow.

The United States can hardly be called a partner. It’s like a discount, Kremlin spokesman said Dmitriy Peskov.

Xi and Putin “best friends”

Today’s meeting in Geneva follows Biden’s meeting with Putin in June. that the United States Last week gave the green light For the controversial Russian-European gas pipeline Nord Stream 2, it has also been described as a settlement “olive oil” to Russia.

The move was met with criticism from Ukraine and Poland. At the same time, there is widespread US concern about deepening cooperation between Russia and China. “The best” Putin and Xi Jingping announced their friendship with each other, most recently last month.

The idea of ​​luring Russia away from China has been raised in American expert circles, but the rift between Russia and Western countries is very difficult, especially after Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014. Instead, Russia turned its eyes eastward, according to experts SVT spoke to.

“Easier in the East”

China as a good neighbor is always good for Russia, but many in Moscow do not believe that the relationship with the West can even be repaired, according to Andrei Baklitsky of Russia’s MGIMO University.

– Ideally, Russia wants to develop the relationship between the West and the East, but now it is much easier for the East.

Russia is not escaping from the fact that it still has a large part of its own, Europe, says Olia Oleker, European head of the Crisis Group think tank, but continues to develop its relations with China.

– There is room for her to grow and maybe do the same.