Russia's Lavrov blames Barack Obama for sour ties between Washington and Moscow

On Wednesday, January 18, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held a press conference to highlight the key foreign policy achievements of the country over the past year. The event, which happens annually, is an opportunity for the experienced diplomat to review the "main foreign policy results" as described by his spokesperson. During the press conference, Lavrov blamed former US president Barack Obama for the beginning of a diplomatic row between Russia and US. Lavrov believes that the row started when US removed 35 Russian diplomats, after reports emerged that Russia interfered in the US elections.

It is not clear if Russia did actually intervene in the US elections as many Americans themselves don't believe that Russia intervened in the US elections. These Americans have conjured up a new moniker to refer to the whole controversy - "Russia hoax". From the Russian perspective, the decision to remove Russian diplomats appeared like an attempt to drag Russia into a domestic political debate. Russia believed it was being blamed unfairly. In Lavrov's assessment, that is the moment when the bilateral relationship went downhill.

Moscow says US refused to talk about strategic stability 

In the press conference, Russia's Foreign Minister Lavrov continued by stating that the United States had ended negotiations with Russia regarding strategic dialogue. He added that the relationship between the two countries will not be the same as before. The two sides were scheduled to meet in Cairo in November to discuss restarting inspections under the New START treaty for reducing nuclear arms, but the meeting was cancelled at the last moment. Moscow accused the US of refusing to talk about a broader topic of "strategic stability" between the two largest nuclear powers in the world.

During the press conference, Lavrov stated that the United States is unable to confront both Russia and China alone, and thus must "fully mobilise the West" to do so. He also warned that Moscow would have to take unspecified actions on its border if Finland joins the NATO military alliance. Currently, Finland and Sweden are in advanced talks to join the bloc. Any action by Russians on the Finnish border will be viewed as an escalation by the West, in response to which, the West will most likely take counter measures. The risk is that this will start a new escalatory ladder. Absence of talks on the new START treaty is extremely concerning as nuclear equilibrium between US and Russia is crucial for global stability. 

What is the new START treaty?

New START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) is a nuclear arms reduction treaty between the United States and Russia. It was signed on April 8, 2010 and entered into force on February 5, 2011. The treaty limits the number of strategic nuclear warheads each country can deploy to 1,550, the lowest level in decades. The treaty also establishes a system of inspections and verifications to ensure compliance with the treaty's limits. The treaty has a duration of 10 years and could be extended by mutual agreement of both parties. The treaty is considered as an important step to reduce the risk of nuclear war between the two countries and to promote strategic stability.