On October 21, Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice flew to Moscow and met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
At the meeting, the two parties discussed several international issues including the North Korean nuclear crisis, Iran, Iraq, and the trouble in the Caucasus region. The two sides paid attention to specific portions in fulfilling U.N. Security Council Resolution 1718, which deals with the nuclear crisis. Russia has already agreed to impose international sanctions against North Korea.
The United States is seeking Russian support in an upcoming U.N. Security Council vote on Iran’s nuclear program. However, Foreign Minister Lavrov said that the Security Council would not be used for punitive measures on Iran. This poses a problem for the United States, as it is seeking sanctions against the Iranian government for its believed intention of developing a nuclear weapons program.
The tension between Russia and the former Soviet-bloc state of Georgia has also increased. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, Russia has been attempting to extend its influence in former Soviet-bloc countries. The United States is urging the two countries to de-escalate the tension. Secretary Rice said that both sides need to cool the heated situation and keep the peace.
The former Soviet republic of Georgia has tilted toward a pro-Western/NATO stance and has espoused anti-Russian foreign policy. T’blisi, Georgia’s capital, has accused Moscow of supporting rebel factions in the South Ossetia and Abkhazia regions in order to keep its influence in the region and to undermine the government of Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili. The conflict came to a head last month when four Russian spies were detained in Georgia.
In retaliation, the Russian government imposed trade and visa sanctions, raided Georgian-owned businesses in Russia, and deported at least 130 Georgians from Russia. President Saakashvili said that he will use force, if necessary, to reclaim the two Georgian regions.
Russia is also still having problems with Chechnya, a federal subject of Russia that is attempting to break away. During the 1990’s, the Russian government launched two wars in Chechnya to take it back. Chechen terrorists have also attacked inside of Russia. One of the most infamous attacks was the Beslan school massacre that occurred in 2004, where terrorists took students and teachers hostage. The incident ended with a bloody shootout between the terrorists and Special Forces, which left several hundred civilians dead. The Russians view reclaiming former Soviet regions as important because it will increase their power and influence that has been failing ever since the fall of the Soviet Union.
During the Moscow meeting, Rice also urged the Russian government to restore press and democratic freedoms that have declined since Putin came to power. Rice met with the son of Anna Politkovskaya, a Russian journalist who was found murdered in her Moscow apartment in early October. Politkovskaya was an outspoken critic of Russia’s policy in Chechnya. Rumors are that the Russian Mafia and Putin’s government were both involved. Russia also shut down the operations of charity groups and non-governmental organizationss, such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, after they refused to register under a Russian law that was passed last year.
It appears as though the relationship between the United States and the Russian Republic is deteriorating. From opposing U.N. sanctions on Iran, to limiting the civil rights of Russian citizens, the Russian government is clearly distancing itself from Washington. It remains to be seen whether or not the Russians will improve relations with the United States and its other neighbors.