At the height of the tension, Russia and the US have no ambassadors
The latest political moves by the Biden administration have meant that the tension between the United States and Russia is skyrocketing. Now, in the midst of complex relations, the two countries will have no ambassadors in each other's capitals, making diplomatic communications even more difficult.
US Ambassador to Russia, John Sullivan, announced Tuesday that he will return to Washington for "consultations". His announcement came after the Russian foreign minister suggested that Sullivan return to the US for the time being in response to new US sanctions against Moscow and the White House decision to expel 10 Russian diplomats.
Last month, Russia recalled its ambassador to the United States after President Biden agreed in an interview that Russian President Vladimir Putin is a "killer" who has no "soul".
After his comments, Biden phoned Putin and proposed an in-person meeting, which US and Russian officials are discussing arranging.
Despite the call, the United States has since taken a wide range of sanctions against Russian officials and entities and expelled Russian diplomats. Moscow responded by expelling US diplomats and releasing a list of current and former officials who have been barred from entering Russia.
New: Russia adds eight Americans to no-entry list.
– AG Merrick Garland
– FBI Director Chris Wray
– DNI Avril Haines
– DHS Sec. Ali Mayorkas
– Bureau of Prisons Director Michael Carvajal
– John Bolton
– Susan Rice
– Former CIA Director R. James Woolsey Jr. https://t.co/aL4mNKtjGQ– Zach Basu (@zacharybasu) April 16, 2021
In addition to rhetoric and sanctions, the United States also expressed its "unwavering" support for Ukraine amid tensions with Russia. The Biden administration claims the presence of Russian troops near the Ukrainian border, arguing that this is the largest Russian military buildup since 2014.
On Monday, the EU said Russia had sent over 150,000 troops near the Ukrainian border, but had to correct the number and later said it was over 100,000. But it is not yet clear how this number was determined. Zelensky has invited Putin to a direct meeting in the Donbass, but for now, even this invitation has not evolved.
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The article At the height of tension, Russia and the US have no ambassadors comes from ScenariEconomici.it .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/nel-mezzo-della-tesione-russia-ed-usa-non-hanno-ambasciatori/ on Thu, 22 Apr 2021 07:00:25 +0000.