CNN: the West has an opportunity to put Putin in his place
Photo: kremlin.ru
On January 12, NATO and Russian representatives will meet in Brussels. In particular, they will discuss the alleged concentration of Russian troops on the border with Ukraine. And on January 10, Russian and US diplomats will meet in Geneva.
Meanwhile, officials from the states that are the most active and oldest members of NATO believe that the upcoming meeting will allow the alliance to convey to Moscow that if it does increase tensions in the Ukrainian direction, it will face “ serious economic consequences. '' Tools similar to those used in 2014 will be used. These measures will represent tough economic sanctions, as well as an even greater NATO presence on Russia's borders.
As CNN writes after & nbsp; conversations with officials and experts, the West is now much less afraid of Russia than it used to be. At the same time, now the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, has formed the image of a strong leader who should be feared. Nevertheless & nbsp; the author of the analytical material believes that the reason for the “ growing aggression '' The head of Russia was partially reduced by the reduction of his opportunities and influence in other spheres.
Russia has been hit by the coronavirus pandemic and the future of its hydrocarbon-based economy “looks bleak,” according to analyst Pasi Eronen. It is & nbsp; the presence of this alleged economic weakness is the factor influencing which the West could force Putin to act.
As the famous financier Bill Browder said, the main thing is & ndash; correctly coordinate economic sanctions against Putin and Russian business. As a result, this would allow very quickly “ cornered '' Russian leader.
And if all NATO member states act in concert, then at a critical moment this may serve as the most decisive signal, writes Inosmi.
According to Richard Connolly, a junior research fellow at the Royal Institute for Defense Research, it is possible to increase the punishment for Russian companies for doing business either by restricting access to capital, as well as by restricting access to technology. All of this could have a greater impact on the Russian economy and on Putin's inner circle. And the introduction of secondary sanctions against those who trade with Russia in the field of energy, weapons & nbsp; or strategic goods could cause the same damage as the secondary sanctions inflicted on Iran.
And also, according to the ex-Minister of Defense of Lithuania Races Yuknevičienė, the time has come to accelerate the process of Ukraine's accession to NATO.
In addition, CNN recalls that Putin is now trying to overcome several foreign policy crises that arose after the transfer of Russian troops to Kazakhstan to quell the riots.
As a result, CNN notes that if the West wants to “ put Putin in his place '' ; then the unity of the countries must be inviolable.
Earlier, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that Washington intends to restore the work of the Russia-NATO Council on conditions that Moscow considers unacceptable. According to the diplomat, the United States plans to reinstate the NATO-Russia Council on an agenda that suits them, with an emphasis on the so-called de-escalation of “Russian aggression.” in Ukraine.
Prior to that, the first meeting between the Russian and American delegations in the format of a dinner took place in Geneva. Talking about the results of these “ preliminary '' consultations on security guarantees, Ryabkov clarified that the conversation was difficult, but businesslike. The main part of the talks is scheduled for Monday in a closed format on the territory of the US Permanent Mission to the UN Office in Geneva.