The president must also abandon the fundamentally flawed assumption that Russia is an “economy that has nuclear weapons and oil wells and nothing else. Even more important than this realization is the simple fact that Russia’s strategic worldview and national interests are not going to go away simply because Putin is no longer in office. The recent constitutional reforms ensure that the president could stay in office through 2036. Washington must also understand that Putin is not going anywhere in the near term. As a result, Moscow’s undertaken aggressive, even reckless (in the view of the West) actions: A munitions’ depot explosion in 2014 in the Czech Republic, the 2015 poisoning of a Bulgarian arms dealer, an attempted coup in Montenegro in 2016, interference in the 2016 Brexit vote and American elections and more. If Russia believes the West is at war with it, then all options are on the table.
The end goal of this strategy, in Moscow’s view, is the destabilization of the Putin regime and the defeat of Russia.
The “Color Revolutions” of the 2010s, the West’s support of democratic movements within Russia and its backing of Ukraine are seen by Moscow as part of a Western hybrid warfare strategy. This is not idle speculation but is fundamentally informing Moscow’s actions. The White House needs to first recognize that Russia believes that the West is at war with Moscow. The interim national security strategy notes as much: “ Russia remains determined to enhance its global influence and play a disruptive role on the world stage.” Moscow will retain the ability to be a disruptive actor in Europe and further abroad, particularly if it feels doing so will be to its strategic advantage. Doing so is as dangerous as getting its Russia policy wrong in the first place. Yet, the White House cannot simply ignore Russia in favor of an all-China strategy. The administration is pivoting its policy energy toward strategic competition with China and refocusing on the Indo-Pacific. offering million reward to bring Colonial Pipeline hackers to justice The US and NATO must counter Russia's dominance in the Black Sea Top cyber official reports 'decrease' in Russian cyberattacks against US groups MORE, it has yet to issue a formal strategy toward Moscow. A smart strategy toward Russia must be based on reality, not hyperbole or erroneous assumptions.
While the Biden administration has taken steps to manage the Russia question including sanctions in response to spying and electoral interference, agreeing to an extension of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) and holding a bilateral summit with President Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin State Dept.
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