Tit-for-tat diplomatic measures threaten US-Russia relations

NATO, EU expansions spark friction with Russia

The US decision to close Russia’s consulate in San Francisco and buildings in Washington and New York was the latest tit-for-tat measures between the two countries and there is no sign of improved bilateral ties in short term since Russia is expected to take countermeasures, Chinese experts said.

The US ordered Russia to close its consulate in San Francisco and buildings in Washington and New York that house trade missions, the US State Department said on Thursday, in retaliation for Moscow cutting US diplomatic presence in Russia.

Last month, Moscow ordered the US to cut its diplomatic and technical staff in Russia by more than half, to 455 people, to match the number of Russian diplomats in the US, after US Congress overwhelmingly approved new sanctions against Russia. The sanctions were imposed in response to alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election and to punish Russia further for its 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.

“It seems irrational that the US and Russia are cutting each other’s diplomatic and technical staff to vent their spleen. But this is a repeat of previous contradictions and may get worse in the near future,” said Wang Haiyun, an expert at the Beijingbased China International Institute for Strategic Society.

“We believe this decision was unwarranted and detrimental to overall ties between our countries,” State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said on Thursday, adding that the US had completed the reduction.

“In the spirit of parity invoked by the Russians,” Nauert said, the US has required the Russian government to close its San Francisco consulate and two annexes in Washington, DC and New York by Saturday.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson informed Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov of the closures in a phone call on Thursday. The two men plan to meet on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September, the official said.

Lavrov expressed regrets over Washington’s decision during the phone call with Tillerson, his ministry said.

“Moscow will closely study the new measures announced by the Americans, after which our reaction will be conveyed,” the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.

“Russia and the US have many disputes. The expansions of NATO and the EU to the east have encroached on Russia’s interests, which has led to friction between Russia and the two organizations … other disputes between Russia and the US are global in nature, including Syria and Crimea,” Wu Enyuan, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.

Despite US President Donald Trump’s willingness to improve ties with Russia, he could not erase the conflicts of interest between the two countries, Wu said.

Trump came into office wanting to improve relations with Russia, a desire that was hamstrung by election interference allegations. The new sanctions passed by the Congress conflicted with Trump’s goals, but he grudgingly signed them into law this month.

“Russia, which wants to benefit by striking a balance between the West and Eastern countries, would not be accepted by the US … The future of Russia’s diplomacy depends on its political and economic stability and prosperity, which it should work on, and it should pay more attention to Asia,” Li Haidong, a professor at China Foreign Affairs University’s Institute of International Relations, told the Global Times on Friday.

The latest US move caps eight months of back-and-forth retaliatory measures between the two countries spanning two US administrations. In December, the Obama administration closed two Russian countryside vacation retreats.

The Trump administration on Thursday ordered the closure of Russia’s consulate in San Francisco and two other facilities, which is a clear move of retaliation.

In July, Russia had ordered the US to remove 775 people from its diplomatic facilities in Russia. The game of sanctions and retaliations between Russia and the US has continued, despite the change in US president. However, they have also maintained such exchanges to a manageable level.

The latest move by the White House also shows that it wants to clear itself from previous accusations of collusion with Russia. US media have enthusiastically speculated on Russia interfering with US elections, defaming Hillary Clinton to give Trump a boost. Trump in return said Democrats had conspired with Russians, and this time proved he is tough on Russia.

However, the rift between Russia and the US has not become wider, neither will it be closer. They are just moving on their respective tracks. Russia had attempted many times to fit itself on the same track as the West, but in vain. The situation since the end of the Cold War once again proved that Russia could only move on its own route, as it is excluded by the Western model.

There are religious factors for the West’s rejection of Russia, and the sheer size of Russia and its deep-seated culture inevitably create fear in the West of being changed by it rather than changing it. The US refuses to give Russia the dignity in its conception of Europe and the world, while Russia also won’t become a follower of the West. The West could only homogenize Russia if the country is split, and Russia may be able to “incorporate” countries on the fringe if the West becomes in-compact.

The abundant supply of commodities in Russia’s shops demonstrates the futility of sanctions. For an expansive country that is not completely incorporated in the global industrial chain, sanctions seem no more than a political stance.

Some US media have tried to create the impression that Russia caused the problems in the US. However, the truth is the political decline and split in public opinion in the US makes Russia look stronger.

Another truth is that Western civilization has not found a way to coexist with other cultures. However, the rift between the US and Russia can no longer attract much attention. As US influence declines, their rift has been reduced to merely one of the problems in a multi-polar world. Even some European countries no longer keep exactly in step with the US.

China and other emerging countries have changed the world’s power structure, which is no longer dominated by only two powers. The new global structure hampers the US-Russia rift and serves as a stabilizer.