The White House arranged on April 15 an opportunity for President Biden, before gathered reporters, to enlarge on his take on his April 13 discussion with President Putin. In following some of his most rational-seeming comments on Russia, one must keep in mind the sequence of events. Biden said that he warned Putin, either on the Tuesday phone call or some time after it, that he was going to launch a new round of sanctions; and the Russians on April 14 made it very clear that, if he did, there would automatically be repercussions. Hence, he would be well advised not to. Then, on the morning of April 15, Biden signed an aggressive Executive Order, which, besides various sanctions, initiated an attack upon Russia’s sovereign debt. Having slapped Russia, Biden then calmly proposed that Russia be cooperative with us.
In his April 15 press remarks, Biden stated: “When I spoke to President Putin, I expressed my belief that communication between the two of us personally and directly was to be essential in moving forward to a more effective relationship. He agreed on that point. To that end, I proposed that we meet in person this summer in Europe for a summit to address a range of issues facing both of our countries. And if that summit were to occur and I believe it will, the United States and Russia could launch a strategic stability dialogue to pursue cooperation in arms control and security. We can address critical global challenges that require Russia and the United States to work together, including reining in nuclear threats from Iran and North Korea, ending this pandemic globally and meeting the existential crisis of climate change.... I was candid and respectful. The conversation was candid and respectful.” Russia and the U.S. are “two great powers with significant responsibility for global stability. Now is the time to de-escalate. The way forward is through thoughtful dialogue and diplomatic process. The U.S. is prepared to continue constructively to move forward in that process... Russians and Americans are both proud and patriotic people. And I believe that the Russian people like the American people are invested in peaceful and secure future of our world.” https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2021/04/15/remarks-by-president-biden-on-russia/
Biden went on to emphasize the obvious: That there are forces in the United States that are pushing for harsher measures, including sanctioning the almost complete Nord Stream 2 pipeline from Russia to Europe; and that Russia should appreciate that Biden did not go further. “Nord Stream 2 is a complicated issue affecting our allies in Europe... [b]ut that’s still an issue that is in play.... I was clear with President Putin that we could have gone further. But I chose not to do so, I chose to be proportionate. ...I urged him to respond appropriately and not to exceed it because we can move as well…. My hope and expectation is we will be able to work out a modus vivendi. But it’s important that we have direct talks and we continue to be in contact.”
