The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a very strong official statement yesterday on US-Russian tensions, in the aftermath of the Biden-Merkel discussions and the official U.S. statements on Nord Stream, which threaten further sanctions against Russia. These issues were discussed in a phone call yesterday between Putin and Merkel. At the same time, Ukrainian President Zelensky, who will be meeting with Biden on Aug. 30, said that the issue of Nord Stream will be at the center of their talks and that he will continue to press for Ukrainian membership in NATO. The formal signing into law yesterday of Ukraine’s “On the Indigenous Peoples of Ukraine” is also contributing to heating things up.
The Russian Foreign Ministry’s board met on Wednesday, led by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and adopted a strongly-worded statement on US-Russian relations: “It was noted during the discussion that bilateral relations had approached a dangerous confrontational threshold through the fault of Washington, who have provoked an unprecedented escalation between our states over the recent years… This line by Washington, which blatantly violates international law, will continue to come up against unwavering opposition as far as protecting Russia’s legitimate interests goes,” the ministry said. The board meeting also emphasized that the Putin-Biden summit in Geneva on June 16 created opportunities for restoring a constructive dialogue on strategic stability, but, “Naturally, such cooperation could only be successful under the condition of adherence to principles of mutual respect, equality, and non-interference in internal affairs.”