[Global Times special correspondent Li Yong Liu Yupeng Wei Hui] What card is Putin playing? With the approaching of the American election, the accusation of "Russian interference in the election" is getting louder and louder in the United States. Under this background, Russian President Vladimir Putin unexpectedly put forward a proposal of "attacking from defense" on the 25th — — Call for an agreement with the United States to "restart" the relationship between the two countries in the field of information security and not interfere in each other’s internal affairs such as the election process.
Some American media described the proposal as a "cyber truce", arguing that Russia’s move was on the one hand to prove its innocence, and on the other hand to prepare for the "post-Trump era" in which Biden might win the election. However, this well-intentioned proposal was quickly rejected by Washington, and a spokesman for the US National Security Council said that the proposal "may be to create further divisions in the United States." This result is expected by Russian analysts. In the eyes of Russian media, the United States has gone further than anyone else in conducting information warfare and interfering in elections, and has more means than anyone else. How can it be willing to "tie itself up"?
The United States quickly refused, and China "lay a gun."
"One of the main strategic challenges of our time is the risk of large-scale confrontation in the digital field, and the special responsibility for preventing such conflicts falls on key participants in the field of international information security." According to Reuters, the Kremlin issued Putin’s statement on 25th, calling on the United States and Russia to reach an agreement to ensure that they will not interfere in each other’s elections through the Internet. The statement said that Russia and the United States need to promise each other not to interfere in each other’s internal affairs, including the election process, by means of information technology and high technology.
According to the report, Putin suggested that the two countries reach an agreement to prevent major events in cyberspace. The agreement is similar to the Agreement between the United States and the Soviet Union on the Prevention of Accidents on the High Seas and Over the Sea signed in 1972 at the height of the Cold War. RIA Novosti said on the 26th that Putin called on the two countries to resume comprehensive inter-departmental dialogue on key issues to ensure international information security, and to keep the communication channels between the competent departments of the two countries unimpeded and effective in reducing nuclear dangers and computer accidents. Putin finally pointed out: "I propose to all countries, including the United States, to conclude a global agreement, and all countries make political commitments not to use information and communication technologies to attack each other first."
"Unexpected and somewhat mysterious," Buzzfeed News Network described Putin’s statement. The New York Times reported Putin’s proposal with the title "Putin wants a truce on the Internet, but denies Russian interference". The article emphasizes that apart from soothing language, the statement does not imply that Moscow is prepared to make any specific concessions.
Such a constructive proposal was quickly rebuffed by the United States, and China was once again "lying down". The New York Times said that US National Security Council spokesman John Uliott responded to Putin’s proposal: "When Russia, China, Iran and other countries try to undermine our election process, it is difficult for us to take such remarks seriously." Uliot also said: "This proposal may be to further create division in the United States." Buzzfeed News Network said that the White House understood Putin’s call for Russia and the United States not to interfere in elections, and made its own response: Russia should stop interfering first. A senior White House official said: "The starting point of good consultations is that Russia will stop its ongoing interference in the US election."
The response of the United States is expected for Russia. Russian newspaper Izvestia reported on the 26th that Chepa, vice chairman of the International Affairs Committee of the Russian State Duma, said that Russia has repeatedly proposed to the United States to strengthen cooperation in all directions. Unfortunately, the United States has always rejected this. Even if the American political circles still have no positive views on Putin’s initiative, it will be more difficult for the United States to accuse Russia of interfering in its general election, because Russia has extended its own hands and called for cooperation. Lozansky, president of American University Moscow, said that some political elites in the United States are firmly opposed to improving relations with Russia. Trump may want to cooperate, but any positive signal is not good for his campaign.
Russia prepares for the "post-Trump era"
Why did Russia put forward such a proposal when it knew that it might encounter a rebuff? In the opinion of public opinion, this is a tactic adopted by Moscow in the current situation. Originally, the accusation of "Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election" has been going on in the United States, and with the approaching of the new election polling day on November 3, the new accusation of Russian interference in the US election is once again rampant.
The New York Times said that with less than six weeks to go before the US presidential election, Biden, a former vice president who bluntly criticized the Kremlin, may enter the White House. Putin’s appeal at this time, at least to some extent, is to show a more friendly face in response to the recent statement of American officials that "Russia has secretly increased its efforts to weaken Biden." Christopher Babers, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), warned last week that Russia is actively carrying out actions against Biden and spreading false information. According to Washington post, the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) assessed in August that Putin and his senior aides "know and may guide Russian influence actions" to weaken Trump’s opponent Biden in the 2020 general election.
"Putin is ready for a future without Trump," Bloomberg said. People close to the Russian leadership said that although few people think that if Trump is re-elected, relations between the two countries will have improved prospects, Biden’s election will be bad news for Russia. Kremlin analysts are stepping up the deduction for Biden’s election as president. According to informed sources, Russia is increasingly worried about the prospect of the White House without Trump, and is trying to determine what this means for sensitive issues from nuclear weapons to energy exports and sanctions.
According to reports, Moscow’s fascination with Trump has faded. Russian officials said that no matter who is in the White House, the "Russian phobia" in the American system will not change. However, the two candidates have different attitudes towards Russia. Trump said last week that China and postal voting are more threatening than Russia; Biden, on the other hand, said that he would make Moscow pay the price for interfering in the election and regard Russia as an opponent.
Russia has always firmly denied the allegations of interference in the general election. "Russian Intervention 2.0", Sputnik said that although no substantial evidence of Russian intervention in the 2016 US election process could be found before, some US officials began to claim that Moscow once again used "a series of measures" to intervene in the 2020 election and "vilify" Democratic presidential candidate Biden. In recent weeks, American officials have stepped up their accusations. The Kremlin denied this, calling it "nonsense". Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stressed in his statement on 25th that, as we have repeatedly pointed out, the statement about Russia’s intervention in American elections is groundless. "We are in favor of professional and constructive discussion on all existing issues and propositions at the negotiating table".
"Frozen soil covers US-Russia relations"
"If the United States is worried that Russia and other countries will interfere in the general election, then it should sign an information non-aggression agreement as proposed by Putin." Sputnik quoted Shatilov, a professor at the University of Finance and Economics of the Russian Federal Government, as saying on 26th that we saw how the United States carried out active information publicity activities for other countries, but at the same time accused other countries, especially Russia, of interfering in its elections. The United States has been launching an information war all over the world, never considering ethics. It has allocated huge sums of money from its budget to carry out information publicity activities in Russia, Belarus and other countries. It is impossible for the US government to give up this tool of interfering in other countries, so it will find reasons to reject the Russian proposal. Russia’s "Today’s Economy" said that no matter what the outcome of the US election in November is, the United States will accuse other countries of interfering in the election.
"Frozen soil covers US-Russian relations", and the article in "Asia Times Online" on 25th vividly describes the situation of US-Russian relations — — Even with a president like Trump, it is difficult to change. In addition to the quarrel about "interference in the general election", the article refers to the recent poisoning incident of Russian opposition figure Navalny, saying that a group composed of senators from both parties in the United States proposed to impose further sanctions on Russian officials.
"The relationship between Russia and the West has further deteriorated in recent weeks." The New York Times said that Lukoyanov, a Moscow foreign policy analyst who advises the Kremlin, said that the cybersecurity proposal highlights that Putin’s mood is much more relaxed now than it was at the height of the Ukrainian crisis five years ago. However, he said that the United States has a deep-rooted distrust of Russia, and he does not expect Washington to take the proposal seriously. If Biden is elected president, relations between the two countries may deteriorate further.
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