Karaganov warned Russia against excessive optimism following Kerry’s visit
Dean of the Faculty of World Economy and International Politics at the National Research University Higher School of Economics Sergei Karaganov warns against excessive optimism in connection with the conciliatory tone of the visit of the US Secretary of State during his negotiations in Sochi with Vladimir Putin. America finds itself in a difficult situation not only in Ukraine, but also in many other hot spots in the world, he states. The Americans’ strategic goals regarding Russia have not changed, says the political scientist, and if Hillary Clinton comes to power in the United States as a result of the 2016 elections, this will not bode well for relations with the Russian Federation.
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"The US must understand that its policy of dismantling the European Union over events in Ukraine has also failed to produce the desired results and has led to serious disagreements with leading European allies. They demonstratively refused to bow to American policy, which was aimed at exacerbating the Ukrainian crisis. Remember the bitter disagreement between Obama and European leaders over US plans to supply offensive weapons to Ukraine. Back then, the Europeans simply said 'no,'" Karaganov writes in his column for Rossiyskaya Gazeta.
According to him, Kerry’s visit to Russia “confirms that the Americans are beginning to behave more realistically than they did a year ago, when they tried, in essence, to give battle to Moscow. However, there is no talk of any serious rapprochement between the United States and Russia yet. Although it is possible that, taking advantage of Kerry’s visit, the American administration wants to start a long game with Russia, which would show that they can do something and are achieving something.”
“If Hillary Clinton comes to the White House after the 2016 elections, people who are the main drivers of the current deterioration in Russian-American relations will come to power,” recalls Karaganov. “After all, members of her future team are largely responsible for the current collapse in relations with Russia, including for the Ukrainian crisis or the Ukrainian provocation on the part of America. And I see no signs yet that the American authorities have seriously or qualitatively changed or are going to change their policy.”
Karaganov warned Russia against excessive optimism following Kerry's visit.