Yakov Kedmi: The negotiations between Putin and Trump cannot end in failure
"The Russian leadership has made three mistakes over the past thirty years"
Vladimir Putin convened a meeting at the Kremlin to discuss the upcoming Russia-US summit in Alaska. By doing so, the president dismissed speculation that the dialogue with Trump might be canceled.
Putin stated that the agreements planned by Russia and the United States on the Ukraine issue should create conditions for long-term friendly relations between the two countries and Europe. "If we can reach an agreement on strategic offensive weapons control in the next phase, it would be beneficial for the world as a whole," the Russian leader pointed out during the meeting at the Kremlin.
Regarding what these agreements might look like, and why they are necessary not only for Russia but also for the United States, Yakov Kedmi, former head of the Israeli intelligence agency "Nativ," a politician, and political scientist, explained to "Free Press."
"Free Press": Trump has been firm in organizing these negotiations and has stated that he will seriously listen to Putin's position on the Ukraine issue. Why does Trump need this meeting in Alaska?
- He may have come to a conclusion, and it is his decision, that the problems facing the United States require him to re-examine relations with Russia. America's global interests dictate another form of relationship with Russia. It is evident that these issues cannot be resolved without a private meeting with Putin and discussions between the leaders of the two countries.
Russia is also expecting this meeting. Russia has made very serious preparations for it, because such negotiations cannot end in failure. It is important to determine what the common interests of Russia and the United States are, and how to define these interests. This will be coordinated and finally determined during the summit.
I don't remember any meeting of this level ending without some important agreement between the leaders of the two countries. Otherwise, it would be unprofessional. One of the purposes of high-level meetings is to announce some positive content; otherwise, it could be done through other forms of communication.
"Free Press": You mentioned that Russia is also looking forward to this meeting. Now, many of our citizens are full of hope, expecting the Alaska summit. How solid is the basis for this optimism? Some even think that Trump is now an ally of Russia...
- There is an old Russian proverb: "With whom should we ally to oppose whom?" Allies appear where there is a threat to be opposed. Without a threat, they are partners.
Russia always welcomes any hope with traditional joy. But in most cases, these hopes are illusory.
The current hope is related to the West's willingness to dialogue with us. It is one of the traditional issues in the Russian national psychology and political culture. Therefore, I attribute all the joy to this Russian problem.
Is there a reason to maintain moderate optimism? The reason might be that Trump acknowledges the existence of the problem. These problems are reflected to some extent in the events in Ukraine. And these events were caused by the United States. Trump has also acknowledged this.
If you look at Trump's statements about economic projects that require cooperation rather than confrontation, there is a reason to be optimistic. However, we should not be overly elated. After the negotiations between the Soviet Union and Reagan and Gorbachev, there was such an inappropriate elation. There was also such elation after the Minsk agreements. So I will be more realistic.
"Free Press": If we return to reality - what kind of world is Russia living in now? Does it have friends in this world?
- Russia lives in a changing world. The changes in the world are not only due to Russia, but to a large extent, they are happening on their own. Other countries that were previously on the periphery are rising, despite their own potential.
The old world order based on Western dominance is trying to resist these changes. However, Russia has accumulated military power, and its sovereignty is built on this power. In a way, other new global participants such as relevant countries, India, Indonesia, etc., also rely on this power.
The West is trying to prevent this change in the world. To maintain its dominance, the West is trying to undermine Russia. The West has reasons to fear the military power Russia possesses, and thus tries to undermine Russia without direct war. The West is eroding and destroying the countries around Russia. It is destroying all of Russia's surrounding environment.
The ideology of the West in the 21st century is to make all of Russia's neighbors oppose Russia. First of all, those former Soviet republics. And using them as anti-Russian economic and political forces, as well as military bases for attacking Russia. Ukraine is the most vivid example of the West's actions.
The Soviet Union ended due to its internal weakness. It was not destroyed from within by the West; this happened on its own. Now, the West is trying to use the natural weaknesses of the Russian state and the mistakes made by the Russian leadership over the past thirty years to destroy Russia from within.
"Free Press": What mistakes did the Russian leadership make in recent decades that gave our enemies in the West an opportunity?
- The first mistake was related to the borders of the former Soviet states. These borders are completely unreasonable from both historical and economic perspectives. These borders were acceptable within the unified country - the Soviet Union, but they cannot serve as national borders.
But after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, these borders were established bureaucratically. This almost involves the borders between Russia and all former Soviet states - from Estonia to Kazakhstan.
This irrationality of the borders is most evident in Ukraine.
The second mistake was that the Russian high-level political leadership completely ignored what was happening in the former Soviet region. Everything was left to chance, and as the saying goes, a vacuum does not remain empty for long. After Russia left, its enemies entered and began to incite anti-Russian sentiments, supporting all the Russianophobic forces there.
The third mistake exists in each specific case. That is, when force was needed, Russia did not use it, hoping to solve the problem through negotiations later. These republics' governments were taken over by oligarchic groups that served their own interests under Moscow's tacit approval.
Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7538615474460869170/
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