In the wake of Russia’s annexation of Crimea, the United States says it has begun a reassessment of its relations with Moscow, even as President Barack Obama prepares to leave for Europe to confer with other G7 leaders on how best to deal with the Ukraine crisis.
The Obama administration, which faces accusations from Republicans of a tepid response to the Russian actions, has accused the Vladimir Putin regime of resorting to “a very egregious departure” from international norms and principles.
Asked at a White House news conference if the Ukraine crisis was prompting a fundamental reassessment of US-Russia relations, National Security Advisor Susan Rice said: “Yes.”
In the years since the end of the Cold War, the United States and Europe have been in favour of a fuller integration of Russia into the fabric of the international system and the global economy, predicated on the expectation that Russia would play by the rules of the road, Rice commented. But the Russian moves vis-à-vis Ukraine are “causing the countries and people of Europe and the international community and, of course, the United States to reassess what does this mean and what are the implications”, she said.
At the UN Security Council, Russia has been alone in insisting that its actions in Ukraine had international legitimacy, Rice said, asserting that the rest of the world would never accept the annexation of Crimea. “It will have consequences. And it already has,” she said, referring to the sanctions by the US and European Union.
President Obama leaves for the Netherlands on Sunday for what was essentially to attend a Nuclear Security Summit that is now seen as overshadowed by the Ukraine crisis. Obama will hold a meeting with other G7 leaders on the margins of the nuclear summit that is expected to be attended by leaders from over 50 nations. He will also be meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The White House says that the Ukraine crisis will be the central focus during Obama’s meetings while at The Hague as also during his subsequent stops in Brussels to take part in a summit with European Union leaders and pay a visit to NATO headquarters.