Carnegie Moscow Center
Though Putin purported to oppose any attempt to hijack the economic agenda of the G-20, he succeeded in setting the stage for a critical debate on U.S. foreign policy with the global leaders.
Dmitri Trenin participated in a live Twitter Q&A on the situation in Syria, the G20 summit, and the U.S.-Russia relations.
Although Putin’s statements have been seen as flexible rhetoric, Russia’s policy toward Syria has not changed.
Marwan Muasher and Andrew S. Weiss will respond to questions on the situation in Syria, the likely implications of a U.S.-led attack, and what to expect in terms of Putin-Obama dynamics at the G20 meeting.
During the G20 summit, the world leaders need to tackle serious economic challenges. At the same time, the abrupt halt to a scheduled U.S.-Russia summit and a potential intervention in Syria have pushed security issues to the top of the summit’s agenda.
Moving away from the standard agenda may help the United States and Russia exit the current impasse in bilateral relations and avoid a long period of stagnation and hostilities.
U.S. President Barack Obama’s cancellation of the summit with Vladimir Putin is a turning point in U.S.-Russia relations. Obama, who once told the Russians he would be more flexible after the elections, has proven to be the opposite.
The Obama administration was correct to cancel the summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin because Russia had recently stonewalled Obama’s agenda.
While Edward Snowden’s asylum in Russia was a factor in the decision to cancel the summit, the more significant problem was that the Obama administration has spent the past several months working to identify steps for joint cooperation with Russia with little progress.
Russia’s decision to offer Edward Snowden asylum stems from Vladimir Putin’s desire to maintain a global image as the one major power that can resist U.S. pressure.