Experts predicted scenarios for the development of relations between Russia and the United States

How likely is the meeting of the presidents of the two countries

Mutual US-Russian sanctions and the overall unfavorable situation in bilateral relations mean that a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden is unlikely to take place in the coming weeks, said Maximilian Hess, a fellow at the US Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI). In his opinion, the recent restrictive measures taken by the Biden administration signal Washington's return to the politics that existed during the Barack Obama era. “During the four years of his presidency, Donald Trump did not expect that he would be able to influence the behavior of Russia, and the sanctions were adopted due to domestic political factors. Now Biden, like Obama, is introducing restrictions in order to signal Moscow and force it to change its behavior,” Hess told RBC.

Trump, who served as president from early 2017 to early 2021, met with Putin several times, in July 2018 a bilateral summit of leaders was held in Helsinki, Finland.

Biden invited Putin to meet during a telephone conversation on April 13. According to US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, the meeting is necessary to establish stable and predictable relations with Moscow, even taking into account the accumulated contradictions. Speaking about the impact of sanctions on a possible meeting between Putin and Biden, the Russian leader's spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that they "would not contribute" to it. “Whether they interfere or not, the president will decide,” he added.

New US sanctions and Russian counter-sanctions

On April 15, US President Joe Biden ordered new restrictions against Russia, accusing Moscow of trying to influence the policies of the US and its allies, hacking and aiding international corruption and integrity violations. The new sanctions apply to Russian federal loan bonds (OFZ). The US Treasury issued a directive prohibiting US financial institutions from participating in primary placements of bonds of the Russian Ministry of Finance or the Bank of Russia, regardless of the issue currency. The ban applies to ruble-denominated securities that will be issued after June 14, 2021. In addition, America expelled ten Russian diplomats.

The next day, Russia gave its answer, which included mainly diplomatic measures. First, Moscow is expelling ten American diplomats. Secondly, US Ambassador to Moscow John Sullivan was recommended to temporarily return to his homeland for consultations, as Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov did. Thirdly, the United States will be prohibited from hiring its citizens and citizens of third countries in its diplomatic missions on the territory of Russia. Fourth, Moscow will limit the number of American diplomats who can come to the embassy in Russia on a business trip (to ten people a year). Fifth, Russia will terminate the activities of US foundations and NGOs controlled by the State Department and other US government agencies.