US persuading numerous nations away from ties with Russia: White House
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According to White House Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer, the United States is working not only with Vietnam but also with other partners of Russia.
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US President Joe Biden listening to the opening remarks of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the first session of the G20 summit in India on September 9, 2023. (AP)
According to White House Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer, the US is in negotiations with Vietnam and other past Russian partners to demonstrate that there are worthwhile alternatives to working with Moscow.
Pressure is growing on the administration of US President Joe Biden to escalate against Russia and globalize the military fight against Moscow, despite the very serious repercussions of such a move on both the US and Europe alike, Responsible Statecraft said in a report on Thursday.
Such a plan, if implemented, risks repeating one of the most detrimental errors of the Cold War era, all while having minimal or negligible impact on the ongoing conflict in Europe.
Walter Russell Mead, an anti-Russia hawk, called in a recent column published in The Wall Street Journal for the United States to launch an international war of attrition against Russia and target its global interests. He added that Washington must operate "in a [Russian] target-rich environment” in order to bring the “cost of war home to the Kremlin.”
Finer explained to a press briefing that the US is working not only with Vietnam but also with "a number of countries" that have close ties with Russia in order to "point out" that the value of such partnerships is "not what it once was," citing that the US also suggests opportunities to move away from those partnerships.
The matter will be discussed during US President Joe Biden's visit to Vietnam, according to the advisor.
Earlier in the day, media claimed that Biden had finished his G20 Summit participation in India ahead of schedule and had left for Vietnam.
While answering a reporter, Finer stated that he was unaware of any discussions between US officials and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at the G20 Summit, particularly on the matter of US individuals held in Russia.
Later in the day, Lavrov stated that he had not talked with US representatives at the G20 Summit in New Delhi and had not sought such interactions. Lavrov, who represented Russia due to Vladimir Putin's absence, had previously expressed that the G20 New Delhi summit for foreign ministers was excessively focused on the Ukrainian crisis and completely overlooked previous crimes committed by the US government in Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, and Yugoslavia - noting that none of these countries were mentioned once in final declarations.
Chinese President Xi Jinping was also nowhere to be found at the summit, a suggestion CNN believes is a clear message about its ambitions to reshape global governance.
Divisions over Ukraine, climate are the highlight of G20 Summit
At the New Delhi Summit Declaration on Saturday, the G20 leaders released a statement with different views on the war in Ukraine, but they jointly called for respect for the UN Charter.
Leaders of the G20 stressed that the purposes and principles of the UN Charter must be abided by, especially regarding the war, noting that the G20 is not the platform to "resolve geopolitical and security issues."
Kiev criticized the G20 leaders' statement on Russia's operation, which denounced the "use of force for territorial gain" but refrained from direct criticism of Russia by name.
Further implications for the US
According to Responsible Statecraft, the majority of Americans, from both parties, have now reached a point where they feel that their country has done enough for Ukraine and that Washington must focus on fixing its struggling economy, which is impacting their living standard severely.
Ukraine's failed counteroffensive, despite over $40 billion in support so far while the US economy continues to deal blows to American citizens, has proved that the current policy of Biden's administration is unsustainable. However, Washington is still doubling down on the "as long as it takes" commitment, most recently by US State Secretary Antony Blinken during a surprise visit to Kiev.
