Nicolas Revise (AFP) – The United States and Russia looked Friday to expand cooperation on issues from Syria to missile defense, seeing common interests despite a sharp chill in ties.
The foreign ministers and defense ministers of the former Cold War foes went ahead with a meeting in Washington despite US President Barack Obama’s cancellation of a summit in Moscow.
Russia infuriated the United States by granting asylum to Edward Snowden, an ex-contractor for the US government who is wanted by Washington for leaking details of vast surveillance on US citizens.
Secretary of State John Kerry acknowledged the two nations were facing “challenging moments” but said he hoped for a frank exchange of views.
“The relationship between the United States and Russia is, needless to say, a very important relationship and it is marked by both shared interests and at times colliding and conflicting interests,” Kerry said as he opened the talks.
Kerry said that he and his Russian counterpart, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, both played hockey.
“We both know that diplomacy like hockey and sometimes results in occasional collisions,” Kerry said.
“So we are candid, very candid about the areas in which we agree but also the areas in which we disagree,” he said.
Despite the Snowden case, Kerry said he hoped to work with Russia on Syria, especially to organize a long-delayed peace conference in Geneva.
Russia provides key support to Syria’s embattled President Bashar al-Assad in the civil war that the United Nations said has claimed more than 100,000 lives since 2011.
The United States says it supports “non-lethal” aid to the rebels, who are backed by US-allied Sunni Arab monarchies Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
“Sergei and I do not always agree completely on responsibility for the bloodshed or on some of the ways forward, both of us and our countries agree that to avoid institutional collapse and descent into chaos, the ultimate answer is a negotiated political solution,” Kerry said.
Lavrov agreed on the need for a peace process but said that a top priority should be to “fight terrorists and force them away from Syria,” referring to Russia’s deep suspicion over hardline Islamists among rebels fighting Assad.
“I’m convinced that in the current-day reality, especially in light of the fact and assessments we’ve been hearing lately, this is indeed our top priority.”
Kerry also said he hoped to talk to Russia about Iran, where voters swept to power comparative moderate President Hassan Rowhani, and the upcoming US withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Both Kerry and Lavrov said they would discuss missile defense during the talks, which also include US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
US missile plans in Europe have long been a sore point for Russia, which charges that the missile shield is designed to reduce the deterrent effect of Moscow’s arsenal and thus alter the balance of power on the continent.
In June, Obama said in a speech in Berlin that he wanted the former Cold War foes to reduce their nuclear weapons by up to a third. Russia gave a chilly response, saying the two countries needed to look at their strategic balance beyond just nuclear weapons.
Relations soon plummeted when Snowden arrived in Moscow’s airport after initially flying to Hong Kong.
Obama, in a recent television appearance, voiced disappointment over the asylum granted to Snowden and also criticized Russia over a new law that outlaws gay “propaganda.”
Kerry did not mention the issue in his opening remarks, although he is a longtime supporter of gay rights.
Celeste Wallander, a professor at American University and a former deputy assistant secretary of defense, said that Friday’s meeting allowed the two countries to look at common interests instead of preparing for the canceled summit.
“Presumably what they’ll be doing will be to talk about all these issues that still aren’t resolved, talking about strategic stability, including missile defense but more broadly: Can there still be an international conference on Syria? What are the next steps on Iran?” she said.
