United States-Russian tension and the Cuban missile crisis

Sitting at the negotiating tables, the diplomats of United States and Russia they never trusted each other. During the Cold War, however, they reached agreements on the main issues of the day.

Now, the mutual hostility surrounding the Russian invasion of Ukraine raises a serious question: Is there still room for diplomacy between the Russians and the Americans?

The answer is key for reasons that go beyond the war in Ukraine and the immediate interests of both powers.

One way or another, United States and Russia they have been the great referents of almost all world affairs, including arms control, space cooperation, cybersecurity and climate change. Progress on these and other issues largely depends on both nations finding common ground.

Diplomatic ties are not totally broken. For now at least, embassies are working in the capitals of both countries, despite interdicts that led to the expulsion of dozens of diplomats since 2017. And both Russia as the United States involved in Vienna in negotiations to revive a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran.

The “special line”, as communication channels designed to avoid a nuclear conflict are called, remains open.

But apart from the Vienna talks, the most recent contact between the two nations appears to have been a US notification that it would expel 12 Russians from the United Nations for espionage.

US secretary of state Anthony Blinken He said diplomatic channels remain open, but only just, and will be used only if Moscow stops its military incursion into Ukraine.

“What we have seen on numerous occasions is that Russia pretends to appeal to diplomacy and continues its aggressive course”Blinken said Wednesday.

american presidentsJoe Biden, and Russian, Vladimir Putin, have not spoken since a roughly hour-long phone call on February 12, in which Biden told Putin that “a Russian invasion of Ukraine would produce widespread human suffering and affect Russia’s position.” Twelve days later, Russia invaded Ukraine.

The last contact between Blinken and his Russian colleague Sergey Lavrov It came on the eve of the invasion, on February 23, when Blinken informed Lavrov that he was canceling a match scheduled for the following day because he thought it would not be productive. Lavrov responded by saying that the lack of progress was due to the Americans’ lack of flexibility, according to US officials.

Regardless of this, the last known contact may have been one in which United States Send to Russia on February 23 about the expulsion of number two from his embassy in Washington, in retaliation for the expulsion of number two from the US embassy in Moscow in mid-February.

The lack of contacts, apart from strong statements from both sides at the United Nations, is disturbing.

“You have to try to maintain a dialogue and find ways to do what needs to be done”said Ronald Neumann, president of the American Academy of Diplomacy and a three-time US ambassador. “Russia will not be isolated forever, but at this time it is necessary to send them a message. We cannot look the other way when they are destroying a sovereign country.”

Neumann noted that even during the Cuban missile crisis of the 1960s there were secret contacts, often through intermediaries, despite bluster from Washington and Moscow, and that there was ultimately a peaceful solution. He added that cool heads must prevail.

“We too will be hurt if Russia is isolated,” he said. “We don’t want to give the Russians a free stone.”

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