Warning Message Two Days Before the Mir Summit
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] U.S. President Joe Biden, two days ahead of his first summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, stated that if Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny dies, Russia must be prepared for a deterioration in relations with the global community. This strong warning from President Biden comes ahead of the U.S.-Russia summit, which follows the G7 (Group of Seven major advanced economies) summit and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit, both of which declared a stance to check Russia.
On the 14th (local time), at a press conference held immediately after the NATO summit in Brussels, Belgium, President Biden described his first meeting with President Putin as "important" and made the remarks.
President Biden particularly expressed concern over the Navalny poisoning incident, saying, "His death would demonstrate that Russia has no intention of even respecting basic human rights," and added, "Navalny's death would soon harm Russia's relations with the world."
So far, the Biden administration has demanded Navalny's release since he was detained by Russian authorities.
Navalny, currently detained in a Russian prison, has been rumored to have health issues following the aftereffects of poisoning.
Earlier, in an interview with U.S. ABC News in March, when asked if he considered President Putin a murderer in relation to the Navalny case, President Biden responded, "Yes."
In response to Biden's remarks, Russian authorities recalled Anatoly Antonov, the Russian ambassador to the U.S., back to Moscow.
Subsequently, in April, the U.S. expelled 10 Russian diplomats citing reasons including interference in the U.S. presidential election, federal agency hacking incidents, and involvement in the Ukraine conflict, and Russia reciprocated by expelling 10 U.S. diplomats, leading to a recent deterioration in bilateral relations.
President Biden also emphasized, "If he (Putin) chooses not to act or cooperate in the way he has in the past regarding cybersecurity and some other activities, we will respond in kind." He added, "We will make clear where the red lines are."
This is interpreted as an intention to hold Russia accountable for recent ransomware attacks on Colonial Pipeline, the largest U.S. pipeline operator, and JBS USA, the U.S. subsidiary of the world's largest meat processing company. The U.S. had previously pointed to Russia-based hacker groups as behind these ransomware attacks.
Furthermore, President Biden stated, "If he (Putin) chooses, we will make it clear to him that there are areas where we can cooperate," suggesting the possibility of cooperation on issues such as climate change.
This U.S.-Russia summit is noteworthy as it follows the G7 summit and NATO summit, both of which declared a stance to check Russia.
The joint statement from the NATO summit on the 14th specifically mentioned cybercrime, military buildup, and the annexation of Crimea, emphasizing that Russia's aggressive actions threaten Euro-Atlantic security.
President Biden also emphasized NATO Article 5, which states that if a member country is attacked by an external force, all allied countries will collectively repel the attack, calling it a "sacred duty." Previously, former President Donald Trump sparked controversy by refusing to affirm adherence to NATO Article 5 during his speech at the 2017 NATO summit.
By clearly reaffirming NATO Article 5 at this summit, it is interpreted as a reaffirmation of the goal to check Russia and a warning message that military responses will not be ruled out if Russia threatens allied countries hostilely.
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