Until the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the United States and Russia were in the stalemate of the Cold War for over half a century, each representing democracy and communism. On December 31^st, 1991, the two countries established official diplomatic relations and started to interact actively. However, recently the conflict between the two countries is intensifying since the barriers are expanded to military and diplomacy. As both countries have a huge influence on the global situation, it is necessary to pay attention to their actions. Now, let's take a closer look at why the United States and Russia are at odds and what the consequences are.

Background of Conflicts

Russia’s Forceful Annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea

The Ukraine crisis can be said to trigger the conflict between the United States and Russia. The two countries are taking issue with rebels in Donbas, eastern Ukraine. In March 2014, pro-Russian residents in the Donbas region protested against the central government. They were calling for independence when Russia annexed Crimea that belonged to Ukraine. The United States downgraded the alliance with Russia, accusing Russia of violating Ukraine's sovereignty. However, Russia continued to threaten Georgia and Ukraine with enhanced military forces, resulting in constant conflict with the U.S. In June 2021, the United States and Ukraine conducted military training together in the Black Sea despite Russia's demand for cancellation. From July 17^th to 30^th, the United States, Ukraine, Poland, and Lithuania conducted large-scale military training. It received huge attention, as it was held amid heightened tension between the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)[1] and Russia.

Did Russia Interfere in the U.S. Election?

           On March 16^th, 2021, BBC reported the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) released the classified document 'Foreign Threats to the 2020 U.S. Federal Elections'.

According to claims of the United States based on the document, Russia intervened in the U.S. presidential election on November 3^rd, 2019, seeking Donald Trump’s reelection. The U.S. also raised doubts that Russia and supporters of Donald trump conspired to spread allegations of ties between candidate Joe Biden and Ukraine ahead of the presidential election. According to Bloomberg, on September 26^th, 2019, Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden was hired as a director of Burisma Holdings in 2014. It is the energy company of Ukrainian political coalition force Mikola Zlovskyi. Since then, the Trump camp argued that in 2016, then Vice President, Joe Biden put pressure on Ukraine to support a $1 billion loan guarantee by firing Viktor Shokin, the Ukrainian Attorney General who was investigating Burisma Holdings. According to the document, the Russian intelligence agency also hacked Burisma to gain information about the Bidens and support Donald Trump. The United States further pointed out that Russian President Vladimir Putin had at least instructed or approved of intervening in the election. DNI stated that other high-ranking Russian officials were also involved, including those who would not have stepped in without Putin's consent. However, no clear evidence is indicated in the document 'Foreign Threats to the 2020 U.S. Federal Elections'. The Russian embassy in Washington claimed the suspicions were groundless, saying "there were no facts or specific evidence of such claims provided."

Worsening Conflict

Diplomatic Conflict

           In an interview with ABC on March 17^th, 2021, U.S. President Biden answered “Yes” to a reporter's question about whether he thought Putin was a murderer. On March 2^nd, 2021, Reuters reported the Biden administration had concluded that the Russian government attempted the poisoning of Alexei Navalny, a Russian opposition leader (a political figure recognized as a political opponent of Putin). In September 2020, Navalny fell into a coma after being poisoned while campaigning against the United Russia party’s candidate ahead of the local elections and woke up after 18 days.  Russia also took a direct counterattack against the remarks of the United States alluding to this incident. On March 18^th, 2021, as reported by CNN, Putin remarked, "He who calls names is called that himself." In addition, Putin pointed out that the United States also committed numerous murders, referring to the fact that the United States conducted a nuclear attack on Japan during World War II, the genocide of indigenous Indians during the American colonization, slavery, and discrimination against the black people. Further, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "It's clear that Biden doesn't want to normalize relations with our country." However, the United States did not yield; White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on March 18 local time that President Joe Biden had no regrets about “murderer” remarks. 

          On April 16^th, 2021, the U.S. Department of Treasury began retaliation for Russia’s meddling in the presidential election, announcing massive sanctions against Russia. The sanction’s targets included 32 people and groups suspected of spreading false information before the US presidential election. The six Russian companies that supported cyberattacks and several groups related to Russia's crackdown on Crimea were also added to the sanctions. The United States also announced measures to prevent U.S. financial institutions from buying Russian bonds from June 14^th. The results were shown immediately. On April 19^th, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported Russian bond market was losing strength due to the United States’ announcement of sanctions. According to the WSJ, sanctions started at the time the Russian ruble was weakening and Russian bonds were falling. Tim Ash, a strategist at BlueBay Asset Management, predicted that U.S. sanctions would become increasingly severe. The U.S. also decided to expel 10 Russian diplomats from Washington. In response, Russia counterattacked on April 17^th. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced measures against the United States at a press conference that evening. It expelled 10 U.S. diplomats from Russia. Russia also banned the entry of eight people, including Joe Biden’s government officials such as U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, FBI Director Christopher Ray, and former National Security Advisor during Donald Trump’s presidency John Bolton. From May 2021, Russia restricted and banned the employment of Russians as employees by embassies, consulates, and government agencies of countries with confrontational relations. The United States also countered by closing U.S. embassies in Russia in May. Even after a summit on June 16, the conflict did not alleviate. After the meeting, during the interview with CNN State of the Union on June 20^th, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the United States was preparing additional sanctions for the Navalny incident. They revealed the plan to take action related to chemical weapons but did not comment on the exact details. The Russian diplomatic authorities then expressed that this was not the signal they had expected and that there was a limit to restoring bilateral relations through sanctions. By July 30^th, the U.S. government laid off 82 employees at the U.S. embassy in Russia. According to the Associated Press, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the measures and said, "These unfortunate measures will severely impact the U.S. mission to Russia’s operations, potentially including the safety of our personnel as well as our ability to engage in diplomacy with the Russian government”, expressing regret and saying that it was also an inevitable choice for the United States.

Conflict in the Aerospace Industry

           At a hearing on Western sanctions toward Russia on June 7^th, the head of Russian Federation Space Agency Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin, mentioned difficulties in launching the satellite due to the United States. Rogozin complained that Russia could not launch a spacecraft because the U.S. currently restricts purchasing certain microchips. He also conveyed the message that Russia could withdraw from the International Space Station (ISS), the product of two decades of bilateral cooperation. The reason is that U.S. sanctions are hindering the launch of space rockets and the aerospace industry’s development. He warned if the U.S. continues to give pressure, the consequences will be borne by the United States. Though the ISS operation is scheduled to end in 2024, the U.S. has expressed its willingness to extend the period. However, Russia is insisting that it cannot work together unless the U.S. eases restrictions.

China: Appearing Between Two Countries

           Amid the confrontation between the US and Russia, China-Russia solidarity is getting stronger. On May 24^th, 2021, the two countries held the 16th round of the China-Russia strategic security consultation. Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi visited Russia at the request of Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Nikolai Patrushev. It was a year and a half after the 15th China-Russia Strategic and Security Council. Russia and China also signed an agreement on the construction of a lunar base. On June 16^th, China National Space Agency (CNSA) and Roscosmos agreed to build the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) by 2035. They also released the blueprint in the Global Space Exploration Conference 2021 (GLEX) held in St. Petersburg, Russia. The two countries entered a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the joint construction of the ILRS in March 2021. The groundwork to explore the ILRS construction site is expected to begin this year. The site will be decided in 2025 and construction will be carried out by 2035. Russia and China are planning to equip the instrument for studying the moon’s topography and structure as well as facilities for observing space and the Earth from the moon in ILRS. It will also play a role in supporting manned space exploration in the future.

China-Russia cooperation is further extending to their militaries. The two countries conducted joint military training with high-tech weapons and air units at a tactical training base located in northwestern China from August 9^th to 13^th. Currently, the United States has been in a trade conflict with China since the Trump administration. After China gained control of overseas stock markets over its own companies, the two countries are also competing with the capital market. With the U.S. forming hostile relations with both China and Russia, the alliance of China and Russia seems to continue. On May 24^th, 2021, Chinese media Global Times also reported that “these interactions are necessary amid the rising pressure and hostility from the U.S.”

The United States and Russia are in a deep conflict. The level of condemning against each other is increasing and the scope of the conflict is expanding to diplomacy, aerospace, and military. China is also involved, so if tensions continue, it is likely to have a greater impact on the international state of affairs. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to the two countries’ actions and neighboring countries’ responses. Now is the time for global solidarity to overcome the COVID-19 crisis. CAH hopes the United States and Russia restore peaceful relations as soon as possible.