Translated material
Contact with the enemy
American general does not trust Russia
The closer the first meeting of Russian and US Presidents Dmitry Medvedev and Barack Obama in London, scheduled for April 1, in London, the more contradictory the statements of American representatives become. While the White House speaks of a desire to “reset” bilateral relations, senior Pentagon officials suspect Russia of seeking to weaken the position of the United States and NATO and attribute Moscow’s interest in dialogue with the West to the passing impact of the financial crisis.It was in this vein that the Commander-in-Chief of NATO's Joint Armed Forces in Europe, General John Craddock (pictured) , spoke on Wednesday night Moscow time at a hearing in the Senate Armed Services Committee of the US Congress. His speech was devoted to key issues of Euro-Atlantic security. Having stipulated that the US military is “ready to interact with its Russian colleagues” and that “Russia is an important partner of the United States, our allies and our partners,” the general released a list of grievances against Moscow.
“The most important challenge for the entire region (Europe. - Ed. ) is how we interact with Russia,” noted John Craddock. He said that there is now a “period of uncertainty” in relations between the United States and Russia, which is caused by “differences on European security issues, Russia’s role in what it considers its near abroad, and Russia’s decision to send troops to Georgia and recognize the breakaway regions of the South.” Ossetia and Abkhazia" . The general said that “the refusal of all neighboring countries to support Russian recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia reflects concerns in the region about a revanchist Russia,” adding: “Relations with Russia in the coming years look set to be the most difficult since the end of the Cold War.”
John Craddock acknowledged that “Russian political and military leaders have signaled that the door to closer cooperation remains open. However, their actions in Georgia in August 2008 and in the issue of natural gas supplies to Europe in January 2009 suggest that their main intention may be to weaken European solidarity and systematically reduce US influence.”
"Russia appears determined to weaken Euro-Atlantic security institutions, demonstrating a willingness to use economic leverage and military force to achieve its goals," General Craddock said. In his opinion, “despite the progress achieved in the previous period in our military interaction with Russia, events in Georgia have clearly set back our expectations - at least for the near future.” And only “deteriorating economic conditions,” he said, “could lead to Russia becoming less self-confident.”
“American generals are inclined to believe that cooperation between Russia and the United States could have developed better if not for politicians,” Nikolai Zlobin, director of Russian and Asian programs at the Washington Institute of World Security, told Vremya Novostei. He believes that in previous years, the militaries of the two countries “cooperated quite successfully in resolving specific military-technical issues, including such a painful issue for Moscow as the deployment of elements of the American missile defense system in Eastern Europe. Military cooperation between the United States and Russia developed faster than political cooperation.”
“The two generals will quickly find a common language. But when politicians got involved, big problems arose, mutual accusations began, and mistrust deepened. Generals are accustomed to talking about specific tactical and technical problems, and politicians are accustomed to talking about money or exchanging mutual accusations, keeping a whole range of problems in mind. Therefore, now the Pentagon is quite cautious about the prospects for improving Russian-American relations,” the VN expert noted.
It appears that the commander in chief of NATO forces in Europe really believes that a tough military approach is the basis for improving relations between Russia and the United States. Craddock told senators: “In my experience as an officer, when you break or lose contact with friends on the flanks, or when you lose contact with the enemy, things become a little more confusing and unclear. But in our business, this is not at all what we should strive for.” The command of NATO forces in Europe “is interested in pragmatic relations with Russia in the military field,” summed up the American general.