US seeks cooperation with Russia but has warned it will respond to any aggression

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday called for greater cooperation between his country and Russia to make the world a safer place, but he warned that Washington will respond if Moscow “acts aggressively”.

“If Russia acts aggressively against us, our partners or our allies, we will answer “, Blinken said during a series of bilateral talks with his counterpart Sergey Lavrov at the Arctic Council meeting in Reykjavik, Iceland.

“If the leaders of Russia and the United States can work cooperatively, the world could be a safer place,” he added.

Lavrov, on his own, said that Russia is “Will” to dialogue on all issues with the United States, if the dialogue is “honest” and based on mutual respect “.

No sanctions against the construction of Nord Stream 2

Shortly before the meeting between Blinken and Lavrov, the United States government has withdrawn its sanctions against Nord Stream 2, the Russian-controlled construction company of a gas pipeline between Russia and Germany, which Washington had previously declared a geopolitical security risk.

Blinken said in a letter to Congress that the lifting of the initial sanctions established for the Swiss company Nord Stream 2 AG and its managing director, Matthias Warnig, “It is in the national interest of the United States.”

Measurement It calms growing tensions between Washington and Moscow, but also with Berlin, over the project, which Germany and other European countries deem crucial to securing the region’s long-term energy supply.

Germany has rejected the impending imposition of sanctions as interference in its internal affairs.

Early Wednesday, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas hailed the long-awaited decision as a reconciliation measure.

“We understand that the decisions that were made in Washington reflect the truly extraordinary relationship that has been established with the Biden administration.Maas said.

State Department it approved sanctions against several ships and small businesses and organizations involved in the construction and administration of the pipeline.

Russian government spokesman Dmitry Peskov also praised the long-awaited decision, saying: “It’s better than reading the announcements of new sanctions, that would certainly be positive.”

But the move was sharply criticized by Republican Senator Jim Risch, who called the waiver a “gift to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin that will only weaken the influence of the United States in preparation for the next Biden-Putin summit. “.

“The administration gives priority to so-called German and Russian interests over those of our allies in Central, Eastern and Northern Europe,” Risch said in a statement.

With information from AFP

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