Seeking a short-term populist win in advance of the midterm elections, the Biden administration has offered Russia an extraordinarily one-sided deal. In return for Russia’s release of the unjustly held WNBA star Brittney Griner and another American, Paul Whelan, the United States would release terrorist conspirator Viktor Bout.
Russia tastes the American weakness in the political water. And Russia is frolicking in it.
Take the comments by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Thursday. Zakharova was asked about the prospects for a phone call between Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his Russian opposite Sergey Lavrov. On Wednesday, Blinken noted that he would hold that call sometime this week. Or perhaps not.
As Zakharova put it, Lavrov “will pay attention to this request when time permits. Now, he has a busy schedule …”
This is a very in-form Russian insult: derisive, darkly comedic, and designed to embarrass. Lavrov, always tempted by an opportunity for theatrics, is making Blinken literally beg for a deal that is already near-wholly in Russia’s favor. It might not be very diplomatic, but it’s exactly what happens when the Russians sense that they hold the initiative. Expect similar Russian insults going forward.
At least, that is, until the Biden administration takes seriously Russia’s cultural disrespect for obvious weakness. Until that happens, Moscow will keep playing these kinds of games. And as with the two-for-one prisoner swap, Russia will ensure the deals are always manifestly in its favor.
