U.S. doesn't recognize the ''former republics'' of Russia

 

The United States intends to work with Russia on arms control, but will not recognize a Russian sphere of influence for former Soviet nations, said Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs Daniel Fried during a briefing on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit to the Middle East and Europe next week.

Fried manages European and Asian direction of American foreign policy, which includes the former Soviet space. "The US doesn't recognize a Russian sphere of influence and the independence for two separatist Georgian regions, South Ossetia and Abkhazia", Fried said.

Referring to the US Vice President Joe Biden's speech in a Munich earlier this month to setting the reset in Russian-American relations, Fried said that that some important points in that speech were missed from the attention of public opinion.

Fried noted that the Vice President's speech in Munich, though, not only used the "reset button", but also used some important cautionary notes.

Of course, he said, the START is one area that certainly deserves attention. A senior American diplomat said that "each European country has a right to seek membership in alliances, to choose its own way forward, which is a reference to NATO enlargement".

He noted that there was a certain balance in the Vice President's speech, which reflects the thinking of the new administration, "both those of us who do Europe, those of us who do Russia, those of us who do both, about the most productive way to move forward with Russia".

According to Fried, the US should build its policies on common interests with Russia, but at the same time, be mindful of "our differences, not abandoning our values and our friends".

"That makes for a complicated relationship with Russia, but we believe we can - it is right to emphasize the positive", he said. "Our initial work with the Russians so far has been positive", Fried believes. The US looking forward to the meeting between US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, said the diplomat.

There have been letters between the leaders, between the foreign ministers, outlining a way forward and a positive agenda, Fried recalled. "It is on that we want to build, but with our eyes open about some of the differences we have", he said.