An amazing and almost mysterious story. Russia’s negotiations with the United States and NATO have just ended, and the final gong has not yet sounded at the OSCE Vienna meeting, and one of the main negotiators from the cohort of Russian super-diplomats has already managed to cross out the main meaning of the negotiations that took place — that is, the fact that the negotiations began as a diplomatic tool in itself , capable of replacing obscure, but obviously dangerous «military-technical solutions».
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, in a long interview with RTVI (represented by Tina Kandelaki), in which he demonstrated his political and diplomatic experience and intelligence, including even aesthetic views (for example, reflections on how cool it would be to put Oksimiron's excellent rap on the music of Mr. West» or praises of the «unique» Lady Gaga) along with the usual phrases that diplomacy should be given a chance, that dialogue is extremely important, etc., suddenly announced following the results of negotiations in Geneva and Brussels that, they say , the disagreements with the «Westerners» are so fundamental that he sees «no reason to sit down in the coming days, reconvene and start these same discussions.»
Wow, the statement of an experienced career diplomat!
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Ryabkov. Photo: RIA Novosti
After all, negotiations with the search for mutually acceptable compromises are the basis of diplomacy, its essence. According to the mastery of this art, this main tool, they judge the professional suitability of diplomats. The refusal of a diplomat to negotiate is the same as if a military general declared during hostilities that weapons should be urgently abolished. It is no wonder that the Russian stock market and the ruble exchange rate, which are sensitive to alarming situations, collapsed together.
Question: why is everything so awkward and why? Why so many efforts to draw «partners» into negotiations, in order to then actually declare their uselessness? Who benefits from this? And is it necessary to fully believe the words about the senselessness of further negotiations?
Our version is that this whole story leads to the organization of another «special operation» so beloved by the current political authorities.
Only if this genre political action was previously used in the military-political sphere, in squeezing property, in reprisal against the opposition and all kinds of dissenters, but now it has gradually spread to the diplomatic sphere.
To simplify what the Russian side has undertaken in recent months on the Russia-West line, one can see the following scheme of actions:
- «to scare —
- to persuade to negotiate —
- to set maximum, extreme demands —
- refuse to continue negotiations —
- intimidate again —
- return to negotiations, but perhaps with less initial claims.
In principle, such a cycle can be repeated, unless, of course, it happens, as in the well-known folklore tale with constant and depreciating intimidation yelling: “Wolves, wolves!”