U.S. intensifies pressure against Russia ahead of Bolton visit

The U.S. took several measures to intensify pressure
against Russia ahead of a two-day visit starting today by National Security
Adviser John Bolton to meet with Russian President Putin and Foreign Minister
Sergei Lavrov. The U.S. is considering withdrawing from the 1987 Nuclear Forces
Treaty that prohibits use of intermediate- and short-range rockets, as well as
testing, producing or fielding new ground-based missiles, U.S. President Donald
Trump told reporters on Oct. 20. He pointed out that the Russians have been
violating the treaty for many years.

U.S. military officials have offered Ukraine use of
the Oliver Hazard Perry frigate among other hardware, reported on Oct. 18 the
mil.in.ua news site, citing a letter sent to Ukrainian defense officials. The
frigate would be used to defend against the current Russian military buildup in
the Azov Sea region, the report said.

The U.S. has a policy of adding a new round of
sanctions against Russia every month or two in order to force its leaders to
the negotiating table, U.S. Special Envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker told an
audience at the Atlantic Council on Oct. 18. The EU has been consistent in
supporting the mounting U.S. sanctions against Russia, he said. At the same
conference, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs
A. Wess Mitchell criticized the European Union for pursuing the Nord Stream 2
natural gas pipeline project with Russia, which will boost the Russian economy
at the expense of Ukraine.

Zenon
Zawada: We don’t expect Bolton will
gain any breakthroughs during his meeting, neither with the nuclear arms treaty
nor with a UN peacekeeping mission in Donbas. We expect tensions between the
U.S. and Russia to worsen throughout the next year, possibly erupting in the
form of elections-related violence. Presidential elections in Ukraine are
scheduled for March 31, while parliamentary elections are scheduled for Oct.
27, 2019.