Commentary: The stunning audacity of Putin’s cash demands

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

COMMENTARY | Mon Oct 17, 2016 | 1:58pm EDT

Commentary: The stunning audacity of Putin’s cash demands

By William E. Pomeranz

The standard policy prescription for Washington’s dealings with Russia is situational: Agree to disagree on certain issues, but try to find areas where cooperation is possible.

The areas where the two nations can cooperate, however, have drastically diminished over the past week.

The United States on October 7 demanded a war crimes investigation of Russia for its air strikes in Syria, particularly in Aleppo. Washington also formally accused Russian government-sponsored hackers of direct interference in the U.S. presidential election.

In response, Russian President Vladimir Putin not only withdrew from a 2000 plutonium-disposal treaty, he essentially presented Washington with a bill that must be paid before he would resume cooperation under its terms.

Putin delivered the demand in his proposed legislation to suspend the treaty, which included a detailed list of Washington’s unfriendly actions against Russia. He specifically called for the repeal of the Magnitsky list, which punishes specific Russian officials for the death of lawyer Sergei Magnitsky while in custody, and the entire U.S sanctions program.

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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-sanctions-commentary-idUSKBN12H0A6

[Foggyhill]

1. The response should be even more sanctions