Following his meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Sochi in May, US Secretary of State John Kerry stressed the opportunities for US-Russian cooperation in managing several of the Middle East’s most visible security challenges. What remains unclear is the extent to which either Washington or Moscow will be willing to pursue these opportunities.
Kerry’s trip and his meetings were a sharp departure from Washington’s approach to Russia since the spring of 2014, as the United States has shunned high-level bilateral engagement. Indeed, senior US and Russian officials have generally met only in multilateral events, or on the margins of these events, since Russia’s annexation of the Crimean Peninsula. Washington likewise avoided sending top officials to Russia, including for international events such as the country’s massive celebration of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe on May 9, where US Ambassador John Tefft represented the United States during the commemorative ceremonies.
