EU Mulls Restoring Cooperation With Russia On Counterterrorism

The Kremlin this week has publicized conditions under which it would enter negotiations with the United States toward restoring relations. 

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said Russia remains "open" to such dialogue but only on the basis of comprehensively addressing all issues of concern. Peskov said that Moscow has the "political will" for talks with Washington, but is “in favor of a comprehensive discussion of all issues."

President Putin "has repeatedly said that we are open to a dialogue, that we believe it is necessary to discuss all issues comprehensively. You cannot take some issues out of the general context that now dominates our bilateral relations," Peskov elaborated, according to Russian media.

Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov has previously described that "only crumbs" remain of US-Russian relations, and this includes mainly the deconfliction hotline in Syria, space exploration, and some contact groups that work on nuclear proliferation. Still, several end of Cold War era weapons treaties have collapsed, as Washington has ratcheted anti-Russian sanctions related to the Ukraine war. 

The fresh assessment appeared to be a response to some of the goodwill shown by the West in the wake of last Friday's Crocus City Hall terrorist attack which left 140 dead.

"The United States strongly condemns yesterday’s deadly terrorist attack in Moscow," Secretary of State Antony Blinken had said in a Saturday statement. "We condemn terrorism in all its forms and stand in solidarity with the people of Russia in grieving the loss of life from this horrific event."

This tragic event opened the window to Moscow potentially restoring formal counter-terrorism cooperation with the West: 

Following a terrorist attack in Moscow Oblast, the EU asserted that it might allow joint counterterrorism cooperation with the Russian Federation under certain conditions, but it is difficult to imagine a basis for cooperation with a country engaged in full-fledged aggression at the moment.

Peter Stano, EU’s Lead Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, responded to a question at a briefing in Brussels about the possibility of EU-Russia cooperation in the fight against terrorism following the shooting in the Russian suburbs that killed 137 people. The terrorist group Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack.

Likely any dialogue or future cooperation with Washington would be limited to that front, in the wake of the Moscow attack.

Given President Biden called Putin a "butcher" again this week, ties are not expected to thaw anytime soon...

Amb. Antonov said that since the Crocus Hall attack the Kremlin has only had "transitory" contacts with the US administration, but that next week there will be opportunity to discuss "bilateral relations, about how we can live on, and if there is any chance at all for Russian-American relations not to be completely destroyed."