The Obama administration in its final days in power will keep hitting Russia over cyberwarfare, its aggression in Ukraine and military support for the Syrian government, despite the intention of the incoming president to warm U.S. relations wtih Russia.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power plans to deliver a speech on U.S.-Russia relations to the Atlantic Council on Tuesday. The speech will be followed by a moderated discussion titled, “The Threat, the International Order, and the Way Forward.”
“Ambassador Power will speak to the serious threat Russia poses to the rules-based international order and what must be done to address that threat,” the Atlantic Council said in a release about the speech.
The speech will undoubtedly address Obama’s recent administration sanctions on Russia over Moscow’s cyberattacks aimed at influencing the presidential campaign.
The tone of Power’s planned remarks about the direct threat Russia poses the U.S. and its allies directly contrasts with President-elect Trump’s efforts to reset relations with Russia and his ready willingness to work with President Vladimir Putin.
Over the weekend, Trump said he would consider rolling back U.S. sanctions against Russia in exchange for a new, undescribed weapons agreement. Those sanctions were imposed for Russian hacking, Moscow’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, as well as its military support for the Syrian government.
