President Obama has granted Russian President Vladimir Putin’s request to meet Monday during the United Nations General Assembly in New York next week, the White House confirmed on Thursday.
The two haven’t spoken since July, a discussion that was also at Putin’s request, according to the White House.
“The top item on [Obama’s] agenda will be Ukraine,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest said. “The president will once again use this occasion to reinforce the importance of Russia keeping the commitments they have made in the context of the Minsk agreement,” he said.
Continuing to back separatists in eastern Ukraine who are fighting the central government in Kiev is a “clear violation” of the agreement internationally brokered in Minsk, Belarus and now referred to as the “Minsk” agreement, Earnest said.
Putin and Obama haven’t met in person since last fall, Earnest noted, with the exception of some small talk at a D-Day commemoration event in France back in June. The White House doesn’t accept every Putin request because history has shown that the Russian leader doesn’t always follow through on the promises he makes during such meetings.
“We haven’t seen the Russians be particularly willing to live up to the commitments they made in the context of diplomatic talks,” Earnest said. Many times European leaders, such as German Chancellor Angela Merkel, have met with Putin and received “any number of commitments … but [he] hasn’t been really willing to follow through on those commitments,” Earnest said. That partly “would explain why an offer from President Putin to meet face-to-face with President Obama is one that is carefully considered and deliberated upon before it’s accepted.”
Earnest noted that Putin is indeed trying to get Obama’s attention.
“[I]t is clear that he’s interested in the attention of the leader of the United States of America and, given the lengthy list of concerns that we have about Russia’s conduct in a couple of these international hot spots” a meeting now is “appropriate,” he said.
Obama hopes to “get some greater clarity about Russia’s intentions inside of Ukraine and whether or not they’re going to begin to takes steps to abide by the commitments that they have made but failed to live up to, in the context of Ukraine, and whether or not they’re willing to at least consider President Obama’s advice when it comes to reinforcing their military support for the Assad regime,” Earnest said, referring to Syria’s embattled dictator.
Putin may also have sought the meeting to bolster Russia’s reputation globally, Earnest said.
Putin seeks “to position Russia … sort of as the chief competitor to the United States around the world,” Earnest said, whereas Obama categories Moscow as a “regional power.”
The personal image Putin tries to project as the aloof tough guy is also not one he reserves just for meetings with Obama, Earnest said.
Putin recently met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the photos of which show Putin “striking a now-familiar pose of less than perfect posture and unbuttoned jacket and, you know, knees spread far apart to convey a particular image,” Earnest said.
“I think this is an image that he seeks to project in a variety of international settings,” he added.
Earnest also listed how Western sanctions against Moscow for its aggression toward Ukraine have taken a significant toll on Russia’s economy.
In 2013, Russia was the ninth-largest economy in the world. Now it’s the 15th. According to the International Monetary Fund, it will contract 3 percent to 4 percent this year. Its central bank has lost $150 billion in reserves and its bonds have dropped to junk status, Earnest said.
However, Obama is willing to lift Washington’s punishing economic sanctions against Russia if Putin will abide by the Minsk agreement, Earnest said.
“At the same time, the president has made clear that he’s prepared to waive those sanctions as soon as Russia is prepared to demonstrate commitment to complying with the agreements that were reached in Minsk,” he said.
