Responding to the Biden administration’s imposition of new sanctions on Tuesday, the Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry pledged retaliation on the principle of “reciprocity,” though “not necessarily symmetrically.”
That might sound like boring diplomatic jargon, but Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime has a specific motive for its reference to asymmetrical responses. This latest statement came from Foreign Affairs Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, but Russia’s ambassador to the European Union used nearly the same language last week, when he warned the EU against new sanctions.
As I noted then, the intent of these asymmetrical references is the West’s cultivated concern over possible retaliation in the intelligence and security, rather than diplomatic, domains. Disabusing any doubt as to Moscow’s messaging intent, here, Zakharova concluded her statement by warning Washington that it should not “play with fire.”
Put simply, Russians want Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan to read their statements and think, “They’re going to come after us.” It bears noting that Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov matched Zakharova’s rhetoric, promising, “We will definitely react.”
What does this mean in practice?
It’s difficult to know. But considering hyperaggressive Russian intelligence activity against U.S. diplomats abroad and in Russia, the threat of asymmetric action cannot be taken lightly. I would expect that U.S. diplomats will experience more than the usual adventures-of-the-magically-moving-furniture in their Moscow apartments over the coming days. The Biden administration should not tolerate that activity, or any variation on the theme, if and when it occurs. The Obama administration’s record in responding to this kind of activity was pathetic at best. Putin may wish to test whether former President Barack Obama’s vice president will turn a similar blind eye now that he’s in the Oval Office. President Biden must be ready to show that the opposite is true.
The Kremlin is referencing reciprocity? Fine. Let the United States apply that same rule back with interest. If the Kremlin wants to mess around with U.S. diplomats, the FBI should do the same to Russia’s personnel in Washington. If the Russians want to launch cyberattacks, the U.S. should introduce Putin to some of its more boutique cybertools.
Content retrieved from: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/russia-threatens-sanction-retaliation-says-us-shouldnt-play-with-fire.