GS PAPER II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.

Context: U.S. President and Russian President agreed to begin cyber security and arms control talks at a summit that highlighted their discord on human rights and Ukraine issues.

Background:

• S.-Russia relations have been deteriorating for years, notably with Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine, its 2015 intervention in Syria and U.S. charges - denied by Moscow - of meddling in the 2016 election won by Trump.
• In February, Russia and the United States extended New START for five years.
  • The treaty caps the number of strategic nuclear warheads they can deploy and limits the land- and submarine-based missiles and bombers to deliver them.

Recent meet highlights:

• S. President outlined U.S. interests, including cyber security and made clear to Russian president that the United States would respond if Russia infringed on those concerns.
• Both nations agreed to send their ambassadors back to each other's capitals.
• S. and Russia has differences on issues such as human rights.
• Neither side gave details on how their planned cyber security talks might unfold, although U.S. president has told that critical infrastructure should be “off-limits” to cyber attacks.
• Both leaders said they shared a responsibility, however, for nuclear stability, and would hold talks on possible changes to their recently extended New START arms limitation treaty.
• Experts said it was "hard to say" if relations would improve, but that there was a "glimpse of hope.
• This is not about trust, this is about self-interest and verification of self-interest,” as there are some “genuine prospect” of improving relations.

https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/analysis-why-did-biden-meet-putin/article34847755.ece

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