Gossip Column
Ambassador Roland M. Timerbaev was one of the authors of the NPT and founders of the international nuclear nonproliferation regime, a Soviet and Russian Ambassador, and our colleague at PIR Center for many years (1994–2010). He often became bored and restless at major international conferences because he did not like to listen to the platitudes that were often repeated there and was very happy to have coffee breaks. It was live communication with real people — exactly what he really valued — and the opportunity to learn the latest news, as well as unconfirmed information and “expert gossip” in the corridors, on the sidelines, over coffee… Ambassador Timerbaev would joyfully say at such moments: “Well, now is the time for some good gossip”.
Hence the title of this column. PIR Center is not responsible for the accuracy of what our employees and authors heard in the corridors and on the margins of the conferences and told us without reference to the source. Although we know what these sources are.
We’ve heard the gossip that Middle Eastern countries could become the venue for the first Russian-American summit after Trump’s inauguration…
The comment below was first published in the Telegram channel of Leonid Tsukanov, PIR Center consultant, Лаврентий Аравийский.
The day of Donald Trump’s official inauguration as President of the United States is steadily approaching. And the Republicans are eagerly fueling public anticipation with promises of a high-level Russian-American summit — akin to the Geneva summit between Putin and Biden, but adjusted for current geopolitical realities (and, of course, without Biden).
However, Switzerland is unlikely to serve as the meeting venue this time — especially since Geneva has lost its reputation as a “neutral ground.” Besides, there is a desire to bring a fresh dynamic to the stagnant dialogue.
A promising option could be Middle Eastern countries, particularly the Arabian monarchies, which have taken turns playing the role of international mediators in recent years.
The UAE and Qatar could serve as “equidistant” venues from both Moscow and Washington, while Saudi Arabia also has some chances.
That said, the Gulf states themselves have yet to decide whether they are ready for such a development.
Read more on the topic:
- Océane Van Geluwe. US-Soviet/Russian Relations in the Times of Crises: Lessons Learned from the Esalen Track 1.5 Diplomacy / Ed. Ksenia Mineeva, Leonid Tsukanov. M.: PIR Center, 2023. – 19 p. – (Security Index Occasional Paper Series). URL: https://pircenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SIGLO-4-38-Van-Geluwe.pdf
- Dmitry Trenin. On a New Global Order and Its Nuclear Dimension. An Interview / Ed. Elena Karnaukhova, Leonid Tsukanov. M.: PIR Center, 2023. – 20 p. – (Security Index Occasional Paper Series). URL: https://pircenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SI-INT-2-36-Trenin.pdf
- A Fortochka In Increasingly Heated Russian-American Relations / Edward Kendall. M.: PIR Press, 2022. – 15 p. – (Security Index Occasional Paper Series). URL: https://pircenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/A-Fortochka-In-Increasingly-Heated-Russian-American-Relations.pdf
Keywords: Russia-US; Strategic Stability; International Security
RUF
F4/SOR – 24/12/27
