Joe Biden has been warned that Russia and the US is in danger of cutting ties, as tensions over the war in Ukraine show no sign of easing.
Russia has summoned the US ambassador in Moscow, John Sullivan, over United States president Biden’s decision to publicly label Vladimir Putin a war criminal for his actions in Ukraine.
Confirmations of various acts of barbarism have emerged from the war-torn country, including attacks on hospitals, shopping centres and residential buildings - despite Russia initially saying it was only targeting military objectives during its so-called ‘special military operation’.
Biden has been in talks with European allies over the past days in a bid to bring an end to the bloodshed and to help sustain a unified front against the Kremlin.
What has Russia said about Biden's war criminal claims?
US ambassador John Sullivan has been summoned by the Russian Foreign Ministry over what it calls “recent unacceptable statements” by President Biden about Putin.
In a statement, the ministry said: “It was emphasised that remarks such as these by the American president, which are unworthy of a state figure of such a high rank, put Russian-American relations on the verge of a breach.”
In response to the comments, US State Department spokesman Ned Price said: “It’s awfully rich to hear a country speak about ‘inappropriate comments’ when that same country is engaged in mass slaughter, including strikes and attacks that have resulted in civilian lives [lost], strikes and attacks, barrages that have levelled civilian cities, an invasion of 100,000 plus forces against a largely civilian population.”
The US isn’t alone in claiming that Russia has committed war crimes, with the UK, France, Albania, Ireland and Norway all also joining the chorus of nations, while a prosecutor at the international criminal court has launched an investigation.
What would it mean to cut all ties with Russia?
Energy consequences
The idea of cutting ties can take many forms. One major way would be to cease all fuel imports from Moscow, although this is far easier said than done.
The European Commission says it gets 27% of its crude oil from Russia, making it the biggest supplier to the bloc.
Meanwhile, 41% of natural gas imports and 47% of Europe's solid-fuel imports also come from Russia, meaning that to simply ‘cut ties’ would have far-reaching implications for the populations of Europe. Germany has warned that even short-term cut-offs could cause people to run out of fuel, with consequences for unemployment and poverty.
However, this doesn't mean that a cut off would not be worth it. Lithuania’s foreign minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said that the energy source could quite easily be replaced by the EU, and to cut it off would be to slash “the biggest revenue to the Russian budget”.
These calls have been echoed by the besieged Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, who said: “No euros for the occupiers. Close all of your ports to them. Don’t export them your goods. Deny energy resources. Push for Russia to leave Ukraine.”
Diplomatic breakdown
One key outcome that the breakdown of ties could cause is the end of direct diplomatic contact.
If Russia is serious about the threat to cut ties, this could manifest in the US ambassador being booted from the country.
Such a break-off in relations has not happened since the US recognised the Soviet Union in 1933 after 16 years of non-recognition following the Russian revolution, which saw communism become the dominant political doctrine in the country.
The period since 1933 has included the Second World War and the Cold War along with its many crises.
Now, in 2022, various diplomats have been dismissed from the two countries, in a tit-for-tat game of oneupmanship as relations have deteriorated over the Ukraine crisis.
