Answers to: Baltic Security Commitments Hurt Relations with Russia

Relations at an all-time low

Brandon  7026, 21, Michigan Daily: University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Why is Vladimir Putin So Popular?, https://www.michigandaily.com/columns/why-is-vladimir-putin-popular/On June 16, President Joe Biden held what will probably be the tensest meeting of his presidency until Republicans retake either house of Congress: a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva, Switzerland. Surrounding the meeting, both sides set a confrontational tone. Putin described Russia-U.S. relations as at "its lowest point in recent years," while Biden stated that the meeting was "not about trust." This tension is reflected in U.S. public opinion, where Putin has only a 10% approval rating, according to a 2018 Gallup poll

Non-unique: New sanctions on Russia

Russia & CIS Military Newsletter, 8-23, 21, U.S. to sanction Russia in nuclear sphere - State Dept

The United States will impose further sanctions on Russia in September in relation to last year's incident involving opposition leader Alexei Navalny, the U.S. Department of State said on Friday.  The sanctions are being imposed under the 1991 Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act.   They include "restrictions on the permanent imports of certain Russian firearms" and ammunition and "export restrictions on nuclear and missile-related goods and technology pursuant to the Export Control Reform Act of 2018."   The sanctions will be effective from the publication of a Federal Register notice on September 7, 2021 and will remain in place for at least 12 months, after which they may be lifted providing Russia has met the requirements set out in the act. In particular, it must provide "reliable assurances that it will not use chemical weapons in violation of international law" and that "it is not making preparations to use chemical weapons in the future" and that "it is willing to allow international inspectors to verify those assurances," and "it is making restitution to Mr. Navalny."

Security assistance to the Ukraine alienates Russia

DPA International, 9-2, 21,  Kremlin slams Ukraine-US friendship as opposition to Russia

Moscow has criticized the relationship between

Ukraine and the United States after a meeting between US President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. "They are friends not because of each other, but against Russia," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday, according to Interfax news agency. "This can only cause regret," said Peskov, who was accompanying President Vladimir Putin on a trip to Russia's far east. His statement came after the White House announced a new 60-million-dollar security assistance package to include Javelin anti-armour systems and other capabilities to enable Ukraine "to more effectively defend itself against Russian aggression," according to a joint statement issued after the talks.