Helsinki Commission urges US to recognize Russia as persistent security threat

The U.S. branch of the Helsinki Commission has called on American legislators to recognize Russia as a persistent threat to security and to abandon outdated approaches that date back to the Cold War. The human rights organization stressed the need to reassess responses to Russian aggression in the modern context, according to the group’s Oct. 1 report.

Russia poses a serious and persistent threat to its neighbors, the United States, and the democratic world, the report reads. “Even if the country’s current regime were to be replaced today, Russia would still face systemic obstacles to becoming a free and democratic state.”.

As long as Russia cannot acknowledge its imperial history and present state, cease to use repression and corruption as tools of power, and establish governmental institutions based on respect for democracy, human rights, and the rule of law, it cannot be a responsible international actor, the group’s analysts said.

The U.S. must also implement a comprehensive strategy to counter Russia. 

“This process should include supporting and empowering our partners and allies who are on the front lines of countering Russian influence, offering economic and security arrangements that are viable alternatives to Russia’s, and investing in institutions that hold Russia accountable,” the report states.

Its recommendations do not align with the policies of U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration and contradict the views of presidential candidate Donald Trump and his supporters in Congress, who want to reduce spending on European security and initiate direct negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, writes The Hill.

Additionally, Representative Joe Wilson (R-SC), chair of the U.S. Helsinki Commission dismissed the possibility of successful negotiations with Kremlin dictator Vladimir Putin. 

“Putin is not anybody that you can reach an agreement with, that would be substantive, that would hold,” Wilson said.