WASHINGTON — Russia stepped up its criticism of the U.S.-led war in Iraq Wednesday as foreign policy analysts warned that U.S.-Russia relations are approaching a post-Cold War low that could have serious repercussions in the future.
U.S. and British efforts to overthrow Saddam Hussein's regime are "illegal and doomed to failure," Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov told Russian legislators Wednesday. "What democracy are they talking about when they are trying to completely destroy the country?"
The Russian Foreign Ministry released a statement demanding an end to the war, in light of reports that a U.S. missile attack killed 14 Iraqi civilians in Baghdad.
The harsh statements came as tensions continue to mount between the United States and Russia. In recent days, the Russian parliament refused to ratify a key nuclear disarmament treaty the U.S. Senate has already approved, and Russian diplomats have blocked U.S. efforts to involve the United Nations in overseeing humanitarian aid in Iraq. For their part, U.S. officials have accused Russia of aiding the Iraqi war effort with sales of key military items.
A serious falling-out between the two nations threatens U.S.-Russian cooperation on several issues, including Russian help the United States has counted on in anti-terrorism efforts in central Asia.
President Bush met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Slovenia in 2001 and famously said he had looked into Putin's eyes and "was able to get a sense of his soul."
But U.S. officials say their view of Putin's soul is more opaque at the moment. Washington and Moscow had similar disagreements about the U.S.-led air attack on Yugoslavia in 1999, but were able to restore good relations. In the current crisis, however, there is a sense the dispute could spin out of control. U.S. Ambassador to Russia Alexander Vershbow has said the rift has created "serious tension."
Not only did Moscow stun the White House by resolutely opposing direct United Nations backing for the war, but this week, the administration accused Russian companies of providing Iraq with anti-tank guided missiles, satellite jamming devices and night-vision goggles. Bush called Putin to complain about the alleged sales.
Russia denied those charges, though Secretary of State Colin Powell said Ivanov, in a phone conversation Wednesday, promised a full investigation and said Russia does not "want this to be an irritant in our relationship."
The public disagreements have led some veteran U.S.-Russia watchers to fear that if the increasingly heated rhetoric does not cool soon, the relationship could suffer permanent damage.
"Both sides have lots at stake to not allow the relationship to deteriorate further," says Ariel Cohen, a Russia analyst at the Heritage Foundation. "Things are worse than they should have been."
Diplomats representing countries on the U.N. Security Council say a large part of the problem resulted from a basic miscalculation by the Bush administration when it assumed Putin would not veto a council resolution that would lead to war in Iraq.
Veto threats by Russia and France helped force the United States and Britain to withdraw the resolution without a vote on March 17, a major diplomatic embarrassment.
Diplomats say Washington assumed Russia would abstain, and never offered Putin any written guarantees that he would be able to recover more than $20 billion in Russian debt and oil contracts in a post-Saddam Iraq.
Another contributing factor: Putin has suffered strong criticism at home in the wake of Bush's decision to withdraw from the 1974 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. Many in Russia feel that Putin has received little in return for his strong support for Bush since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Sentiment in Russia has tilted sharply against the United States. A poll conducted earlier this week found a dramatic rise of anti-American sentiment, with 55% of Russians saying they view the United States negatively, up from 15% in a similar poll last summer.