Det enda alternativet

Only high-level talks can penetrate the fog of war, skriver Fiona Hill på Brookings i Financial Times.

To avoid inadvertent escalation in Ukraine and deal with other crises, Washington has to reopen channels to Moscow. Professional military contacts are especially frayed. Meanwhile, Russia has returned to cold war-style posturing, at a time when that era’s rules of engagement and crisis hotlines no longer exist. Since 2014, Mr Putin has engaged in nuclear sabre-rattling. Russia regularly probes the air, land and sea defences of Nato members. Mr Putin calls this a counter-offensive against western aggression. Now Nato is engaged in its own counter-offensive, and Mr Putin risks underestimating the likelihood of western military action if Russia goes too far. An encounter between the Russian and Nato forces could set us all on a deadly path.

This is the message that Washington should be insistently reaffirming. Meeting with American officials, then, is no prize and no diplomatic victory for Mr Putin. Rather, such meetings are an opportunity to deliver serious messages. There is no real alternative to face-to-face meetings with Mr Putin and Russian officials.