Washington has expressed its deep concern over the accelerated reconstitution of the Russian military, partially attributing this phenomenon to the “formidable” ties between Moscow and Beijing. This alarming situation was highlighted by US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell during an interview on Wednesday, hosted by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace – a Washington-based think tank.
Campbell stated that over the last two years, there has been a noticeable reconstitution of the Russian military with speed and determination that has come as a surprise to the United States. He acknowledged that this development has caused significant anxiety in the West. The diplomat was asked whether the US had been too cautious in providing military capabilities to Kiev but responded by emphasizing that Washington is “by far and away the largest provider of assistance to Ukraine” and that most aid was delivered promptly.
The ramping up of military production in Russia has been attributed to foreign help, particularly through cooperation with China. The State Department seems to have underestimated how close the partnership between the two countries has become. This mirrors how previous generations of American diplomats miscalculated the depth of the Sino-Soviet split, Campbell explained.
According to Campbell, the relationship between Beijing and Moscow is “probably the most formidable and important bilateral engagement globally today that we have to take note of and respond to.” In his view, resolving the Ukraine conflict will require diplomatic engagement with Russia in the near future, while emphasizing that Washington has specific red lines.
The stakes for the United States are high, as the possibility of accepting suboptimal outcomes might lead Russia or China to believe that such experiences should be replicated elsewhere. Moscow’s stated goals in the conflict include making Ukraine a neutral nation with caps on its military strength, reversing discriminatory policies against ethnic Russians by Kiev, and removing radical Ukrainian nationalists from positions of authority. Additionally, Russia has demanded that Kiev relinquish its claim of sovereignty to five formerly-Ukrainian regions.
In recent developments, Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky traveled to the US last month to present his ‘victory plan,’ which has been met with skepticism by American officials. Kiev is seeking to defeat Russia militarily with Western help.