Ex-EU Consultant: US, Russia Should Work ‘Behind Scenes’ to Reset Relations

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WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US President Donald Trump’s administration should work backchannels with Moscow to reduce superpower tensions in resolving the row over the expulsion of scores of diplomats, former European Union (EU) consultant Paolo von Schirach told Sputnik.

"The silver lining of this crisis could be that the new Trump foreign policy team could see this as an opportunity to work with Moscow behind the scenes in order to reset the bilateral relationship," Schirach, president of the Global Policy Institute (GPI), and Professor of International Affairs at BAU International University said on Thursday.

On Thursday, Russia announced the expulsion of 60 US diplomats as a reciprocal measure to Washington’s actions over the poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal. Later in the day, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters that Cold War-era type precautions should be put in place to defuse tensions between the two countries.

Diplomatic precedent suggested that both Washington and Moscow should be able to reestablish smooth-running relations, Schirach said.

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It is still an open question whether Trump’s decision to expel diplomats signals a harder line considering he has decided to bring more neoconservatives into his cabinet.

On Monday, the United States announced it has expelled 60 Russian diplomats and was closing the Russian consulate in Seattle in solidarity with the United Kindgon, which claims that Moscow is behind the attempted murder of Skripal and his daughter Yulia.

Russia has strongly rejected the accusations and offered assistance in the investigation. However, Moscow's request for samples of the chemical substance used to poison Skripal has been rejected.

Skripal and his daughter Yulia have been in the hospital since March 4 due to exposure to what UK experts say is the A234 nerve agent. UK Prime Minister Theresa May has accused Russia of orchestrating the attack and expelled 23 Russian diplomats, while the European Union has expressed its solidarity.

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