Putin-Biden Dialogue Should Address Numerous US Military Bases Worldwide - Activist

Further dialogue between Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden should focus not just on nuclear disarmament, but also on the more than 800 US military bases scattered across the globe, Madelyn Hoffman, a member of the NJ Green Party and a co-chair of the GP-US Peace Action Committee, told Sputnik

WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th June, 2021) Further dialogue between Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden should focus not just on nuclear disarmament, but also on the more than 800 US military bases scattered across the globe, Madelyn Hoffman, a member of the NJ Green Party and a co-chair of the GP-US Peace Action Committee, told Sputnik.

The world's attention last week was riveted at luxury lakeside Villa La Grange in Geneva where the leaders met face-to-face for the first time in Biden's presidency. One of the highlights of the summit was the signing of a joint Russian-US statement on strategic stability in which analysts saw a good sign and a possibility for future meetings.

"Putin and Biden's conversation must be about more than nuclear weapons. It must also focus on the more than 800 U.S. military bases present around the world and the threat that poses to the ability of countries to determine their own futures," Hoffman, who also ran for the US Senate as a Green in New Jersey in 2020, said when asked what steps the leaders should take to reach a nuclear-free world.

The US network of military installations is by far the largest with locations in dozens of nations on every continent. Media reports claim that approximately 80 countries and territories host American military bases.

One can only hope that Biden and Putin will work together to create a nuclear-free world that would be best for everyone, Hoffman said, recalling that the world understands that nuclear weapons need to be removed. To achieve this, both Putin and Biden need to believe that the other country poses no threat to them, she said, stressing that discussions can become a step toward creating "an environment of trust," she noted.

"However, again I return to the matter of what each country believes about the other. As long as the U.S. paints Russia as the aggressor nation, while it continues its military presence in Afghanistan, Syria, Libya, Yemen, and all but one country in Africa, continues to impose sanctions on some Latin American countries and on Iran, and continues to back the state of Israel virtually unconditionally, why would Russia trust in US intentions?" she said.

While noting that the signing of the declaration on strategic stability is better than signing no document at all, Hoffman criticized Biden's approach to Putin and accusations from the US of Russia's alleged influence on the politics and elections of many countries worldwide.

'"How can real and effective negotiations take place under these circumstances? As to the very important goal of nuclear abolition, negotiations must take place between equals, based on truth, so trust can be established. If the US begins with a self-serving view of history negotiations will stall," she said.

Speaking of the possibility of resuming talks on the Open Skies Treaty from which both sides withdrew, Hoffman noted that such a deal depends on trust.

"There is enough uncertainty about such a Treaty to question its value for 2021, but it is clear that the world needs peace between Russia and the US in order to flourish. I may be old-fashioned but that peace cannot be obtained if one country holds itself superior to another, especially under false pretenses," she concluded.

Open Skies was signed in 1992 as one of the key confidence-building tools after the Cold War. It set a program for its 35 co-signatories to conduct unarmed aerial surveillance over the territory of the participants to collect information openly about each other's military activities. The aircraft participating in enforcing the treaty are required to attain specific standards to be allowed to conduct operations.