Putin Puts Forth Non-Interference Agreement with U.S.

President Vladimir Putin condemned election meddling and proposed a U.S. partnership. (Wikimedia Commons)

On September 25, Russian President Vladimir Putin released a statement proposing that Russia and the United States enter into a pact to deter election meddling in both countries. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov read the statement in an official ministry video. 

The statement specifically called for the United States and Russia to "exchange guarantees of non-interference in each others' domestic affairs including elections.” Putin also proposed that the two countries coordinate on preventing cyberspace incidents.

Putin’s proposal came amidst heavy controversy in the United States surrounding the upcoming general elections. Recently, U.S. intelligence warned that Moscow is looking to tamper with the outcome of the election and aid Trump. 

In Russia, this announcement coincided with the recent poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Navalny fell ill in late August before being flown out to Germany for treatment. Doctors confirmed he was poisoned by a Novichok nerve agent, the same agent used in the poisoning of Russian defector Sergei Skripal in 2018. Many in the international community suspect Moscow to be behind the poisoning, which the Kremlin vehemently denies.

According to the Moscow Times, the proposal corresponds with the Kremlin’s recent accusation that Western countries, namely Germany, run an ongoing disinformation campaign against the Russian government. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Pesko suggested that Germany fabricated the poisoning, claiming, "The German specialists managed to establish some kind of poisonous substance.”