Support The Moscow Times!

Kremlin Optimistic About U.S. Trade Bill

WASHINGTON — The Russian government remains hopeful that the U.S. Congress will approve a bill to upgrade bilateral trade relations despite a potentially tough political climate heading into U.S. elections in November, Russian officials said.

"We are optimistic. We need to be optimistic," Alexei Drobinin, senior counselor at the Russian Embassy in Washington, said Friday. "We think that expanding trade relations is a good way to broaden our overall relationship."

Congress is under pressure to lift a Cold War provision known as the Jackson-Vanik amendment and approve "permanent normal trade relations" with Russia to ensure that U.S. companies share in the full market-opening benefits of Moscow's entry into the World Trade Organization last week.

Drobinin discussed the issue during a briefing on Russia's hopes for next week's meeting of the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, which the Russian city of Vladivostok is hosting this year.

U.S. business groups hope the House of Representatives and Senate will pass the legislation in September, before lawmakers return home to campaign.

But with concerns in Congress about Moscow's support for Iran and Syria, the timing of a vote remains unclear.

Republican presidential challenger Mitt Romney accused President Barack Obama on Thursday of being too accommodating to Moscow and promised "less flexibility and more backbone" in U.S. policy if he wins the Nov. 6 election.

Mikhail Kalugin, acting head of the embassy's economic section, said that although Washington had still not approved normal trade relations, Moscow did not plan to impose higher tariffs on goods from the United States than on other WTO members.

In addition to making tariff cuts, Moscow has agreed to open its services markets and make other reforms as part of its accession to the WTO.

U.S. companies fear that those benefits are at risk and worry that they will not have protection against arbitrary Russian trade measures until the bill is passed.

In addition, some lawmakers are pushing for a nonbinding resolution of disapproval for Moscow's support for the Syrian government in its bloody battle against rebel groups.

"Of course we are against any nontrade issues to be inserted in a trade bill. ... Our opposition is very clear on that," Kalugin said.

Related articles:

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more