This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/25/world/europe/russia-cyber-security-meddling.html

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Putin Wants a Truce in Cyberspace — While Denying Russian Interference Putin Wants a Truce in Cyberspace — While Denying Russian Interference
(about 7 hours later)
MOSCOW — President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia on Friday proposed a truce with the United States in cyberspace, without acknowledging that Russia has used the internet to interfere in American politics. MOSCOW — President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia on Friday proposed a truce with the United States in cyberspace, without acknowledging that his country has repeatedly used cybertechniques to attack elections from the Ukraine to the United States, stolen emails from the Defense Department to the White House, and developed some of the world’s most sophisticated disinformation efforts.
Mr. Putin issued an unusual written statement outlining a four-point plan for what he called a “reboot” in the relationship between the United States and Russia in the field of information security. Moscow and Washington, he wrote, should issue “guarantees of non-intervention into the internal affairs of each other, including into electoral processes.” Mr. Putin issued an unusual written statement outlining a four-point plan for what he called a “reboot” in the relationship between the United States and Russia in the field of information security. Moscow and Washington, he wrote, should issue “guarantees of nonintervention into the internal affairs of each other, including into electoral processes.”
The United States and Russia should develop a bilateral agreement “on preventing incidents in the information space,” modeled on Cold War-era deal making, Mr. Putin wrote. He urged a bilateral agreement “on preventing incidents in the information space,” modeled on Cold War-era arms control treaties.
But beyond the conciliatory language, Mr. Putin’s statement offered no hint that Moscow was prepared to make any concessions on cybersecurity matters. Russia continues to deny interfering in American politics, while insisting that the United States meddles in Russian politics by backing opponents of Mr. Putin. But beyond the conciliatory language, Mr. Putin’s statement offered no hint that Moscow was prepared to make any specific concessions on its greatly accelerated use of cyberweapons over the past decade — sometimes directly, sometimes through proxies. Russia continues to deny interfering in American politics, while insisting that the United States meddles in Russian politics by backing opponents of Mr. Putin.
“As we have said more than once, there is no basis” for claims that Russia has meddled in American elections, Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov, said in his own statement on Friday. “We are in favor of a professional and constructive discussion of all existing problems and claims at the negotiating table.”“As we have said more than once, there is no basis” for claims that Russia has meddled in American elections, Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov, said in his own statement on Friday. “We are in favor of a professional and constructive discussion of all existing problems and claims at the negotiating table.”
Russia has floated similar proposals before, including when Mr. Putin met with President Trump in Helsinki, Finland, in 2018. They drew interest from Mr. Trump but were otherwise roundly rejected in Washington, where lawmakers asked why the United States would work on cybersecurity with a country that had used hacking and online disinformation to meddle in the 2016 election. President Trump has said repeatedly that he is tempted to believe Mr. Putin’s insistence that Russia had no role in the 2016 election, although the spokesman for the National Security Council, John Ullyot, dismissed Mr. Putin’s offer on Friday.
“It is hard to take such statements seriously when Russia, China, Iran and others have sought to undermine our election process,’’ Mr. Ullyot said, following Mr. Trump in suggesting the problem goes beyond Russia.
“It is possible that this offer is a further effort by Russia to create divisions in the United States,’’ he said.
Russia has floated similar proposals before, including when Mr. Putin met with President Trump in Helsinki, Finland, in 2018. Mr. Trump warmed to them at first, saying he would work with Russia to create “an impenetrable cybersecurity unit” designed to assure “that election hacking, and many other negative things, will be guarded and safe.”
But Mr. Trump’s declaration was mocked by many, including some members of the president’s own staff, who asked how the United States would jointly patrol cyberspace with one of the world’s leaders in cyberespionage. At around the same time, the United States was placing malware inside Russia’s electric grid and making no effort to hide it, in hopes of deterring Moscow from attacking the American grid.
It was not clear if Mr. Putin was calling for the reset because of the intense focus on Russian activity around the 2020 election, or because firms like Microsoft have identified continued Russian attacks, some from groups linked to the military and Russian intelligence agencies.
This time, Mr. Putin is calling for a reset less than six weeks before an American presidential election that could put an outspoken critic of the Kremlin — former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. — in the White House. The move appeared at least in part to be an attempt to present a friendlier face in response to American officials’ recent statements that Russia had mounted clandestine efforts to weaken Mr. Biden in the presidential race.This time, Mr. Putin is calling for a reset less than six weeks before an American presidential election that could put an outspoken critic of the Kremlin — former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. — in the White House. The move appeared at least in part to be an attempt to present a friendlier face in response to American officials’ recent statements that Russia had mounted clandestine efforts to weaken Mr. Biden in the presidential race.
Christopher A. Wray, the director of the F.B.I., warned last week that Russia was actively pursuing a disinformation campaign against Mr. Biden. That led to a rebuke of Mr. Wray from Mr. Trump. And a recent C.I.A. analysis concluded that it was likely Mr. Putin was continuing to approve and direct interference operations aimed at raising Mr. Trump’s re-election chances.
“It’s possible that in the Kremlin they understand that Biden is likely to win,” said Andrei Kortunov, director general of the Russian International Affairs Council, a research organization close to the Russian government. “They are preparing for a Democratic administration that could be even tougher toward Russia than a Republican one.”“It’s possible that in the Kremlin they understand that Biden is likely to win,” said Andrei Kortunov, director general of the Russian International Affairs Council, a research organization close to the Russian government. “They are preparing for a Democratic administration that could be even tougher toward Russia than a Republican one.”
Christopher A. Wray, the director of the F.B.I., warned last week that Russia was actively pursuing a disinformation campaign against Mr. Biden. And a recent C.I.A. analysis concluded that it was likely Mr. Putin was continuing to approve and direct interference operations aimed at raising Mr. Trump’s re-election chances. Both Russia and China have periodically proposed cybersecurity treaties, including requirements that everyone logging into the internet be required to use their true identity. While such proposals might limit illicit activity — if they could be enforced — they would also make it easier for the world’s autocrats to hunt down dissidents.
“These measures are aimed at building up trust between our States, promoting security and prosperity of our peoples,” Mr. Putin’s statement said. “They will significantly contribute to ensuring global peace in the information space.” Most academic experts have concluded that the treaties that led to arms reductions from the 1960s forward were unlikely to work in cyberspace. Nuclear weapons were in the hands of a small number of states; cyberweapons are controlled by countries, criminal groups, activists and teenagers. Often, states conduct their cyberactivities through proxies, including criminal groups. All those would make treaties fairly useless.
Nonetheless Mr. Putin seemed enthralled by the idea. “These measures are aimed at building up trust between our States, promoting security and prosperity of our peoples,” Mr. Putin’s statement said. “They will significantly contribute to ensuring global peace in the information space.”
Two Russian political analysts with ties to the Kremlin said in interviews Friday that even if Mr. Putin’s proposal was a genuine attempt at improving the relationship with Washington, they did not expect it to go anywhere. Mr. Kortunov said Mr. Putin had not signaled that he was ready to give any substantial ground in the dispute over election interference.Two Russian political analysts with ties to the Kremlin said in interviews Friday that even if Mr. Putin’s proposal was a genuine attempt at improving the relationship with Washington, they did not expect it to go anywhere. Mr. Kortunov said Mr. Putin had not signaled that he was ready to give any substantial ground in the dispute over election interference.
“It’s obvious that the Kremlin would, of course, prefer not to quarrel with Washington, no matter the election result,” Mr. Kortunov said, noting the risk of a President Biden seeking to impose new sanctions on Russia. “But they would like to avoid these challenges without paying a serious price.”“It’s obvious that the Kremlin would, of course, prefer not to quarrel with Washington, no matter the election result,” Mr. Kortunov said, noting the risk of a President Biden seeking to impose new sanctions on Russia. “But they would like to avoid these challenges without paying a serious price.”
For instance, Mr. Kortunov noted, the Kremlin has not made any public effort to rein in Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, the Russian business magnate indicted by the United States for helping spearhead interference in the 2016 election.For instance, Mr. Kortunov noted, the Kremlin has not made any public effort to rein in Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, the Russian business magnate indicted by the United States for helping spearhead interference in the 2016 election.
On the contrary, Russia’s relationship with the West has only deteriorated further in recent weeks. The unexplained nerve-agent attack on Aleksei A. Navalny, the Russian opposition leader now recovering in Berlin, stirred revulsion in European countries including Germany and France — places where Mr. Putin had been able to count on some measure of sympathy. And Mr. Putin’s backing for Aleksandr G. Lukashenko, the Belarusian autocrat who launched a brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protesters last month, demonstrated the Kremlin’s hard-line pursuit of a post-Soviet sphere of influence at the expense of human rights.On the contrary, Russia’s relationship with the West has only deteriorated further in recent weeks. The unexplained nerve-agent attack on Aleksei A. Navalny, the Russian opposition leader now recovering in Berlin, stirred revulsion in European countries including Germany and France — places where Mr. Putin had been able to count on some measure of sympathy. And Mr. Putin’s backing for Aleksandr G. Lukashenko, the Belarusian autocrat who launched a brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protesters last month, demonstrated the Kremlin’s hard-line pursuit of a post-Soviet sphere of influence at the expense of human rights.
Fyodor Lukyanov, a Moscow foreign-policy analyst who advises the Kremlin, said Friday’s cybersecurity proposal underscored that Mr. Putin is now in a far more conciliatory mood than he was at the height of the Ukraine crisis five years ago. But he said American distrust of Russia was so deep that he did not expect Mr. Putin’s proposal to be taken seriously in Washington — and that relations could take another step downward if Mr. Biden wins the presidency.Fyodor Lukyanov, a Moscow foreign-policy analyst who advises the Kremlin, said Friday’s cybersecurity proposal underscored that Mr. Putin is now in a far more conciliatory mood than he was at the height of the Ukraine crisis five years ago. But he said American distrust of Russia was so deep that he did not expect Mr. Putin’s proposal to be taken seriously in Washington — and that relations could take another step downward if Mr. Biden wins the presidency.
To be sure, a Biden victory could bring some strategic benefits for Russia, analysts in Moscow say. They expect Mr. Biden to be more amenable to extending the New Start treaty, the nuclear-arms pact set to expire in February. And some believe that a Biden presidency could reduce the pressure on Iran, a key Russian ally. Anton Troianovski reported from Moscow, and David E. Sanger from Washington.
But Mr. Biden could be expected to take a much tougher stand than Mr. Trump against Russia in Ukraine and on matters of human rights. Looming over everything would be the dispute over Russian election interference, Mr. Lukyanov said.
“There will clearly be people in the Biden administration who view Russia as being at fault for the loss of 2016 and will transfer their personal hurt, and their personal revenge, onto the relationship,” Mr. Lukyanov said. “Nothing good will come of it.”