Threats, insults, and Kremlin 'robots': How Russian diplomacy died under Putin

Russia's diplomats were erstwhile a cardinal portion of President Putin's overseas argumentation strategy. But that has each changed.

In the years starring up to Russia's full-scale penetration of Ukraine, diplomats mislaid their authority, their relation reduced to echoing the Kremlin's assertive rhetoric.

BBC Russian asks erstwhile diplomats, arsenic good arsenic ex-Kremlin and White House insiders, however Russian diplomacy broke down.

In October 2021, US Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland went to a gathering astatine the Russian overseas ministry successful Moscow. The antheral crossed the array was Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, who Ms Nuland had known for decades and ever got on with.

Mr Rybakov's American counterparts saw him arsenic a practical, calm negotiator - idiosyncratic they could speech to adjacent arsenic the 2 countries' narration frayed.

This time, things were different.

Mr Ryabkov work Moscow's authoritative presumption from a portion of insubstantial and resisted Ms Nuland's attempts to commencement a discussion. Ms Nuland was shocked, according to 2 radical who discussed the incidental with her.

She described Mr Ryabkov and 1 of his colleagues arsenic "robots with papers", the radical said (the State Department declined to remark connected the incident).

And extracurricular the negotiating room, Russian diplomats were utilizing progressively undiplomatic language.

"We spit connected Western sanctions."

"Let maine speak. Otherwise, you volition truly perceive what Russian Grad missiles are susceptible of."

"Morons" - preceded by an expletive.

These are each quotes from radical successful positions of authorization astatine the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs successful caller years.

It mightiness beryllium hard to ideate now, but Mr Putin himself told the BBC backmost successful 2000 that "Russia is acceptable to co-operate with Nato... close up to joining the alliance".

"I cannot ideate my state isolated from Europe," helium added.

Back then, aboriginal successful his presidency, Mr Putin was anxious to physique ties with the West, a erstwhile elder Kremlin authoritative told the BBC.

Russian diplomats were a cardinal portion of Mr Putin's team, helping resoluteness territorial disputes with China and Norway, starring talks connected deeper co-operation with European countries, and ensuring a peaceful modulation aft a gyration successful Georgia.

But arsenic Mr Putin became much almighty and experienced, helium became progressively convinced helium had each the answers and that diplomats were unnecessary, says Alexander Gabuev, the manager of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, who is surviving successful exile successful Berlin.

The archetypal awesome that a caller Cold War was opening came successful 2007 with a code Mr Putin made to the Munich Security Conference.

In a 30-minute diatribe, helium accused Western countries of attempting to physique a unipolar world. Russia's diplomats followed his lead. A twelvemonth later, erstwhile Russia invaded Georgia, Moscow's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reportedly swore astatine his UK counterpart, David Miliband, asking: "Who are you to lecture me?"

Western officials inactive thought it was worthy trying to enactment with Russia. In 2009, Mr Lavrov and the then-US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pressed a elephantine reddish "reset button" successful relations, and the 2 countries seemed to beryllium gathering co-operation - particularly connected information issues.

But it soon became evident to US officials that their Russian counterparts were simply parroting Mr Putin's increasing anti-Western views, says Ben Rhodes, lawman nationalist information advisor to erstwhile US President Barack Obama.

Mr Rhodes recalls President Obama having meal with Mr Putin successful 2009, accompanied by a people orchestra. He says Mr Putin was much funny successful presenting his presumption of the satellite than discussing co-operation and that the Russian person blamed Mr Obama's predecessor, George W Bush, for betraying Russia.

As the Arab Spring, the US engagement successful Libya, and the Russian thoroughfare protests unfolded successful 2011 and 2012, Mr Putin decided that diplomacy wouldn't get him anywhere, Mr Rhodes says.

"On definite issues - Ukraine successful peculiar - I did not get the consciousness that [diplomats] had overmuch power astatine all," says Mr Rhodes.

As an example, erstwhile Mr Lavrov, the overseas minister, was appointed astir 20 years agone helium had an "international position and his ain position", a erstwhile elder Kremlin authoritative told the BBC.

The Kremlin utilized to consult him adjacent erstwhile it knew helium mightiness person a antithetic presumption to Mr Putin, says Mr Gabuev.

But erstwhile troops were sent into Ukraine successful 2022, Mr Lavrov lone recovered retired a fewer hours earlier the warfare began, according to a study successful the Financial Times.

Andrei Kelin, Moscow's ambassador to the UK, rejects the thought that Russian diplomats person mislaid their influence. He has worked connected relations with Western countries passim his diplomatic career.

In an interrogation with the BBC, helium refused to concede that either Moscow oregon idiosyncratic diplomats carnivore immoderate work for the illness of relations with the West.

"We are not the ones doing the destroying," helium said. "We person problems with the Kyiv regime. There is thing we tin bash astir it."

He says warfare successful Ukraine is "a continuation of diplomacy by different means".

As overseas argumentation officials became little and little influential, they turned their attraction backmost to Russia. Maria Zakharova, who became the ministry's spokesperson successful 2015, is simply a awesome of this caller chapter.

"Before her, diplomats behaved similar diplomats, speaking successful refined expressions," says erstwhile overseas ministry authoritative Boris Bondarev, who resigned successful protestation implicit the war.

But with Ms Zakharova's arrival, overseas ministry briefings became a spectacle. Ms Zakharova often yelled astatine reporters who asked her hard questions and responded to disapproval from different countries with insults.

Her diplomatic colleagues were going the aforesaid way. Mr Bondarev, who utilized to enactment for Moscow's ngo to the UN successful Geneva, recalls 1 gathering wherever Russia blocked each projected initiatives, prompting colleagues from Switzerland to complain.

"We said to them: 'Well, what's the problem? We are a large power, and you are conscionable Switzerland!'

"That's [Russian] diplomacy for you," helium says.

This attack was aimed astatine impressing Russians backmost home, says Mr Gabuev, the overseas argumentation analyst.

But an adjacent much important people assemblage for diplomats is their ain bosses, according to Mr Bondarev. Official telegrams sent to Moscow aft overseas meetings are focussed connected however passionately diplomats defended the country's interests, helium explains.

A emblematic message, according to him, would beryllium thing like: "We truly gave them a hard time! We heroically defended Russian interests, and the Westerners couldn't bash thing and backed down!"

If everyone writes astir "putting Westerners successful their place" and you constitute that you "achieved consensus", you volition beryllium looked astatine with disdain, helium says.

Mr Bondarev recalls a meal successful Geneva successful January 2022 erstwhile Mr Ryabkov, from the overseas ministry, met US officials. US First Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman hoped to avert the penetration of Ukraine done 11th-hour negotiations.

"It was awful," says Mr Bondarev. "The Americans were like, 'Let's negotiate.' And alternatively Ryabkov starts shouting, 'We request Ukraine! We won't spell anyplace without Ukraine! Take each your worldly and spell backmost to the 1997 [Nato] borders!' Sherman is an robust lady, but I deliberation adjacent her jaw dropped astatine this.

"[Ryabkov] was ever precise polite and truly bully to speech to. And present he's banging his fist connected the array and talking nonsense."

It should beryllium noted that, successful caller years, the diplomatic code has changed successful different countries too, albeit connected a smaller scale.

A fewer years earlier, Japan's typical for quality rights astatine the UN, Hideaki Ueda, demanded that overseas colleagues "shut up" astatine a meeting. Gavin Williamson utilized the aforesaid words against Russia erstwhile helium was the UK defence secretary. And Ukraine's ambassador to Germany, Andriy Melnyk, past twelvemonth referred to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arsenic an "offended liver sausage".

After a twelvemonth and a fractional of war, is determination immoderate anticipation that diplomacy could assistance to bring the warring to an end?

Most of the radical the BBC spoke to deliberation it is highly unlikely. Usually, 95% of diplomats' enactment is "unofficial meetings and having coffee", explains Mr Bondarev. Such contacts person greatly declined, helium says - determination is nary longer overmuch to speech about.

Ambassador Kelin has been banned from entering the UK Parliament. At 1 point, helium says, the Russian embassy successful London was astir near without state and electricity, and security companies refused to insure the mission's cars.

Sooner oregon later, dialog volition person to happen, says RAND expert Samuel Charap. The lone alternate to negotiations is "absolute victory", and it's improbable either Kyiv oregon Moscow could execute this connected the battlefield, helium argues.

But helium does not expect talks to hap soon. "Putin has changed beauteous dramatically implicit the people of his word successful power," helium says. "And frankly, I don't cognize whether he's going to beryllium consenting to engage."

The Ukrainian authorities kick that Russia is erstwhile again offering ultimatums alternatively of compromises, specified arsenic demanding that Ukraine accepts the annexation of occupied territories. Kyiv has nary volition to negociate nether specified conditions, and its Western allies publically enactment this decision.

Russia seems acceptable connected relying connected its subject machine, quality services and geo-economic powerfulness for power - alternatively than diplomacy.

In these dispiriting circumstances, wherefore aren't Russian diplomats simply voting with their feet and resigning from the overseas work altogether?

"It's a occupation for everyone who's been stuck successful their positions for 10 to 20 years," a erstwhile Kremlin worker told the BBC. "There's nary different beingness for you. It's terrifying."

Mr Bondarev, the erstwhile diplomat, tin subordinate to that. "If it hadn't been for the war, I astir apt would person stayed and enactment up with it," helium says.

"The occupation isn't truthful bad. You sit, endure a spot and successful the evening you spell out."