Valdai Club

The only positive outcome of the coronavirus pandemic was the rapid self-cleansing of the environment. Emissions from factories ceased as they were shut down and there was lighter traffi c, resulting in better air quality. This has been corroborated by satellite images and meteorological monitoring data in many countries. Then, river water got cleaner.


Does the Gordian knot around Iran’s nuclear programme need to be hacked or untangled? And is it still possible to unravel it? What will Washington's policy of tough negotiations and unwillingness to listen to its allies lead to?

Increasingly, one can hear that the 45th President of the United States, Donald Trump, who has made a name for himself for both his extravagance and his decisive action, has a propensity for trampling on all established legal means of international interaction. Under his rule, Washington withdrew from the Iranian nuclear deal (JSPOA) and the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF). He also announced his withdrawal from the Paris Agreement on climate change and the UN Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), and is still considering the need to extend US participation in the agreement on strategic offensive weaponry (New START), which expires in 2021. Moreover, America has begun to raise import tariffs on certain goods from its trade partners, including Mexico, Canada, Japan and the EU, and in general to carry out a policy of protectionism resembling that introduced during the presidency of William McKinley.