Why Is the Russian Lobby in Washington Unable to Reduce US Sanctions on the Invasion of Ukraine?

Throughout the 21st century, the Russian lobby in Washington has been able to prevent any effective sanctions against Moscow, occupying a very powerful position among the elites of mobilization and political pressure in the United States, The Intercept reported in its report on May 07, 2022.

The report also revealed that firms linked to the Kremlin and the Russian government have worked to resist US sanctions over the past years by spending millions of dollars on lobbyists in order to enhance their influence in US politics.

However, the influence of this Russian lobby in Washington decreased a lot after Russian President Vladimir Putin made his military decision to invade Ukraine on February 24, 2022, which caused US and Western sanctions on all levels, with most of the lobbying and public relations firms in Washington cutting off their relations with their former Russian clients.

 

Russian Lobby

Since 2008, the Russian lobby in Washington has prevented the imposition of any effective sanctions against Moscow, in response to its military operations in the former Soviet republics, due to the Kremlin’s funding of its lobbyists in the United States in large sums, according to The Intercept.

But now the situation is different from what it was in the past, as the Kremlin is unable to mitigate criticism with its usual means in American policy.

“As a result of the foregoing, the Russian lobbyists changed their goals from mobilizing pressure in the corridors of American policy to deception to mitigate the collapse of the relation between the United States and Russia,” the website indicated.

However, things weren't this bad before. The Russian government and the Kremlin-linked interests had significant influence in the United States before Russia invaded Ukraine.

The Russian invasion of Georgia in 2008 was a prominent stepping stone in the path of political pressure based on lavish spending. At the time, Washington blamed Russia for the five-day war.

As well as, prominent American politicians, such as the late Senator John McCain, demanded that the US administration punish Russia for its aggression.

However, when the sanctions were introduced, and the US administration approached their approval, Russia doubled its funding for political pressure groups in Washington.

Legal records for the registration of foreign agents in the United States have revealed that PR firms that receive money from Russia reported an increase in Russian spending from $5 million in 2007 (before the invasion of Georgia) to more than $9 million in 2009 (after the invasion of Georgia).

“The public relations firm ‘Ketchum’ made great efforts to overturn the narrative of the Russian invasion of Georgia, and even blame the outbreak of the conflict on Georgia,” the website added.

The firm facilitated interviews between The New York Times and Russian military officials, distributed brief notes on the war from Russia's viewpoint to The Washington Post, and organized a CNN interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In early 2009, the Russian government hired another public relations firm ‘Alston & Bird’ which indicated the large spending that Russia is now allocating to these firms to serve its interests and improve its image.

The Russian rehabilitation campaign was a great success, the Kremlin was able to weather the storm caused by the Russian invasion of Georgia, and the George W. Bush administration did little to punish Putin for his aggression.

Then came US President Barack Obama, and the Russian issue was not at the forefront of his attention.

 

Spending Millions

The Intercept revealed that Russia had returned to the US sanctions list after its annexation of Crimea in 2014, Obama had joined Russia's critics, and Washington's tolerance for Russia had diminished in the aftermath of the war on Georgia, which weakened the influence of the Russian lobby in Washington.

Although Obama was clear in his opposition to any military conflict with Russia, the United States announced a visa ban on Russian officials, canceled military consultations with Russia, increased its military overflights over the countries of the former Soviet Union, imposed sanctions on several Russian firms, and doubled its security assistance to Ukraine.

Subsequently, Moscow felt that it had become a political pariah in Washington, The Russian government responded by halting public relations campaigns, and the Kremlin severed ties with ‘Ketchum’.

Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for Putin, explained the matter at the time by saying: “We decided not to renew the contract with Ketchum because of the anti-Russian obsession and the information war on us.”

But this did not mean at all the end of the role of the Russian lobby in Washington.

Although the Russian government has decided not to spend directly on lobbyists in Washington, firms linked to the Kremlin and the Russian government have worked to resist US sanctions by spending millions to bolster their influence in US policy.

In 2014, the United States imposed a set of sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Crimea. The sanctions included: The confiscation of assets of major Russian firms, led by Gazprombank, which was founded by the Russian energy firm Gazprom.

As a result, the Russian bank hired Squire Patton Boggs and paid it $1.5 million between 2014 and 2017, as political pressure to ease those sanctions.

Success was not always an ally for Russian lobbyists, the Russian Direct Investment Fund has been audited by the United States after the invasion of Crimea, although it hired PR firm ‘Capitol Counsel’ for a $45,000-a-month contract and Goldin Solutions for $30,000-a-month to put pressure on the US Treasury and to improve his image.

 

Sanctions Relief

After years of hiding behind Russian firms, the Russian government itself returned in 2015 to lobby for influence, including the infamous Russian intervention campaign in the 2016 and 2020 US presidential elections, according to The Intercept report.

The US authorities have charged thirteen Russians and three Russian firms with interfering in the 2016 US elections.

It also highlighted the illegal Russian intervention in US policy between 2016 and 2021, but this did not prevent Russia's legal influence from making its way and expanding quietly during those years.

In the context of Russian attempts to mitigate the repercussions of the 2014 invasion of Ukraine, more than 10 former representatives and employees of Congress, and high-ranking officials registered their names on political pressure lists on behalf of banks linked to the Kremlin, Russian elites, and the Russian gas firms responsible for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, according to what was revealed by a study conducted by the US Quincy Institute and published last March.

Although most Americans oppose Russian President Putin's regime, Moscow's use of this group of former US officials succeeded in saving the Kremlin from the brunt of US sanctions at the time.

The sanctions imposed on Russia's wealthy elite were arguably ineffective, and quickly lifted in some cases, The Intercept revealed.

In conclusion, the website stressed that all these Russian tools collapsed when Putin made his disastrous decision to invade Ukraine on February 24, pointing out that most of the lobbying and public relations firms in the US capital cut their relations with their Russian clients.

“Suddenly, many American sanctions, which the Russian lobby in Washington have always stood as a bulwark against, came into force, including sanctions that have direct repercussions on the Russian financial sector, members of the Russian elite, and the Nord Stream 2 pipeline,” it added.

The website expected that Russia would resort to trying to restore its influence in Washington, in addition to expanding the scope of its illicit influence in the corridors of American policy.

 

Counter Efforts

On the other hand, the Ukrainian lobbyists in Washington have redoubled their efforts to influence US decision-making centers in order to tighten sanctions against Russia, according to what The Wall Street Journal revealed in its report on March 23, 2022.

Since President Joe Biden came to power a year ago, the Ukrainian government has intensified its use of American lobbying and public relations firms to promote its positions among decision-making circles in Washington.

US Department of Justice documents revealed that Ukraine used eight lobbying and public relations firms under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).

These firms initially focused on energy issues, especially those related to the transportation of Russian gas to Europe, and then turned their attention to highlighting the huge Russian military buildup along the border with Ukraine.

With the start of the invasion, the Ukrainian lobby's priorities changed, turning to issues such as strengthening support for the Ukrainian army and the strategic importance of Ukraine to US national security.

What made the task of the Ukrainian lobby firms easier is the absence of any effective lobby that supports the Russian position during the current crisis.

In addition to the bad reputation of Russian President Vladimir Putin among US political circles (Republican and Democratic), especially after the intervention in the 2016 and 2020 US elections, and the occurrence of many cyber-attacks targeting US interests from Russia.

US Department of Justice documents referred to contracts made by official Ukrainian bodies, including the Ministry of Finance and the Office of President Volodymyr Zelensky, with American lobby firms to support the position of the Kyiv government in Washington.

On its part, the Civil Movement for a Just Ukraine—a non-profit organization close to the Kyiv government—has hired the ‘Yorktown’ firm, founded by Daniel Vajdich, a former adviser to Republican Senator Ted Cruz, on a 12-month contract worth $960,000.

In this regard, ‘Yorktown’ has conducted more than 11,000 actions (telephone calls, meetings, emails, and seminars) with administration officials, particularly between members of Congress and their aides, the State Department, and members of the National Security Council.

The firm also reached out to think tanks on the Ukraine crisis such as the Atlantic Council and the Heritage Foundation, as well as media outlets, including Foreign Policy, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, and NBC News.

These efforts succeeded in blocking voices opposing the US role in the Ukraine crisis from frequently appearing on the screens of major news networks, as well as supporting US hardening towards the latest Russian steps.

According to a study by the US Quincy Institute, the Ukrainian lobby in Washington spent $2 million last year, while the Russian lobby in Washington spent about $35 million during the same period.