WASHINGTON — The scandal over an alleged Russian spy ring erupted at an awkward time for a White House that has staked its foreign policy record on improved cooperation with Moscow, but it appeared unlikely to do lasting damage to U.S.-Russian relations.
The administration sought to dampen tensions, while the Russian government offered the conciliatory hope Tuesday that U.S. authorities would “show proper understanding, taking into account the positive character of the current stage of development of Russian-American relations.”
The White House response was notably restrained after the dramatic announcement that 11 people assigned to illegally infiltrate American society had been arrested. They are accused of using fake names and claims of U.S. citizenship to burrow into U.S. society and ferret out intelligence as Russian “illegals” — spies operating without diplomatic cover.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs labored to show that the arrests were a law enforcement matter — one not driven by the president, even though President Barack Obama was informed — and played down any political consequences.
Obama twice was asked about the matter by reporters Tuesday. He declined to comment both times.
The FBI’s arrests of 10 Russian spy suspects was carried out Sunday partly because one of the defendants was scheduled to leave the United States, according to the Justice Department.
Officials in both countries left the impression that spy rings remain a common way of doing business.
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin offered a message of restraint during a meeting at his country residence with former President Bill Clinton, who was in Moscow to speak at an investment conference.
“I understand that back home, police are putting people in prison,” Putin said, drawing a laugh from Clinton. “That’s their job.”
The administration has made a high priority of improving relations with Russia.
At stake in the short term is a newly concluded nuclear arms control deal, dubbed New START, which requires a favorable vote in the U.S. Senate and approval by the Russian legislature. More broadly, Obama wants to build the foundation for a strategic partnership with Moscow — to increase security and economic and other cooperation with the former Cold War foe.
The full dimensions of the case are yet to be made public, but the charges against the 11 suspects do not include espionage, and it was unclear what — if any — U.S. government secrets they managed to collect or transmit to Moscow.
Bruce Riedel, a former CIA officer and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution Saban Center, said it was a “classic KGB-style” operation in which Russian intelligence officials plant moles and “hope that they will produce something years and maybe even decades later.”
“They’re trying to get someone into a position of influence, where someone becomes the friend of, let’s say, the president of a think tank who may become a Cabinet member in the next administration,” Riedel said.
“And then you have someone who not only can ask that Cabinet member questions, but might be able to influence what they’re doing.”
