Russia acted on a government proposal prompted by the Foreign Ministry, annulling a bilateral memorandum with the United States. The order, published on the official portal of legal information, directs the government to accept the State Department’s proposal in consultation with relevant federal agencies and to terminate the memorandum that guided cultural, humanitarian, educational, and media cooperation between the two nations.
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is tasked with notifying the American side that the agreement has ended.
What the memorandum covered
The memorandum was signed in Moscow in 1998 to deepen mutual understanding and strengthen friendly ties between the peoples of Russia and the United States. It framed cooperation as a relationship based on equality and mutual benefit, aiming to foster ties between non-governmental organizations in culture, science, education, and media, as well as to promote exchanges of students and teachers and to support cooperation among women and youth groups.
Participants stressed that cultural exchanges should enhance mutual understanding of each other’s cultures. They also highlighted efforts to support the study of English in the United States and the Russian language in Russia as a means to deepen bilateral familiarity.
How cultural cooperation between Russia and the United States deteriorated
The prior day, May 30, Russian authorities signaled an intent to suspend scientific and educational agreements with the United States. The government explained that the Ministry of Education and Science, together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reviewed the regulatory framework governing Russian-American scientific and educational cooperation with the aim of ending or suspending provisions.
The 1998 Memorandum on Mutual Cooperation between the Governments of the Russian Federation and the United States defines the legal framework for bilateral arrangements. In total, the framework comprises five documents, with at least one scientific and technical cooperation agreement having not been active since 2014.
Earlier, two days after Russia began its military operation in Ukraine, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology ceased collaboration with the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, known as Skoltech. MIT described Russia’s actions as unacceptable and stated that this move reflected a refusal to support the war while acknowledging the ongoing work with Skoltech and the Russian scientific community. MIT expressed regret over the decision but spoke highly of the Russian researchers and the impact of their past collaboration.
On March 21, the Russian Foreign Ministry delivered a note of protest to the American ambassador in Moscow, noting that United States aid to Ukraine had brought bilateral relations to a critical point. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov explained that while the gravest tensions exist, Russia remains determined to pursue the objectives of its special measures and to adhere to the conditions related to United States sanctions and allied measures in Europe.