According to a statement on Friday by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Russia will not host the much-anticipated summit between US President Donald Trump, and North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un.

While this may come as a disappointment to some hoping to see Russia increase her role as the perceived leader of a global resistance movement, this was the most realistic decision for several reasons. In short, here are five reasons why Russia didn’t offer to host the summit.

1. It’s not Russia’s job.
2. It’s a US-North Korean issue.
3. Russia gate could be dragged into this.
   • Russia could be blamed or targeted for the summit. Failures could be blamed on Russia, and progress could be attacked by Trump’s domestic enemies as benefiting Russia or being Putin’s plan.
   • Those who wish to sabotage the peace process could fabricate a new Russia related scandal to overshadow the meeting.
   • It does not matter how unlikely it is, they could produce a believable Russia-gate story during the Summit; sad history proves evidence is never needed to blame Russia.
4. Russia and China are both too high profile, and not perceived as being neutral enough.
5. Russia wasn’t asked, so Russia didn’t offer, as a result of any number of reasons.

For those not only interested in Russian politics, but the Russian mentality, it’s interesting to explore this subject.

Russia is not obligated to mediate

First and foremost, it must be stated that Russia never intended to be, nor does she endeavor to be some form of Anti-American counterbalance to the US. One country, culture, or civilization shouldn’t see it’s mission as resisting another. From a cultural point of view, the Rus’ Nation (which includes Russians, Ukrainians, and Belarussians) never expressed her patriotism via hating another people.

This mindset is brilliantly explained by legendary Russian intellectual Egor Kholmogorov in an amazing work explaining Russian patriotism. (Check it out)

“Russian self-awareness was based on a positive patriotism, on love for one’s own land, people, culture, and ruler. The rejection of others expressed itself not in hatred but in a good-natured gibe similar to the manner in which The Lay of the Ruin describes the neighbors of Rus’.” Mammoths and Patriots on the Russian Plain ~ Egor Kholmogorov, translated by Anatoly Karlin

Far too often we hear imprudent criticisms of Russia such as “Why didn’t Russia stop x” or “Why didn’t Putin prevent the West from doing x”. Russia is not obligated to become the global mediator for the world’s problems.

The only responsibility Russia has is to the Russian people, and the Russian people do not necessarily benefit by having their state play mediator between two relatively unstable elements. That is not to say Russia does not encourage, and actively work towards lasting peace in Korea, but unlike the US, Russia does not see herself as a world police or nanny.

If it appears Russia is finding herself at the forefront of some kind of resistance movement, that’s only because Russia is one of the few brave and major voices in the world actively fighting for sanity.

All throughout history, Russia tends to find herself in a position resisting nefarious forces, whether it be the Mongolian Horde, The Ottomans, Hitler or Napoleon, but that was a podvig (valorous labor) which fell upon on her, not one which she elected. She still rose to victory none the less in ages past.

In today’s climate, Russia didn’t want to see her Slavic sister Ukraine – the birthplace of Rus’ – turn into a fascist nightmare, or watch the Syrian people be driven to extinction. Now, simply for not having allowed pandemonium to reign, many peoples in the world think Russia has some form of special mission she never asked for.

This isn’t to deny the idea that God has given Russia a special destiny, merely to say foreigners shouldn’t impose upon Russia their views of what she should do, and what that destiny is. Russians have been struggling over that for centuries.

All that said, there are far more practical reasons Russia did not choose to be host of an American-North Korean Summit, and it’s self-evident in the name.

This is a US-North Korean Issue

This is an American-North Korean summit, not a Russian summit. Its quite simple, Russia does not wish to insert herself in the middle of an external dispute. Contrary to popular belief, Russia does not “meddle”, and she doesn’t take to kindly to those who do.

Russia Gate

If a Summit were to transpire in Russia between Trump and Kim, we mustn’t forget the ugly revenant of Russia-gate may still loom over the event. Any progress made by the two leaders could theoretically be dismissed by Trump’s domestic enemies as a “one-sided deal which benefits the Kremlin” – as if Trump has been anything but “America first” – as if the U.S. has been anything but “America first” since its inception.

Likewise, if the Summit ends particularly catastrophically, someone could theoretically blame it on Russia. Realistically, that shouldn’t happen as Russia would just be the host, but recent years have shown that Russia can be accused of anything without any evidence. Russia has had enough of instability, the last thing she needs to do is facilitate the presence of Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un in the same room.

Neutral Ground

The meeting between the two leaders will be highly controversial; no matter where it takes place, someone, somewhere is going to be upset. This is why its unlikely either side will allow a meeting on their own territory, and choosing a major superpower like Russia or China would still feel too politicized.

The meeting will be politized enough, the venue ought to be as neutral as possible. Even if Russia-gate would not be dragged into it, or more fake news of Russian meddling produced to overcast the meeting, Russia is Russia. The climate is just too hysterical for Russia to host such a summit.

To this end, some have suggested the landlocked Mongolia, the least densely populated country in the world. The former Soviet state which produced the legendary Genghis Khan is one of the closest countries that could be considered neutral, yet it also borders both Russia and China.

There is no use speculating, as there may not even be a meeting. Or they may all surprise us, and meet in Pyongyang, or the “truce village” of Panmunjom. We will just have to wait and see, but the final reason why Russia will not be hosting the summit is quite simple.

Russia was not asked, and she would likely be turned down for the aforementioned reasons if she did offer. It is wise not to offer something, or volunteer yourself, even if it’s what you truly want, if you were not asked, and are likely to be turned down.

Making such an offer could potentially lower yourself, and being turned down could be embarrassing.

In any event, few countries outside of the Korean peninsula want peace more than Russia and China – unlike the US, those two nuclear powers share a border with North Korea.