Recently elected President of the United States Donald trump called his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin a “very smart”. It happened after Moscow’s refusal to respond to the expulsion of the U.S. 35 Russian diplomats that the outgoing Obama administration called intelligence officers working undercover. Trump in the past has repeatedly spoken with admiration about the Russian leader and his policies. It makes you wonder a lot of people in the United States.
But much more important statement trump that he wants to cooperate with the Kremlin in the fight against terrorism, says Sebastian Feyock (Sebastian Feyock), research fellow of the German society for foreign policy (DGAP). Trump believes that the greatest danger today comes from those Syrian terrorists of the so-called “Islamic state”.
“The current government led by Barack Obama refused to work with Russia because the Russian military help to Assad without regard for losses,” says Feyock. Trump clearly distanced himself from Obama during the election race. “From the statements of trump, we can conclude that he doesn’t care what methods Russia supports the Syrian troops.”
Everything goes to the new reboot
FAAC believes that everything goes to the new “reset” of bilateral relations. It is worth Recalling that it began with his presidency and Barack Obama. Then Secretary of state Hillary Clinton and foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in 2009 even pressed the symbolic red button that says “reset”. It has not brought.
Donald trump wants this time it was different. He is a master to make deals, he says about himself, but Putin also wants a deal, somehow they agree — that suggests that a future President. But, as in many other matters, the public is unclear if the trump plan. Clear yet just what its Secretary of state, he wants to make Rex Tillerson. Departing from his post of chief of the oil company ExxonMobil has close ties with the Kremlin. The weekly Der Spiegel calls him “the Commissioner of Russia”.
Rhetoric trump makes many political commentators in the US a bad feeling, says FAAC. “They believe that he can become the third President, whom Putin will be led by the nose, and in the end the US will once again be cheated.”
“Nothing good happens”
The convergence is only temporary, I’m sure Vixel Volker (Volker Weichsel), editor of the magazine “Eastern Europe (“Osteuropa”): “Day a quarrel will come”, — predicts Vixel. He believes that the impact of personal relationships on policy is not very large. “It is possible that we will see a bright short period of rapprochement, but will stop it quickly, like a fire of straw.”
Should not be taken too seriously the statements of both parties, says Weixel. Much more important is the role of structural factors, namely the continuing competition between the two States. Besides, the Putin regime derives its legitimacy from within the country with the help of anti-Americanism: “it creates a Permanent image of the enemy, say, the United States, we are under attack, and we need to defend the US is to blame for all of the Russian crisis, bad economic situation. This will not change because of trump.”
And the fact that Putin speaks about the trump positively, is not a contradiction, because the rhetoric for the external listener and internally different, be sure Vixel. While trump voiced ideas that resonate with the interests of Russia, as, for example, reducing the influence of the United States in Eastern Europe, then why not to compliment a future American President with the “aim of peace”. During his annual press conference in late December, Putin said: “Nobody believed in the victory of trump, but us.”
The next step of Russia will certainly be checking the position of the new administration concerning the Baltic States, according to the editor Ostteuropa: “And in that moment, when trump will hold the red line, the apparent convergence is over.”
One President in the field — not a warrior
Donald trump could not, even as President alone to decide how it will look in U.S. foreign policy towards Russia, experts believe. Rapprochement with Russia opposed by Republicans, with the support of which he was elected to the presidency. Some Republican senators do not depend on the favor of trump, and they have long-established image of Russia, and it is rather negative, says FAAC.
Among the most active senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham. Both advocate the creation of a non-partisan Commission in Congress that will investigate the actions of the Russian special services during the elections of the President of the United States. McCain insists on further tightening of anti-Russian sanctions. In General, these two are in opposition to Trump, who doubts the facts of RF interference in the race.
Both the Senator in the past few days called for the Baltic States, Georgia and Ukraine, assuring these countries in support of the United States — in spite of verbal trump rapprochement with Russia. McCain offered on a regular basis to place in the Baltic States the American armed forces and supported the supply of weapons to Kiev to fight Pro-Russian DND and LNR.
Even if trump will remove the sanctions against Russia, the Congress may adopt its own sanctions, I’m sure Falak, or block the President’s actions, denying him the issuance of funds for execution of those or other decisions, or, conversely, forcing him to spend money for certain purposes.
