Russia and America: Donald Trump seeks a grand bargain with Vladimir Putin
Russia and America
Donald Trump seeks a grand bargain with Vladimir Putin
from The Economist
Mr Trump appears to want to forge a new strategic alignment with Russia. Will he be the third American president to be outfoxed by Mr Putin?
As Mr Trump’s ambassador to the UN offered condemnation of Russia’s actions in Ukraine, he was protective toward Mr Putin
Mr Trump is miscalculating not only Russian power and interests but also the value of what America might have to give up in return
Mr Trump seems to think US would team up with Mr Putin to destroy IS and curb Chinese expansion
Russian hacking may have helped Trump at the polls, but that does not mean he can trust Putin. Russia’s interests and US’s are worlds apart
Mr Putin’s price for working with US could be to secure RU military presence in the ME. But US and RU forces cannot easily fight together
RU is not about to confront Iran which is a promising market for RU exports and a neighbour to work together to manage the ME
RU is far weaker than China, with a declining economy and population and a smaller army
Putin’s 3 wishes: the lifting of Western sanctions; the recognition of his seizure of Ukrainian territory; US’s connivance in weakening NATO
Mr Trump seems not to realise scrapping US’s anti-missile defences in Europe and halting NATO enlargement would be gigantic concessions
Mr Trump, betrayed and angered, will end up with a dangerous and destabilising quarrel with Mr Putin
Mr Trump should improve US’s relations with RU like arms control with Congressional Republicans, Mr Mattis or Mr Tillerson
