Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov declared this Thursday (26) that the country is willing to work with Donald Trump’s government to improve relations with the United States. However, Lavrov stressed that it is up to the Americans to take the first step in this direction.
The crisis between the two countries reached its peak after the start of the war in Ukraine, making rapprochement a significant diplomatic challenge.
International analyst Fernanda Magnotta commented on the complexity of the relationship between the two great world powers during the CNN 360° this Thursday.
Trump’s ambiguity regarding Russia
According to Magnotta, the word that defines Trump’s relationship with Putin and Russia is “ambiguity”. During Trump’s first term, from 2017 to 2020, there was a personal predisposition and even a certain admiration of the then American president for Putin, evidenced by public praise.
However, the analyst highlights that, despite the friendly rhetoric, there was no paradigmatic change in the relationship between the United States and Russia during the Trump administration.
Magnotta explains: “Although Trump had good will when he spoke about Putin, and at various times he was very careful not to get personally upset with the Russian leader, we have, in practice, the United States during the Trump administration maintaining the non-recognition of Crimea, which was something the Russians really wanted.”
Challenges for a possible rapprochement
The expert points out that, even with Trump’s possible return to the presidency, there would be significant obstacles to an effective rapprochement between the two countries.
“Yes, Trump will have a lot of resistance within his own government. The resistance of other Republicans, resistance in Congress and resistance from public opinion”, says Magnotta.
She also recalls that previous attempts to “reset” relations between the US and Russia, such as the initiative by then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2009, did not result in lasting improvements.
“Resetting the relationship is nothing new. Trump is also nothing new, and in none of the scenarios is the end of this story a positive ending”, concludes the analyst.
Lavrov’s statement and Magnotta’s analysis indicate that, despite Russia’s apparent openness, the path to normalizing relations between the two countries remains uncertain and fraught with diplomatic and political challenges.
This content was originally published in Analysis: The relationship between Russia and the USA after a speech by a Russian minister on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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