Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov made an appearance today on Good Morning America, discussing the ever-worsening relations between the United States and Russia, and describing them as “maybe even worse” than they were during the Cold War.
Peskov cited Obama Administration sanctions as a sign of worsening relations, and complained about US media “slander” in relation to allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 US elections. In particular he complained about the Obama Administration expelling a number of diplomats in December and seizing a pair of recreational compounds.
“It’s not friendly. It’s not legal in terms of international law. So, of course, it was a very significant damage for our bilateral relations,” Peskov added, saying he remains hopeful that US-Russia relations could improve, and that the Trump Administration might want to “reestablish dialogue.”
While the Russian government was initially hopeful of President Trump’s talk of “normalizing” ties, so far there has been little effort to actually do so, with the scandals surrounding the election appearing to make many US officials unwilling to talk to any top Russian figures.
The problem is Trump has essentially hired Russia Phobes or haters to important positions within his admin where they are conducting business as usual against Russia. Nothing has really changed and actually has gotten worse. Unless Trump reverses course somehow, this will turn into war for the orchestrated propaganda mantra about Russia attacking our Democracy and hacking our election is conditioning us to accept the corrupt establishments attack on Russia. Get ready.
The next most important catalyst here would be a Marine Le Pen victory. American hatred for Russia is wildly unpopular in France and Italy.
It looks like the the “Atlanticists” in France’s deep state have taken note of the US campaign and have gotten a head start of using the instruments of state to tear down the outsider candidate and arrange a Macron victory.
I am more than tired of these so-called Russia experts that they trot out on FOX and CNN that will say just the opposite, that Putin loves the current situation because they like seeing in fighting in U.S. govt. Sure, Putin and the Russians love the fact that it is now considered a crime to talk to anybody in Russia and the robots in FOX nod their heads in agreement.
Did Russia start this hostile rhetoric? No. We have poisoned the waters by making accusation after accusation. The Russians should return the favor and start bringing resolutions against us and the Saudis for the starvation of Yemen. We of course would be outraged but we do this to them and call it Tuesday.
Exactly. I don’t think the Russian government could have dreamed of sowing so much open fear, panic, paranoia and perception of Putin having almost superhuman powers. The tension and rhetoric are potentially dangerous and I’m sure Russia would trade it for a more constructive truce, but on some level they must be amused by how ridiculously the American political class and media are behaving.
It’s almost like re-watching the Chinese hysteria over Falun Gong.
You’re getting it all wrong. It’s as if you believe that Russia isn’t committed to it’s stand in the ME.
US/Western influence on Russia has declined as a factor that can influence Russia. Russia has separated itself from dependence on the US/West and has openly been declaring it would do that for the last two years. That’s no secret in Russia, even though people in the US don’t realize it’s happened.
There’s a new game in the ME that is quite different from the situation when Bush1 went to war with Iraq the first time unopposed by any world superpower. Trump will be completely ineffectual in opposing that.
Trump may have imagined a partner in Russia in order to accomplish the US PNAC endgame in Syria and Iran. May have? If so, it was his naivety and ignorance of foreign affairs. In any case, Trump has long ago abandoned any notion of having Russia cooperate on the US agenda.
That’s really the only explanation for Raimondo’s continuing hope in Trump. Trump certainly hasn’t offered anything else since the election that would give Raimondo hope. In fact, Trump has represented a more prowar stance than any previous president!
Russia was quite acceptable to the US between the time of the fall of the Soviet Union, up until Russia regained enough strength to stand back up to represent Russian interests in the ME, and indeed in the world.
That is the only reason Russia and Putin are being demonized. It’s really no more complicated than that and most of the resistance of Americans on this site to accept it has a lot to do with not being able to give Obama credit for throwing a monkey wrench into the works. He didn’t take a firm stand against Russia’s involvement in the ME when the last opportunity was there. And now Trump’s escalation in Syria is going to have to be against Russia’s determination to be a controlling factor on Syria’s future.
Trump will do nothing good in starting better relations with Russia or China. That was nothing more than Trump misspeaking for the purpose of attracting the few antiwar votes that were up for grabs. He hasn’t repeated it since his campaign speeches and now it’s time to forget all hope in him.
But in fairness to Trump, if there can even be such a thing. The bad relations between the US and Russia are Obama’s fault. Obama empowered Russia and didn’t put the US in the way of cooperation with Russia on Syria and Iran.
Now the US is left with the near impossible task of demonizing Russia in order for the US to regain the appearance of being on the side of right. The US will remain at a standstill on accomplishing any substantial military gains on Syria and Iran until such time as Russia can be taken out of the way of US progress.
That may never happen. The window of opportunity for the US was brief, between the fall of the Soviet Union up until Russia was capalbe of standing back up to assert Russia’s interests in the ME once again.
Any foreign policy, predicated on keeping another country down is doomed to being confrontational and in the long run a failure unless you are willing to engage in genocide. If our goal was to keep hegemony in the M.E., that was a foolish goal, we should have opted for stability and the inevitable acceptance of Russia and Iran.
We are trying to do the same thing with China in the SCS. Could we ruing Iran? sure, Russia? a really tough nut to crack, Iran, Russia, and China at the same time? We are totally insane, this will ruin us.
There is no one capable in American side to have conversation / negociation with Putin that’s why deep states keeping Russia bad guy in order avoid any meaningfull relationship with Russian,and they stick what they know best that is staying enemy.