The Trump Administration and U.S.–Russian Relations
Abstract :
President Trump’s controversial foreign policy performance, particularly in relation
to Russia, raises the question of his administration’s stance towards U.S.–Russian
relations. While the President has displayed initial intentions of reaching out to
Moscow, his administration’s overall view of the world sets U.S.–Russian relations
in a competition-based framework. This “global arena” perspective is reflected in
official national security policy documents and by major foreign policy decisionmakers
as well. Thus the Trump Administration not only maintains its predecessor’s
initiatives countering Russia but enhances them by further emphasizing deterrence
and containment measures in Europe through an increased European Deterrence
Initiative (EDI) budget, addressing Russian violation of the Intermediate-Range
Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, and arming Ukraine with lethal defensive weapons.