The U.S. Pivot to Russia – and What It Will Mean

BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT — It may be the most profound American foreign policy shift in a generation – a move to engage directly with Russia, in a bid to end the war in Ukraine and open channels of economic and diplomatic collaboration that have been limited or nonexistent for years. Even before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, successive American administrations kept their distance from Russia; Vladimir Putin, who came to power a quarter century ago, was viewed as a dictator who controlled all domestic media, eliminated political opponents, and was increasingly hostile towards the West. More recently, Putin was named a war criminal — not only in an indictment from the International War Crimes Tribunal, but also in comments from senior officials of the Biden administration. 

Now, in just a three-week period, the Trump Administration has pivoted sharply: President Trump has spoken directly with Putin; the U.S. has opened direct talks with senior Russian officials; and U.S. officials have criticized Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, calling him “a dictator“ and an ungrateful ally. Last week the U.S. paused military assistance to Ukraine and halted key intelligence-sharing operations with the Ukrainian government.