LIFT-OFF US-Russia ties start cooling off
OFFICIALS : THAW IN RELATIONS LESS LIKELY NOW
Washington
With his administration on the defensive over investigations into alleged Russian meddling in last year’s election, US President Donald Trump is no longer tweeting praise for his Kremlin counterpart.
Less than five weeks after he took office, the chances of a thaw in relations between Washington and Moscow – buoyed by an apparent “bromance” between Trump and President Vladimir Putin during the US political cam- paign – are looking much dimmer, US officials say.
His top foreign policy advisors have started talking tougher on Russia, and the apparent cooling of Trump’s approach follows the resignation last month of his first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, a vocal advocate of warmer ties with Moscow.
He was replaced by Army Lieutenant-General HR McMaster, who is more hawkish on Russia. In another sign of a stiffening attitude, two officials said the administration had offered the job of top Russia advisor at the National Security Council to Russia scholar Fiona Hill, a leading Putin critic.
Pressure has also come to bear from Trump’s fellow Republicans in Congress and European allies anxious that he might prematurely ease sanctions imposed on Russia after its annexation of Crimea and support for rebels in Ukraine.
Posing fresh obstacles to rapprochement with Russia, analysts say, is mounting evidence that Attorney-General Jeff Sessions, the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and other members of Trump’s team communicated with Russian officials during and after the presidential campaign. – Reuters