Trump distances Moscow
ANTI-PUTIN HAWKS JOIN US ADMINISTRATION
>> WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump came to the White House promising a radical reset of US-Russia relations after years of rising tensions.
But barely one month into office, that plan appears to be on hold, and the Trump White House team has taken on an increasingly Russophobic face.
After he repeatedly pledged to reach “a deal” with Vladimir Putin while hinting at downgraded relations with Nato and the European Union, Mr Trump has yet to set a meeting with the Russian leader.
Meanwhile, Vice-President Mike Pence and top cabinet security and defence officials have gone to great lengths to reassure European leaders that Washington is not giving up on its allies.
While Mr Trump still holds out the idea of striking up an amicable relationship with Mr Putin, the administration took a distinct turn away from that stance last week with the replacement of pro-Moscow national security adviser Michael Flynn with Lt Gen HR McMaster, a hawkish army veteran who sees Russia as the primary threat to US interests and global stability.
And next week the Senate is expected to approve the appointment of Sen Dan Coats as director of national intelligence, adding another Putin skeptic to the president’s defence and national security team.
“There has been a major shift,” said Bruce Jones, vice-president and director for foreign policy at the Brookings Institution think-tank in Washington.
“My sense is at least we’ve seen an evolution to an approach that is more sensitive to the threat Russia poses to Europe and the US.”
Jake Sullivan, the former national security adviser to vice president Joe Biden, said the White House policy situation is “still unsettled”.
However, he said, Mr McMaster’s arrival in Mr Flynn’s place “could tip the balance”.
Mr Trump has long expressed admiration for Mr Putin and other hard-as-nails Russian autocrats.
But his hope of launching into the presidency with a new approach to Russia has been set back by scandals that have allowed critics to paint him as suspiciously soft on Moscow: the intelligence conclusion that Russia interfered in the US election to hurt Mr Trump’s rival Hillary Clinton; alleged links between some of his campaign advisers and Russian intelligence; and the need to fire Mr Flynn over his private discussions on sanctions with Russia’s ambassador.
The seeming slowdown or shift in his stance was most noteworthy, Mr Jones said, with efforts in the past two weeks to assuage nervous European leaders over the new Washington administration’s intentions.
During the campaign Mr Trump had repeatedly criticised Nato and suggested the core Atlantic Alliance may have passed its expiration date. Taking on anti-Moscow hardliners could help Mr Trump pursue overtures with Mr Putin from a position of strength, analysts say.