Trump's 'bromance' with Russia's Putin appears to be cooling

[webfact]

Trump's 'bromance' with Russia's Putin appears to be cooling

By Matt Spetalnick

REUTERS

 

Russia's President Vladimir Putin talks with his Kyrgyz counterpart Almazbek Atambayev at the Ala-Archa State Residence in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan February 28, 2017. Sputnik/Alexei Nikolsky/Kremlin via REUTERS

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With his administration on the defensive over investigations into alleged Russian meddling in last year's election, U.S. President Donald Trump is no longer tweeting praise for his Kremlin counterpart.

 

Less than five weeks after he took office, the chances of a spring thaw in relations between Washington and Moscow – once buoyed by an apparent "bromance" between Trump and President Vladimir Putin during the U.S. political campaign – are looking much dimmer, U.S. officials say.

 

His top foreign policy advisers 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 H.R. McMaster, who is more hawkish on Russia and allied with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, a retired Marine Corps general.

 

In one other sign of a stiffening attitude, two officials said the administration had offered the job of top Russia adviser at the National Security Council to Russia scholar Fiona Hill, a leading Putin critic. Her books include "Mr. Putin, Operative in the Kremlin", an allusion to the Russian leader's past as a KGB officer. It was not immediately known whether she had accepted the post.

 

Pressure also has come to bear from Trump's fellow Republicans in Congress, long wary of his campaign overtures to Putin, and from European allies anxious over any sign that the president might prematurely ease sanctions imposed on Russia after its annexation of Crimea and support for pro-Russian 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.

 

The mushrooming inquiry - which is now focused on Sessions and his contacts with Moscow's ambassador to Washington - has fueled calls for expanded investigations into allegations that Moscow sought to sway the election's outcome.

 

"There is so much panic in the U.S. political establishment over Russia right now that Trump will be boxed in on what he can do," said Matthew Rojansky, a Russia expert at the Wilson Center think tank in Washington.

 

White House officials say there were no improper contacts, and Russia denies any meddling.

 

NO SWIFT WARMING OF TIES EXPECTED

 

While Trump has yet to lay down his Russia policy, most signs suggest no swift changes in the relationship, which sank to a post-Cold War low under his predecessor Barack Obama, mostly due to bitter differences over Syria and Ukraine.

 

Mattis sought to reassure NATO allies during a visit to Europe last month, telling them there would be no military cooperation between the United States and Russia in the near future.

 

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley this week denounced Russia for casting a veto to protect the Syrian government from Security Council action over accusations of chemical weapons use, and also recently insisted the United States would not recognize Russia's seizure of Crimea.

 

Trump's openness to closer ties to Russia and his emphasis, particularly during the campaign, on fighting terrorism sparked concerns among current and former U.S. officials that he might trade away U.S. interests in other areas in exchange for military and intelligence cooperation against groups such as Islamic State.

 

Trump's language on Russia now has shifted somewhat from campaign days, when he tweeted his admiration for Putin as a strong leader, and the Russian president paid him compliments.

 

Trump told a news conference in mid-February that, "I would love to be able to get along with Russia," but added that, "It's possible I won't be able to get along with Putin."

 

Two senior European officials this week told reporters in Washington they discerned an evolution in the Trump administration's stance toward Russia, saying there appeared to be no desire to engage in such a "grand bargain" in which, for example, Ukraine-related sanctions might be eased in return for Russian action on other issues.

 

"What we consider reassuring is that, at least during our meetings, nobody came with this idea of a grand bargain, with the idea of a big deal," said one senior European official on condition of anonymity.

 

Said a second senior European official: "Vis-a-vis Russia, to be frank I have the impression that the analysis and the positions of this administration are probably now closer to our position than (they) may have been two or three months ago."

 

Recent Russian actions have created new complications, including a stepped-up offensive by pro-Russian separatist forces in eastern Ukraine and what the Pentagon described as the bombing this week by Russian and Syrian aircraft of U.S.-backed Syrian rebels – something Moscow denied had happened.

 

For its part, the Kremlin said on Wednesday it was patiently waiting for "some kind of actions" from the Trump administration so that it could understand what the future holds for relations.

 

"We have heard different statements from President Trump," Dmitry Peskov, Putin's spokesman, told reporters.

 

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, a Republican member of the Foreign Relations Committee and former 2016 presidential candidate, had words of caution for Trump about future dealings with Putin.

 

"We have had two presidents - a Republican and a Democrat - previous to the current president who thought they could do such a deal with Vladimir Putin," he said on the Senate floor on Wednesday.

 

"Both of them fell on their face because they did not understand what they were dealing with. It is my sincerest hope that our current President doesn't make the same mistakes," Rubio said.

 

(Additional reporting by Patricia Zengerle and Arshad Mohammed in Washington, Michelle Nichols in New York and Aleksandar Vasovic and Maria Tsvetkova in Moscow; Editing by Andrew Hay)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-03-03

[jcsmith]

I'd guess Putin realizes that all the Russian investigations have more support with the bromance continuing. He's trying to distance himself from it to make things easier on Trump. Trump isn't an asset to him if he's under scrutiny to be harder on him. His best bet for Trump as an ally is to let the Russian stuff die down first.

[sujoop]

But they have so much in common, nyet?:

 

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman:
Fake news aimed at discrediting Russia
 

 

Same play-book as the con-rade apprentice in chief who stated:
'The leaks are absolutely real, but the news is fake'

[Emster23]

"But when we get behind closed doors

that's when he let's his hair hang down"

Per old country song

[Srikcir]

If too many of Trump's closet advisors must leave the government over Russian contacts, he'll start to feel politically abandoned and look for a diversion to improve his image. What better way to get cheers from a Republlican Congress then to pivot as anti-Russian, propose more US military heavy ground and air support to Ukraine armed forces and increase sanctions against Putin's elite circle? Trump is now President - he doesn't need Putin for the next 4 years.

[craigt3365]

2 minutes ago, Srikcir said:

If too many of Trump's closet advisors must leave the government over Russian contacts, he'll start to feel politically abandoned and look for a diversion to improve his image. What better way to get cheers from a Republlican Congress then to pivot as anti-Russian, propose more US military heavy ground and air support to Ukraine armed forces and increase sanctions against Putin's elite circle? Trump is now President - he doesn't need Putin for the next 4 years.

That's the problem with Trump.  You never know what's going to happen next.  Not a good trait for a leader of a country like the US.

[Linzz]

24 minutes ago, craigt3365 said:

That's the problem with Trump.  You never know what's going to happen next.  Not a good trait for a leader of a country like the US.

Unpredictability can also be an asset when it comes to enemies of the US too

[dunroaming]

55 minutes ago, craigt3365 said:

That's the problem with Trump.  You never know what's going to happen next.  Not a good trait for a leader of a country like the US.

But good entertainment for the rest of us keyboard pundits!

[elgordo38]

9 hours ago, sujoop said:

But they have so much in common, nyet?:

 

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman:
Fake news aimed at discrediting Russia
 

 

Same play-book as the con-rade apprentice in chief who stated:
'The leaks are absolutely real, but the news is fake'

Yeah figure that one out. And I leave you with this. The government like the naughty post card salesman is whipping their coats open and saying to you psst hey do you want to buy a 50 or 100 year bond? What a scam. 

[anon4546543]

I can't think of anytime in world history where politics has become so blurred. Nothing you read or hear can be verified, There is one true fact in this day and age. All politicians are liars. All companies legally and illegally avoid paying their taxes. Greed has long ago replaced the norms when you concern yourself with patriotism and morals. Trump promised to change all this, he promised a new era. Now he too is shown as another political liar, a policy shifter, a man to appeal to the polls and not a man of substance. Just your ordinary run of the mill, shonky dud and lame president.Heck, I miss Reagan, at least he had a true sense of humour 

[humqdpf]

On 3/3/2017 at 7:40 AM, sujoop said:

But they have so much in common, nyet?:

 

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman:
Fake news aimed at discrediting Russia
 

 

Same play-book as the con-rade apprentice in chief who stated:
'The leaks are absolutely real, but the news is fake'

So are you saying that the original allegations were fake news or that the in-depth CNN report into it which sets out the Russian view clearly is fake news? 

 

You cannot have it both ways. If CNN were speading fake news, they would not have done the professional reporting, which is to present both sides of the story, even when you don't quite believe one side.

 

 

[spidermike007]

Putin is always going to be three steps ahead of Trump. Trump realized King Vlad was playing him, finally, and he has backed off. This guy does not like getting played, or being embarrassed in public as his tissue paper thin skin gets wounded easily. So, Trump has taken a more intelligent, and more defensive posture. Finally. I hoped he would eventually see how much he was being played by Vlad. It is going to be fascinating to see how this eventually plays out. My guess is that the bromance is not going to last long, when Trump finally figures out who this guy really is, and how much he has overestimated his goodwill toward the US, and the world in general. This guy is a real despot dictator. A real Cossack warrior type.