Donald, Putin and the NATO

The US-Russian relations differ fundamentally on numerous issues like Syria, Ukraine and NATO. Aggressive Putin after having annexed Ukraine’s Crimea is on the mission to increase its power, area and influence to counter US super power status and to show Beijing that it is still ahead of China.

Trump’s planning to have a rapprochement with Russia will have to cross many hurdles as his own top advisers , Pentagon officials, State Department officials, the Congress, Intelligence sleuths and even US allies will be found resisting the shift in US foreign policy based on various considerations.

Putin is considering a military invasion of Baltic countries(Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) as Russia has deployed 225000 troops, ammunition including nuclear-capable ballistic missiles in the enclave of Kaliningard between Nato members Lithuania and Poland. 

After having tense ties with US under Barack Obama leadership, Putin aims to hold a bilateral meeting with Trump to reset the ties based on specific conditions that first US recognition of Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea Peninsula  and ending of economic sanctions. 

Second US and its Nato allies should reduce their military engagement in eastern Europe (air and maritime advantage) and in Central Asia. 

Russian spokesman Dmitry Peshov elucidated that “slowdown or withdrawal of Nato military potential from our borders could lead to a kind of detente in Europe.”

To put more explicitly, Putin’s opinion is that his conditions would lead to weakening of the USA and ultimate destruction of the Western integration institution NATO. 

The Europe and US new administration will properly reassess Russia’s move and advice Donald Trump to properly counter the Cold War rival.

Article Courtesy: Arti Bali, Senior Journalist & Analyst