Russia and America : the asymmetric rivalry

Abstract

Relations between Moscow and Washington have gone from bad to worse since spring 2014, which saw Russia’s annexation of Crimea, the start of the separatist conflict in Eastern Ukraine, and the ensuing imposition of Western sanctions on the Russian economy. The election of Donald Trump as President of the United States initially appeared as a boon for bilateral relations but, despite a rather positive summit between Trump and Vladimir Putin in Helsinki in July 2018, they have worsened under Trump’s tenure. Washington continues to accuse the Kremlin of cyber-meddling in the 2016 US elections and of poisoning a former Russian military intelligence officer and double agent for the United Kingdom in Salisbury in March 2018. Meanwhile, the two powers have disagreed on a series of international issues, from Syria and Iran to arms control and, importantly, the nature of the international system and the rules on which it should be based.