American analyst: It is possible that July meeting between Putin and Trump harmed Russian-American relations
ArmInfo. It is possible that the July meeting between Russian and US Presidents Putin and Trump brought more harm to Russian-American relations than good.
Adviser to former US President George W. Bush on Russia and Eurasia, former director of the Russian department in the US Security Council, researcher on global issues at the Jackson Institute of Yale University, director of Kissinger Associates Thomas Graham expressed such an opinion to ArmInfo.
Evidence of the correctness of this assumption, in his opinion, is the consistent worsening of relations between the two countries both before and after this meeting. And this despite the opposite expectations in Moscow and less - in Washington. "In the light of the subsequent legislative consolidation by the Congress of the existing sanctions regime, the forced reduction of diplomatic ties and the closure of diplomatic institutions in both countries, declaring Russia, on a par with China, a strategic adversary aimed at undermining US positions in the world in the US National Security Strategy, there is hardly any reason to hope for improvement of these relations in 2018", the analyst predicts. Considering the lack of flexibility in the key issues of the bilateral and global agenda by both sides, Gram forecasts a similar behavioral line in Washington's relations with Moscow in the future. Especially, given the approaching presidential elections in Russia, and the midterm elections to the US Congress. Noting the strengthening in the US, despite the sides' readiness to cooperate, anti-Russian and anti- American sentiments, the analyst stressed the absence of prospects for cooperation until the sides abandon their demands on key issues on the bilateral agenda, including Syria, Ukraine and the elimination of intermediate and shorter-range missiles. Similar prospects, according to Graham's forecasts, are not visible in the near future.