Balance of Power: Dialing Moscow
Balance of Power: Dialing Moscow
It was the call the Kremlin had been asking for.
When Vladimir Putin talked with Donald Trump Tuesday, the two leaders tried to move past the tensions triggered by last month's U.S. missile strike on Russia's ally Syria.
The White House called the conversation “very good.” The Kremlin praised its “constructive” tone. Though short on specifics, the readouts were in stark contrast to the chill visible earlier in the day when Putin met with Angela Merkel and tensions over the Ukraine conflict were on open display.
For Putin, the improved mood music with Washington is important. He's looking for a foreign policy win as low oil prices drag down his domestic economy. His diplomatic drive continues today when he meets Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, with the Kremlin needing Turkish help to make a Russian-brokered cease fire in Syria stick.
But what Putin really needs are warm words from Trump to keep hopes alive that the Russian leader might get a chance to break out of his isolation. Unfortunately for him, the outlook in Washington for rapprochement with Russia doesn't seem likely to improve soon, with a new round of hearings coming on Capitol Hill into alleged election meddling by Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel ahead of a joint news conference in Sochi on May 2, 2017.
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To contact the authors of this story: Gregory White in Moscow at gwhite64@bloomberg.net, Michael Winfrey in Prague at mwinfrey@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editors responsible for this story: John Fraher at jfraher@bloomberg.net, Craig Gordon Elizabeth Titus