The differences between Russia and the US are not only geopolitical
On the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, the director of the Institute for US and Canadian Studies, Natalya Tsvetkova, and the director of the Center for North American Studies of the Institute of World Economy and International Relations, Victoria Zhuravleva, commented to the Vedomosti newspaper on the history and prospects of US-Russia relations. Victoria Zhuravleva argued that relations between Moscow and Washington are particularly complex because the two countries resemble each other more than is commonly believed. As she stated, Russia also considers itself a country with a special mission, which believes it can influence international developments and propose its own global model of development. However, she pointed out that the economies of the two countries are completely different and do not complement each other, as there are no interdependent supply chains, unlike what occurs in US-China relations. "The United States may proceed with military reinforcement against China or even fear it, but the two economies remain closely linked and this cannot change. With Russia, the situation is different: they can fear it or dislike it, believing that this causes them no economic damage," Victoria Zhuravleva stated.
Ukraine and the political goals of Donald Trump
Referring to the war in Ukraine, Victoria Zhuravleva estimated that Donald Trump is primarily seeking political benefits. According to her, the American president needs to prove that he is capable of resolving international conflicts, particularly ahead of the midterm elections in the United States. "It would be positive for an agreement with Russia to exist, but throughout Trump's presidency, no concrete or direct steps have been made toward this direction," she argued. She further added that the upcoming midterm elections will be decisive both for Donald Trump himself and for US-Russian relations, since, in her view, substantial communication between the two countries is feasible only when the president's party also controls Congress.
Contacts between the two countries have nearly vanished
For her part, Natalya Tsvetkova focused on the lack of contact between the cultural, social, and academic communitiesof the two countries. As she warned, without exchanges in the fields of education and culture, an information bubblewill prevail that does not reflect reality.
"At the lowest communication level in history"
Victoria Zhuravleva agreed with this assessment, characterizing the communication between Russia and the United States as the lowest ever recorded. As she noted, even during the Soviet period and the Cold War era, when all contacts were strictly controlled, there were far more communication channels between the two sides than there are today.
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