The upbeat joint statement issued by US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on April 25, 2020 was both baffling and alarming. Released to mark the seventy-fifth anniversary of the meeting between Soviet and US troops on the River Elbe in the final days of WWII, the statement hailed the spring 1945 event as “an example of how our countries can put aside differences, build trust, and cooperate in pursuit of a greater cause.” Given the tense current state of bilateral ties, the conciliatory tone of this statement is hard to understand, let alone justify. Indeed, it is difficult to see how Washington can “build trust” with Moscow, as suggested in the Elbe statement, given the long and ever-expanding list of hostile actions undertaken by Russia over the past six years of hybrid warfare against the entire Western world.
OP-ED
Eugene Czolij: Putin woos Trump with WWII nostalgia but Russia’s hybrid war continues
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by the Kremlin wall to mark the 74th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany, Moscow, May 9, 2019.
