Despite the flood of post-election pundits advising President-elect Donald Trump on how to approach Russia, few have offered any understanding of Moscow’s aims.
But Russian President Vladimir Putin’s government has not hidden what it wants. It seeks an end to sanctions, recognition of Crimea as part of Russia, demilitarization of NATO in the Baltic and Black Sea regions, termination of US missile defenses, recognition of Bashar al-Assad’s government in Syria, and formal recognition of Russia’s equality with the US. This formal recognition of what Moscow calls “multipolarity” would preclude Western democracy promotion or advocacy for human rights in Russia or its sphere of influence.
