There have been many international commentators who confirmed Republican Donald Trump's victory in the United States presidential election in November 2016, saying that relations between the United States and Russia will be reborn.
But that did not happen. Worse, they hit the biggest crisis since the end of the Cold War. The natural question is to try to understand what went wrong, since the potential - and the exchange of accolades between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin were known.
"I think I would have a very, very good relationship with Putin," Trump said in September 2016. "And I think I would have a very, very good relationship with Russia."
Much of the problem can be explained by the expectations created on both sides of the globe. In Washington, Trump saw his desire to be Putin's "best friend" be undone by Congress, which imposed the harshest sanctions ever implemented against the Russians.
Already the Kremlin would have the prospect that the Republican could be the president who would accept the annexation of the Crimea, show support for Syrian President Bashar Assad, or give Moscow more freedom on the international scene in exchange for support against terrorism.
These are some conclusions set forth in a long article published this month by the US magazine Newsweek. For the publication, the miscalculation inevitably goes through the supposed Russian interference in Trump's own electoral victory. Such a situation set off an internal framework that even someone like Trump could not contain.
The elections
But the scenario was promising - at least for the Kremlin - before the elections. In addition to always praising Putin for "being rebuilding Russia," Trump seemed to be the anti-establishment figure that could revive relations between the two countries.
"In 2013, when Trump took the Miss Universe contest to Moscow, he asked himself in a tweet whether Putin 'would become my new best friend.'" Trump also falsely claimed that he had met Putin during his visit. And in December 2015, at MSNBC, Trump defended the Russian leader against allegations that he had ordered the murder of journalists, stating that "our country also does a lot of killing," the article says.
On the other hand, Putin has always taken a more cautious stance on Trump, defining him in December 2015 as a "brilliant personality," in which the American tycoon transformed the following phrase:
"He said, 'Donald Trump is a genius and he will be the leader of the party and he will be the leader of the world or something,'" commented the now US president, in a clear manipulation of what the Russian president had said. When elected, Trump hinted that he would seek a new era in relations with the Kremlin.
This was also expected in Moscow.
"The time has come for a new era in Russian-American relations. There will be mutual respect ... Two major nuclear powers will meet again as equals, "said Russian politician Vladimir Zhirinovsky shortly after Trump's victory was confirmed.
To deny was not enough
However, doubts surrounding alleged Russian involvement in the US presidential election have never gone away. And what started out as smoke became a fire that even the "negotiator" Trump managed to quell. It was the beginning of the end of what has never been more than a frivolous desire.
"After his election victory, Trump soon ceased to exalt Putin. Even if the anger and the evidence were apparent through Moscow's election interference, the Kremlin still hoped its dangerous move would work, "the US magazine says.
Trump's supposed video of prostitutes in Moscow in 2013, or the conversations Trump and his then-advisor Mike Flynn with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak or the threats of retaliation from the government of Democrat Barack Obama only helped to aggravate the picture .
It was too much pressure for Trump to resist. Then came the bombing of a Syrian base and a series of indications stemming from the US Congress that the country could not make concessions to Moscow. On the contrary. It was the beginning of the discussion about economic sanctions, already before the long-awaited meeting between Trump and Putin at the G20 summit in Germany.
"At a time when Putin and Trump had their first face-to-face meeting in July, the relationship Trump hoped was definitely off the agenda," the publication explains, pointing out that the US president still hoped for concessions from the Russian leader On issues involving Syria, Korea and Ukraine. Unsuccessfully.
"Instead of being the beginning of a rising friendship, Hamburg marked little more than the exchange of platitudes by two men arrested by circumstances: Trump blocked by allegations of Russiagate; And Putin paralyzed by the fear of appearing weak, "the article says.
What is left?
For Russian officials heard by Newsweek, the chances of a positive relationship and friendship between Trump and Putin are over. In the view of the Kremlin, the latest sanctions against Russia show that the Republican has been defeated by the US establishment and no longer governs.
"What is there for Putin to talk to him?" Questioned Russian MP Sergei Zheleznyak.
While Russia asserts that it has not been and will not be affected by such economic sanctions, it is common in both countries to come to a conclusion: relations are at a very poor stage, and the short- and medium-term scenario does not look at all encouraging, Especially because of the difficulties that Trump faces or will face until the end of his term in 2020.
"The failure of Putin and Trump to launch a new post-Cold War era will cost them both dearly. The Russian leader faces a deep international isolation and a slow economic strangulation. But it's worse for Trump. His words of praise encouraged Putin's unfortunate attempt to help him enter the White House. There is no evidence so far that Trump directly instigated this effort. But Putin's embrace may still be politically fatal to the tycoon who just wanted to be the 'best friend' of the Russian strong man, "the article concludes.
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