Donald Trump’s comeback to the White House and the possible consquences for Russia

The meeting discussed a range of issues related to Donald Trump’s return to the White House in the context of the impact of this event on relations between Russia and the United States. The participants considered various aspects of the new US President’s approach to international relations, as well as the potential of Russian diplomacy to reach agreements between the two countries on critical issues, in particular security guarantees for Russia.

The discussion noted that Donald Trump views foreign policy through the lens of national interest, emphasising economic gain and national security rather than building alliances. American foreign policy is in a crisis of leadership, and Trump is trying to create his new formula based on economic pressure and forcing agreements.

Although the newly elected US president is likely to build his dialogue with Russia from a clean slate, Russia will find it difficult to negotiate because of its principled stance on many issues, including Ukraine, and will not make concessions that will affect its international prestige. Russia will seek to reach agreements on the formation of a new security system that will take into account its national interests beyond territorial disputes. In this context, the supposed option of Ukraine’s neutrality was discussed. Participants concluded that such an idea was not realistic due to the country’s size and resource endowment. At the same time, the policy of "neutrality" is no longer a model applied in practice.

Experts expressed the opinion that Donald Trump is focused on quick results, which will create temporary pressure on the US administration, while our country is under economic pressure and is also interested in resolving the conflict. Russia is not in a critical situation despite the illegal restrictions and is function better than many Western European countries.

The role of the European Union in intensifying the conflict on Russia’s borders was another topic of discussion. European countries are supporting military action in Ukraine on their own, and this role will not change with a change in the vector of American policy.

Currently, the European Union uses a much tougher and more bellicose vocabulary than the United States. Politicians in the EU constantly talk about a "war mentality," a "war tax," and a "war economy."

Karin Kneissl, Head of the G.O.R.K.I. Centre St Petersburg University 

The importance of building stronger ties with the American people was repeatedly emphasised during the discussion. Participants noted that, to date, U.S.-Russian relations exist primarily at the state level and noted the need to strengthen people-to-people ties to improve mutual understanding and cooperation.

At the conclusion of the event, Viktor Titov, Vice-Rector of SPbU, thanked Fyodor Voitolovsky, Director of IMEMO RAS, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, for his support and assistance in organising the event.