The upbeat joint statement issued by U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on April 25 was both baffling and alarming. Released to mark the 75th anniversary of the meeting between Soviet and U.S. troops on the River Elbe in the final days of World War II, 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 everexpanding list of hostile actions undertaken by Russia over the past six years of hybrid warfare against the entire Western world.