Russia does not seek a real compromise with the West, instead, Putin “laughs” at America and wants to weaken it, writes Andrew Chahoyan, a professor at the University of Amsterdam and former U.S. official, in an article for The Hill.
The publication notes that Russians despise not only Ukrainians but also Americans – according to the Levada Center, the latest independent sociological survey in Russia, three-quarters of Russians view the U.S. as the “bad guys.” By contrast, Tehran elicits eight times more affection than Washington, while love for China is almost as striking as the hatred for America.
In the author’s opinion, Russia is not seeking a “reset” or compromise – it sees the U.S. as an existential enemy. In the 1990s, when Russia flirted with democracy under Boris Yeltsin, 70% of the population considered America a friend, and 15% an enemy. Under Putin, these numbers have reversed.
The publication adds that the Kremlin holds onto lies about protecting its population from Western intrigues, claiming that the war is not with Ukraine, but with NATO. How else could Moscow explain the miserable effectiveness of its own army?
In reality, writes The Hill, Ukrainians are fighting alone – American or European troops have not joined them, NATO planes are not intercepting Russian missiles, as they do in Israel, for example.
The U.S., Europe, and other allies have provided weapons and aid – but, as the author points out, reluctantly and often too late, and only because “no civilized nation can sit idly by while Russian military forces redraw borders and commit the most heinous war crimes.”
“Our aid to Ukraine is not charity, and we are not financing a proxy war – America is defending freedom and the principle that sovereign nations should not live in fear of their brutal neighbors,” the article states.
Any contact between the U.S. and Russia is seen by the Kremlin as weakness to be exploited, not as a goodwill gesture to be reciprocated, The Hill writes, quoting former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who said, “Putin does not negotiate. He laughs at us.”
The author of the article notes that Russia “has an economy the size of Texas” and faces demographic decline, and knows it is not a global superpower.
“Rather, it is a parasitic kleptocracy that dreams of colonization – incapable of ensuring the prosperity of its people, but adept at selling fantasies of greatness in exchange for submission,” writes The Hill, adding that, unable to rise on its own, Moscow seeks to drag America down, seeing its goal not in competing with the West, but in weakening it.
The author notes that Putin lied about Crimea when Obama was president, lied about Syria during Trump’s first term, lied to Biden about no plans to invade Ukraine – and continues to lie today.
“It’s hard to find a single instance when Putin hasn’t lied – manipulated, confused, or humiliated Western leaders he despises,” the article states.
These displays of contempt are not veiled. After Trump’s re-election in 2024, Russian state television aired nude photos of Melania Trump, taken several decades ago. The Hill notes that this could be seen as pointless trolling, but anyone who has been to Russia understands it as a weapon of psychological warfare – the KGB’s specialty.
The publication also cites another recent example of mockery – Putin was caught on camera smiling in response to a reminder that he was late for a scheduled conversation with Trump.
Meanwhile, members of the Russian business elite surrounding him burst into laughter, signaling that the delay was not a coincidence, but a calculated power play, reflecting the Soviet-era doctrine of manipulating opponents to act against their own interests.
The publication also reminds of the recent UN vote, where America found itself in the company of Belarus, Burkina Faso, North Korea, Russia, and Sudan, who voted against a resolution stating the obvious: there is a difference between those who invade and those who are invaded. Russia was undoubtedly pleased that the U.S. found itself in such a diplomatically humiliating position.
And this situation is not new, writes The Hill. After World War II, the Soviet Union quickly betrayed its military allies, plunging the world into the Cold War and condemning generations of Estonians, Latvians, Lithuanians, Poles, and others to oppression. Expecting Putin’s Russia to act differently, despite all the evidence, is not realism, but delusion, the author writes.
According to him, America’s choice is simple: stop playing a falsified game, stop respecting a regime whose ultimate goal is our humiliation, not compromise.
“If Americans want to be respected, we must stop showing weakness and making ourselves a laughingstock. Refusing to accept Kremlin mockery or agree to absurd demands is not escalation. This is what national honor requires,” concludes The Hill.
