But the optimism over President Trump that brought out the bubbly on the floor of the State Duma on Nov. 9 has long fizzled. [ U.S. risks further battles as it steps deeper into Syrian quagmire ]Heading into Friday’s meeting, Moscow has dismal hopes of any marked improvement. “The subject of Russia has become toxic for Trump,” said Yuri Rogoulev, a specialist in U.S. history at Moscow State University. Russia has generally been alarmed by Trump’s foreign policy, which Moscow sees as unilateralist, impulsive and dangerous. The United States has accused Russia of developing a missile that violates the landmark 1987 treaty that limits intermediate-range nuclear missiles.

Source: Washington Post July 05, 2017 09:05 UTC