The New Russian-American Melody

Darko Lazar

The first telephone conversation between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump took place on January 28, lasting 45 minutes.

According to official Kremlin statements, the two men discussed the battle against terrorism, the situation in the Middle East, the Arab-‘Israeli' conflict, strategic stability and nuclear disarmament, the Iranian nuclear agreement, tensions on the Korean Peninsula, while "touching" on Ukraine.

The initial ripple effects of this conversation will most likely be felt in Syria, where Washington is expected to adopt a new strategy by the beginning of March.

The new US approach to the conflict in Syria involves "realistic coordination" between Moscow and Washington in the battle against the Daesh terror group, as well as other militant formations.

Editor-in-chief of theduran.com Alexander Mercouris believes that, "fighting ISIS is something that is so obviously in the joint interests of both countries and it is relatively straightforward to do. I say relatively because nothing is ever straightforward in the relationship between Russia and the United States. But to the extent that anything is straightforward, this is. If they can do it together and they can do it well... then they can move onto more contentious issues."

A new tone

Russian experts assert that the most important thing to take away from the first Putin-Trump conversation is the nature of the tone, which was more than cordial.

Aside from exchanging pleasantries, the two leaders agreed to maintain "regular contact". This is designed to pave the way for a US-Russian summit and a face-to-face meeting.

Although at this point it is very difficult to say exactly when and where this encounter might take place, the constructive nature of the conversation suggests that the primary objective has been achieved.

Moreover, the exchange marks a sharp departure from the conversations that Putin used to have with Barack Obama, which generally helped to widen the rift between the two superpowers.

With the arrival of Donald Trump, expect the tone to create a new Russian-American melody. In its early stages, this is unlikely to be a symphony, but it's certainly going to be a step up from the cacophonous noise that dominated Obama's tenure.

Essentially, the initial contact between two of the world's most powerful politicians is a step toward the creation of a forum for resolving international crises - or at the very least, neutralizing them to the point that they do not threaten global security and stability.

The sanctions issue

Citing an unnamed source in the White House, a researcher at the Atlantic Council analytical center, Fabrice Pothier, claimed in a Twitter post last week that the Trump administration "has an executive order ready" to lift western sanctions imposed on Russia by the Obama Administration.

But as anticipation grew, opponents of the US-Russian rapprochement in Washington began sounding the alarm bells.

The first to weigh in was former Russian ambassador, Alexander Vershbow, urging the US Congress to restrict the removal of anti-Russian sanctions.

"Congress should act before the US President, Donald Trump, unilaterally lifts sanctions against Russia," Vershbow wrote on Twitter.

The hawkish US Republican Senator John McCain put out a combative statement, warning Trump that it would be "naive and dangerous" to mistake Putin's "hostile intent" towards the United States.

"For the sake of America's national security and that of our allies, I hope President Trump will put an end to this speculation and reject such a reckless course. If he does not, I will work with my colleagues to codify sanctions against Russia into law," McCain said.

Trump was quick to respond, saying that it was "very early to be talking about" lifting sanctions on Russia.

But while putting to bed rumors that the lifting of the embargo was imminent - something that no one was expecting to begin with - Trump did not say whether sanctions would be lifted in the near future.

According to the influential Russian senator and the head of the Foreign Affairs Committee in Russia's State Duma, Aleksey Pushkov, the US Congress cannot stop Trump from rolling back Obama's measures against the Kremlin.

Pushkov points to the fact that any legislation imposed by the Congress can be overruled by Trump, simply by citing national security interests.

The Russian official explains that the most important thing is for Moscow and Washington to engage in dialogue and start cooperating on key issues, which would lead to the eventual collapse of the sanctions regime.

As such, common ground on combating terrorism in Syria is likely to be used as a stepping stone to improving relations and cementing the foundations for future cooperation in many different areas.

"I think the Russians are looking for an understanding with the United States about the entire relationship, and this is why you had such a very wide ranging telephone call between the two presidents... They [the Russians] covered all the aspects of their relations in the phone call; they made it clear to Mr. Trump what they wanted from him. I don't think sanctions were high on that agenda at all. They want to work with the United States over terrorism... [and] establishing in the end a much larger relationship," Mercouris opined.

For better or worse, Trump has already proven that he has every intention of following through on his promises and turning public statements into actual policies. Thus, it is only reasonable to assume that soon Washington may have to accept that "having a good relationship with Russia is a good thing, not a bad thing."

Al-Ahed News