but US/Russia relations have continued to deteriorate through his presidency, and I don't think on balance the policy has been particularly accommodating to them. There was an open letter in Politico last week from foreign policy experts calling for restoring full diplomatic relations with them, being more flexible with sanctions, etc, to foster increased cooperation on the big issues like nuclear proliferation. Being less hawkish with them, basically. It doesn't really seem like anything major changed under Trump, at least going off what they were saying.

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Ultimately, the reality is that Russia, under Vladimir Putin, operates within a strategic framework deeply rooted in nationalist traditions that resonate with elites and the public alike. An eventual successor, even one more democratically inclined, will likely operate within this same framework. Premising U.S. policy on the assumption that we can and must change that framework is misguided. Likewise, we would be unwise to think that we have no choice but to stick with current policy. We must deal with Russia as it is, not as we wish it to be, fully utilizing our strengths but open to diplomacy. So focused, we can both cope with the challenge that Russia poses and strive to put the relationship on a more constructive path. Failure to do so carries too high a price.