Russian President Vladimir Putin is signaling the possibility of a “Russian Reset,” seeing a chance for a new beginning in relations with the United States under President Donald Trump. His remark about a “light at the end of the tunnel” is the clearest indication yet of this hope.
This potential reset comes at a time of deep crisis, with Putin himself admitting that relations are at an “extremely low level” due to conflicts over Ukraine, NATO, and sanctions. He is framing Trump as the key figure who can reverse this downward spiral.
However, this hope for a reset is conditional on surviving a major immediate test. The Trump administration has given Russia a two-week deadline to act on Ukraine, with severe economic penalties on the line. A failure to meet this test could lead to even worse relations, not a reset.
Putin’s strategy appears to be to appeal to Trump directly, leader to leader, while simultaneously holding a firm line on Russia’s core interests, such as sovereignty. Whether this approach can lead to a genuine reset or simply a temporary pause in hostilities remains to be seen.