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The United States’ relationship with Russia throughout history has been a roller coaster of geopolitical struggle spurred by ideological differences. Lately, it seems that US relations with Russia have grown more precarious. How did we get here?

Axis and Allies

Relations between the United States and Russia were peaceful during World War I during the reign of Czar Nicholas II. As the war continued and revolution broke out, tensions were elevated. The United States and Allied Forces began sending military troops over to Russia in an attempt to overcome the communist “reds” and to stabilize the Eastern Front. Their efforts were in vain, as the Bolsheviks eventually took over and murdered the entire royal family and quickly gained control over Russia. The perceived threat posed by communist control later became known as the “red scare.” The United States eventually recognized the new Soviet Union, and US-Russian relations became more amicable. During WWII, the US again allied with Russian and European forces against Germany and Japan. During WWII and after its conclusion, President Franklin D. Roosevelt met with Soviet Leader Joseph Stalin on multiple occasions and maintained friendly relations with the USSR. After WWII, the Soviet Union’s rapid expansion into Eastern Europe alarmed Western powers and over time as the Soviets developed and tested nuclear weapons, the Cold War began to take shape, largely through proxy wars, most notably the Korean and Vietnam Wars, in which the US and the Soviets found themselves supporting opposite sides in geopolitical struggles.

Post-Cold War

The end of the Cold War was declared by US President George H.W. Bush and Soviet Leader Mikhail Gorbachev on Dec. 3, 1989, at the Malta Summit. By December of 1991, the Soviet Union had been completely dissolved. Communism came to an end, and relations between the United States and Russia started to improve - but it was short lived. In 1999, Russia’s first elected President, Boris Yeltsin, resigned and appointed Vladimir Putin as Russia’s new president. Under Putin, Russia was steered into taking a much more assertive stance on international affairs. In the spring of 1999, NATO bombed the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, causing a further deterioration in US - Russia relations. Despite apparent differences between the two countries, Putin and President George W. Bush managed to establish good, personal relations with one another. That is until the US made the decision to withdraw from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in 2001.