Russian president Vladimir Putin's ouster of American diplomats from his country signals another shift in his approach in dealing with the United States, The New York Times reported.
Once the bipartisan congressional sanctions landed on the desk of President Donald Trump, any hopes Putin had of making headway with the U.S. under this president ended with a thud.
Time to ratchet up the response and return to the old ways — retaliation.
"One of Putin's greatest goals is to assure Russia is treated as if it was still the Soviet Union, a nuclear power that has to be respected and feared," Angela Stent, national intelligence officer for Bush 43, told the Times. "And he thought he might get that from Trump."
But with Congress limiting Trump's options, in addition to the turmoil afflicting Trump's administration, Putin believed a change in tactics was necessary, the Times reported.
"The Russians would have preferred not to head down this path, but Putin didn't feel he had a choice but to respond in the classic tit-for-tat manner," Rolf Mowatt-Larssen, who has served in a number of senior intelligence roles for the U.S., told the Times. "We've been in a new Cold War for some time now. Any hope for a short-term improvement in relations is gone."
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