Whether we watch the news or not, many of us have at least heard/seen the word, “Russia,” being related to the White House a lot recently. What is the deal with that though? Is it a matter that any of us should be concerned for? Well, it is not a matter that we should necessarily be too concerned about yet, but something to be informed about. There are two reasons you are hearing about Russia and the new administration a lot lately. One reason is because of the uncertainty over President Trump’s intentions towards Russia that is leaving not only many Americans very uneasy feeling, but also American allies in Europe. Another reason is that the FBI is investigating the possibility of Russia’s interference with the Presidential elections on President Trump’s behalf.

The uncertainty over the President’s intentions towards Russia matters because the standing between the United States and Russia is not healthy. To many experts, the standing between the two countries is at its lowest point since the beginning of the Cold War. Many also believe that it is in Russia’s interest to see a destabilized US. The worst thing that can be seen happening by some experts is our military forces being in some form of unintentional either accident or direct conflict (in Syria) that could lead to worse things like the use of nuclear weapons or Russia providing advanced weapons to countries like China or Iran.

The United States and Russia have had many fundamental disagreements that are the reason many people do not like the President’s soft tone with Russia. Russia has done things such as violate a key arms control treaty, the INF treaty, and much more. Russia itself is concerned with the United States’ programs, missile defenses in Europe, and new conventional strategic systems which they believe will threaten their strategic deterrent. In other words, they do not like that the US has a lot of power.

President Trump has received much backlash for his soft stance on Russia, although he promises that there is going to be great economic resurgence by bargaining with Vladimir Putin by focusing on the war in Syria and the fight against ISIS. Unfortunately, it is hard to trust the same man who is being investigated for the possibility that he received help from Russia during his campaign for President and was able to win thanks to them. Even if that suspicion had never come about, the hopes of the President being able to stabilize relations with Russia through a softer tone (most likely having the US lose in any sort of agreement or even “be played”) is something that many Americans do not believe is a smart move, since the reasons for the relationship between the countries are so complex and go to the heart of who we are as a nation.

Many are advising the President to “harden his tone” with Russia, since he is being investigated for wrongdoings in his campaign and it is affecting his political agenda since many in his administration have been found guilty of lying about having contact with Russia. Whatever happens, all we can do is stay informed and hope the President does his best to not lead the countries to war.