, Columnist
Smartest Way to Deal With Russia? Ignore Putin
What if the U.S. accepted that Russia, long-term, is part of the West?
Russia is bigger than Putin.
Photographer: Mikhail Svetlov/Getty ImagesEuropean Council President Donald Tusk said after meeting with Donald Trump on Thursday that the two had diverging views on Russia. Though no details of the differences have been divulged, one can safely assume Trump was more dovish on Russia than Tusk -- despite all his troubles with the Russia-related scandal at home. To some, it may suggest that Russia has some leverage on him; to me, it means Trump still holds on to the notion that he can build a pragmatic relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.