Kremlin insiders are worried President Donald Trump may be overthrown, or even killed, or he could switch to a tough anti-Moscow line to make peace with GOP lawmakers, Russian policymakers told Foreign Policy.
Russia's relationship with Trump has been the source of much discussion since the presidential campaign when the U.S. uncovered Russia's role in hacking the elections via cyberattacks, which resulted in sanctions put in place by Barack Obama before he left the White House. Trump has spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin since then, and said in an interview last weekend, he had respect for him, comments that drew criticism from both sides of the aisle.
The United States' contentious relationship with China under Trump has also complicated Russia's relations with China and Iran, which Putin wants to keep strong. Trump's recent executive order temporarily banning citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries is also another issue for Russia, which hosts up to 20 million Muslims.
The Foreign Policy news analysis was co-authored by Ivan Krastev, a chairman of the Center for Liberal Strategies in Sofia, Bulgaria, and Stephen Holmes, a professor at New York University School of Law.