Russia Suggests Trump is No Different from Obama After Montenegro NATO Approval – Newsweek

Russia has criticized President Donald Trumps decision to ratify Montenegros accession to NATO, suggesting that there has been no shift in policy from previous White House administrations.

Following the Senates overwhelming approval last month, Trump on Tuesday signed the U.S. instrument of ratification for Montenegros accession to NATO. The move was made in defiance of Russias objections and was condemned by Russias Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement issued Thursday.

We view this step as a sign of inertia in Washingtons policies and a reflection of the logic of confrontation in Europe, where new dividing lines are being drawn, read the release.

We note that there is growing criticism of the efforts to sneak Montenegro into NATO even in the United States, where people justly doubt that this step will benefit the alliance itself and strengthen European security.

We regard the policy of including Montenegro in NATO as profoundly erroneous; it runs counter to the core interests of the people of that country and is damaging for the stability of the Balkans and Europe as a whole.

Such criticism was far from unexpected. When discussing NATO plans to invite Montenegro to join the alliance, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in 2014 that the move would be a provocation.

The approval of Montenegro as a NATO member follows accusations from the countrys chief special prosecutor in February that Russian security services were involved in an attempted coup of its government last October. Russia has labeled such claims baseless.

The discordance over Montenegro is just the latest sign of the deterioration of the U.S.-Russia relationship, one that was widely expected to flourish under Trump.

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a joint news conference with Italian President Sergio Mattarella after their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia April 11, 2017. Sputnik/Alexei Druzhinin/Kremlin via Reuters

Trump praised Russian President Vladimir Putin as a strong leader on the campaign trail. And, as president-elect, he said Putin was very smart for holding off on retaliating to then-President Barack Obamas sanctions against Russia over its alleged hacking to influence the presidential election.

But, last week, Trump acted in defiance of Moscow by green-lighting missile strikes against a Syrian airfield, a move Russia said could have extremely serious consequences.

Following the incident, Trump on Thursday said that U.S. relations with Russia may be at an all-time low, and that were not getting along with Russia at all.

At the same time, Trump reversed courseon NATO. Having previously called the organization obsolete, Trump argued that the military alliance had since made changes for the better.

I complained about that a long time ago and they made a change, and now they do fight terrorism, he said. I said it was obsolete. Its no longer obsolete.

Go here to read the rest:
Russia Suggests Trump is No Different from Obama After Montenegro NATO Approval - Newsweek