Trump's Russia Policies: Return to Normalcy or Defeat for America?

Open to Debate

Education, Society & Culture, News, Government, Politics

4.5 • 2.1K Ratings

🗓️ 10 June 2025

⏱️ 53 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

As he did in this first presidential term, President Trump has continued to signal closer alignment with Vladimir Putin. This included a tense February Oval Office meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, where he claimed Ukraine was responsible for the war. The U.S. also joined Russia in voting against a UN resolution condemning Russia’s action in Ukraine and Vice President Vance has called for a re-evaluation of the U.S.'s relationship with NATO. Could these actions, and others, help chart a return to a state of improved U.S.-Russia diplomatic relations or lead America toward defeat in the region and beyond? Those who argue that Trump’s actions signal a return to normalcy say that European security should be Europe’s responsibility, which could lead to a stronger, more self-sufficient NATO, and that recent years of antagonism have failed to alter Russian behavior. The Trump administration could help bring U.S.-Russia relations into constructive focus at a high-stakes moment. However, those who declare this a defeat for America argue that Trump warming up to Putin will only encourage Russian aggression, hurt Ukraine, and erode our allies’ trust. With this background, we debate Trump’s Russia Policies: Return to Normalcy or Defeat for America? Arguing "Defeat for America": Bill Browder, Head of the Global Magnitsky Justice Campaign Alina Polyakova, President and CEO of the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) Arguing "Return to Normalcy": Jeffrey Sachs, Economist, Public Policy Analyst, and Professor at Columbia University Thomas Graham, Distinguished Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations; Co-founder of Yale University’s Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies Program Emmy award-winning journalist John Donvan moderates Visit OpentoDebate.org to watch more insightful debates. Subscribe to our newsletter to stay informed on our curated weekly debates, dynamic live events, and educational initiatives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:34.0	This is open to debate. Hi, everybody. I'm John Donvan, and today we are bringing you a debate we recorded live in New York City in partnership with the Council on Foreign Relations.
0:43.3	It's part of a three-part series we are calling the Trump Doctrine, a global reckoning.
0:48.3	And in these debates, we look at what is evolving in real time in America's foreign relations.
0:53.3	And as for this debate, it's about one
0:56.0	country in particular, a nuclear power, and for many, a global nemesis. I'm talking about Russia.
1:02.0	Over the years, Trump has had many nice things to say about Vladimir Putin, including calling
1:07.0	him strong and a talented guy. And a relationship this friendly, some have even said
1:12.3	this deferential, is a break from past foreign policy. So now we have a fundamental disagreement
1:18.0	about how America should approach Russia. And the question we're debating is, are Trump's
1:23.2	Russia policies a return to normalcy, or are they a defeat for America? Now, this is an issue
1:29.2	that is evolving right now in real time, as Trump recently has seemed intent on getting to a peace
1:33.8	deal between Russia and Ukraine, but as this debate was recorded on May 6th, you're not going
1:39.3	to hear a discussion of Trump's newer, tougher words to Vladimir Putin on truth social or the state of negotiations
1:45.1	currently underway between Russia and Ukraine. Instead, this debate is a truly fascinating
1:50.3	conversation about whether a friendlier posture toward Putin's Russia could possibly ever play
1:56.2	out and happen and whether it is necessary or not. It's a really great debate, so let's get to it.
2:01.8	But before I introduce our debaters, Michael Froman, the president of the Council on Foreign
	...

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