Welcome to The Adversarial. Every other week, we’ll provide you with expert analysis on America’s greatest challengers: China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and jihadists. Read more below.***RussiaOver the last two weeks, Russia has observed the shift in U.S. foreign policy with delight. As the United States and Ukraine discussed a deal for U.S. access to Ukrainian mineral deposits, Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested that Russia — including occupied Ukrainian territory — has greater deposits of these valuable commodities and would be happy to cooperate with the United States in developing these resources. Russian officials reacted to the combative meeting between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Feb. 28 by praising Trump’s restraint, and Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that U.S. foreign policy changes under the new administration “largely aligns with our vision.”A strong majority of Russians views U.S.-Russian negotiations positively, according to a recent poll. A small minority of commentators expresses concern that negotiations might “prematurely” end the war at a time when Russia continues to make gains on the battlefield and when Ukraine faces the potential loss of U.S. military assistance. However, most of the public supports the idea of negotiations to end the war.Yet, it is not clear that an end to active fighting is much closer. A ceasefire would require Ukrainian participation in negotiations, and there is no clear mechanism in sight for their inclusion. Europe, meanwhile, has stepped up support for Ukraine and is again discussing the possibility of transferring frozen Russian assets to Ukraine.Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov in 2023. Image via Wikimedia Commons.ChinaMarch 4 marked the beginning of the annual meetings of the National People’s Congress and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference — known as the “two sessions,” during which the government presents key policies for the year. The government announced a GDP
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Welcome to The Adversarial. Every other week, we’ll provide you with expert analysis on America’s greatest challengers: China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and jihadists. Read more below.***RussiaOver the last two weeks, Russia has observed the shift in U.S. foreign policy with delight. As the United States and Ukraine discussed a deal for U.S. access to Ukrainian mineral deposits, Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested that Russia — including occupied Ukrainian territory — has greater deposits of these valuable commodities and would be happy to cooperate with the United States in developing these resources. Russian officials reacted to the combative meeting between President
