Russian Relations with the U.S.

Russia’s relations with the United States have changed a lot over the last 60 years. Allies in World War II, Russia and the USA became rivals during the Cold War. This resulted in global rivalry between these two powers. During the Cold War, there were many military and political challenges between the United States and Russia. At points, relations improved with arms control treaties and meetings between leaders of both countries. American presidents John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan met with Russian leaders to achieve peace. At the end of the Cold War, relations improved between Russia and the United States. Today, Russia and the United States are occasional partners and rivals.

World War II

During World War II, Russia and the United States were allies against Nazi Germany and the Axis Powers. At the same time, Soviet Russia tried to take control of countries where the Nazis once had power. This rivalry between the United States and Russia surfaced at the Yalta Conference in 1944. Winston Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt and Josef Stalin ran this conference. Churchill and Roosevelt opposed Soviet Russia’s new control of Eastern Europe. This region was under communist influence and policed by the Red Army. Soviet Russia controlled half of Germany and all of Eastern Europe. This situation precipitated the cold war between the two countries.

Cold War

During the Cold War, relations between the United States and Russia were very difficult. The Cuban missile crisis was the worst crisis of this period. This nearly caused a war because of Russia’s placement of nuclear weapons in Cuba. President Kennedy blockaded Cuba until Nikita Khrushchev ordered the missiles removed. This was the closest the two countries had come to war. Afterwards, there were meetings between President Lyndon Johnson and Premier Khrushchev at an arms control summit in Glassboro, New Jersey. President Richard Nixon continued these arms control policies with the SALT treaty. President Jimmy Carter signed another SALT agreement as well. Under President Ronald Reagan and Russia’s Mikhail Gorbachev, relations improved and the Cold War ended.

End of the Cold War

Today, there are stronger relations between the United States and Russia. Starting with Boris Yeltsin, Russia withdrew its military from Eastern Europe and reconnected with the West. Trade also improved between the two countries, and many American companies opened offices in Moscow. Under Vladimir Putin, this trend continued. Russia has even participated in the war against terror. Both countries have dealt with this problem and share military intelligence. At the same time, there are tensions between the United States and Russia. NATO and Western influence in Eastern Europe are unpopular in Russia. Overall, relations are much better than they have been in the last 30 or 50 years.