Will Donald Trump turn his back on Russia?

(Baonghean) - In a surprising move, US President-elect Donald Trump has accepted the conclusions of US intelligence, accusing Russia of cyberattacks on the recent US election. This is particularly noteworthy because Trump has consistently denied these allegations. Is the US President-elect turning his back on Russia?

"Reports from U.S. intelligence agencies indicate a Russian campaign targeted high-profile data sources, including state media and social media campaigns." Source: AFP / Getty Images

Difficulty from within.

Contrary to his usual stance, White House Chief of Staff-designate Reince Priebus recently announced on the "Fox News Sungday" program that US President-elect Donald Trump has accepted the findings of US intelligence regarding the alleged Russian cyberattacks on the election. This marks the first acknowledgment of this issue by a senior member of Trump's transition team.

Public opinion is questioning whether President Trump has reconsidered his relationship with Russia. Previously, on January 7th, Trump tweeted, continuing to refute accusations against Russia and arguing that maintaining good relations with Russia would only be better for the United States.

Trump even wrote: “Only fools would think this is bad. We (America) have enough trouble around the world and don’t need another one.” Trump also asserted that the Democratic National Committee’s negligence led to the election hacking incident.

According to observers, President-elect Donald Trump's statement stems from the increasing pressure he faces from Republican lawmakers, who hold a tough stance on Russia, as his inauguration approaches.

In recent times, witnessing Trump's "de-escalating" statements towards Russia, leading Republican lawmakers such as Senators Lindsey Graham and John McCain have repeatedly urged Trump to "retaliate" against Russia.

These lawmakers also expressed skepticism about the president-elect's policy toward Russia, and pressured Trump by telling the press that he would have to prove to all Americans, both Democrats and Republicans, that Russia would pay a price.

Meanwhile, reports from agencies such as the National Security Agency (NSA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) sent to Mr. Trump all suggest that Russian President Putin ordered a cyberattack campaign in late 2016 aimed at influencing the US election.

President-elect Donald Trump's strategy to "warm up" relations with Russia is expected to face many obstacles. Source: AFP / Getty Images

Take a detour.

Faced with immense pressure from many sides, President-elect Donald Trump will likely find it difficult to remain indifferent. However, Trump himself is believed to still want to maintain his stance of "warming up" relations with Russia. Therefore, while accepting the accusations against Russia, Trump did not clarify whether this cyberattack was personally ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In addition, Sean Spicer, Trump's spokesperson, told the press that while Trump plans to direct US intelligence agencies to prepare countermeasures against cyberattacks, his stance remains unchanged. This statement could also be interpreted as meaning that, despite this declaration, it is still uncertain whether Trump will take a tough stance and turn his back on Russia.

It is clear that President-elect Donald Trump is in a difficult position: on the one hand, he doesn't want to go against the view of rapprochement with Russia, but on the other hand, he cannot avoid punishing Russia as desired by Republican lawmakers. According to analysts, Trump's recent statement shows that he is facing a dilemma and must take a roundabout approach if he doesn't want his relationship with Russia to be immediately damaged.

Therefore, it cannot be ruled out that President-elect Donald Trump will have to approve sanctions against Russia, either before or after his official inauguration on January 20th. This also means that, despite his desire, President-elect Donald Trump's path to warming relations with Russia will be long and fraught with difficulties in the coming period.

Phuong Hoa