Kissinger: US Must Temper Approach as Russia Evolves

Dmitry Medvedev has more power than some in the West believe, and Russia's political system is still evolving as Vladimir Putin moves from president to prime minister, Henry Kissinger writes in the Washington Post—and it behooves the US to throttle back. "The pace of such an evolution will inevitably be Russian," he writes. "We can affect it more by patience and historical understanding than by offended disengagement and public exhortations."

Putin remains powerful, but Kissinger interprets Putin’s policies “as driven by a quest for a reliable strategic partner, with America being the preferred choice.” On many issues, like nuclear proliferation, interests still coincide, and cooperation is possible if the US gives Russia space and respect—and it can start by forgetting plans to put weapon systems in Ukraine.