Russian expert warns Trump holds 'position of strength'

President-elect Donald Trump (Photo: Twitter)

One of the most influential and highly quoted Russian intellectuals, Prof. Valery Solovei, says Russian officials will have to face an abrupt new reality on Jan. 20 when Donald Trump is inaugurated president of the United States, a new report in Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin documents.

"Trump is not Obama," he said. "In the foreign policy domain, the Obama administration was the weakest postwar American administration. Trump cannot allow himself such weakness. Therefore, though the situation opens some new possibilities before us, it carries much larger risks.

"The new American administration will react from a position of strength, and we can never win in this competition. The Soviet Union had lost it, and Russia is much weaker than the Soviet Union. Our (Russia vs. U.S.) potentials are grossly disproportionate, have no illusions about it."

He continued: "This means that all depends on our readiness to evaluate the situation realistically and to compromise. If we do not reach an agreement with the U.S., we shall find ourselves in a most unpleasant situation. There are many tools in their arsenal that allow (them) to drive us into a corner. The economic and financial ones will suffice: within 2-3 years, Russia's economy will be torn to shreds."

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The comments from Solovei, who is the head of the department of public relations at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, came in an interview with the Russian daily Moskovsky Komsomolets that was highlighted by the Middle East Media Research Institute.

MEMRI monitors, translates and analyzes news from that hot region of the world.

MEMRI commented that Solovei believes "the new Trump administration will respond from a position of strength, and Russian will never win in such competition.

"He also added that the new American administration can tear Russia's economy into shreds within 2-3 years."

He said in the interview that the Russian "ruling elite's euphoria over Trump's victory was even higher than that at Trump headquarters" and that at some Russian government offices, when the results of U.S. elections were announced, "they opened champagne and smoked cigars."

Now, he explained, the euphoria has subsided and Trump's first nominations attest to a "very balanced approach."

For the rest of this report, and more, please go to Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin.