ST. PETERSBURG, May 23 (RIA Novosti) – The future of US-Russia relations largely depends on the development of the situation in Ukraine, Chair of Harvard University's Department of Government Timothy Colton told RIA Novosti on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
"A lot depends on what happens in Ukraine. If things start to settle down – gradually, the state stays together, and Russia acts responsibly, this is the most important thing," Colton said.
The upcoming election on Sunday in Ukraine could be a turning point in the West's relation with Russia, and Moscow's reaction is crucial, he added.
"The Russian government has to make a very important decision on whether to accept the results or not," Colton said.
"The Russian government will probably have to work with the new Ukrainian government, and try to deal with the contestant issues one by one," he added.
After arriving to the Oval Office, US President Barack Obama vowed to improve ties with Russia. Then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov pushed a symbolic reset button, but in recent months, relations have experienced a significant cool down.
"Obama has two more years, and I think it will be a very chilly relationship until he goes, because the Obama administration feels very much laid down by Russian behavior, they didn't expect this and tried to make the relationship better. There were some improvements, adjustments on both sides, and then we drove over the cliff in 2014," Colton said.
"Trust of course cannot be restored overnight, but it can be restored to a certain extent, though it will take time," Colton told RIA Novosti.
The new administration coming to the White House after the next presidential election is likely to be Republican, but Russia is not going to be their priority.
"They [republicans] tend to have tougher rhetoric when it comes to dealing with Russia, their policy is not necessarily that different," Colton said. "For the new administration, improvement of relations with Russian will be a low priority. So it might even move towards a more conflicted relation," Colton said.
