President-elect Donald Trump has made no secret of his interest in forging an improved relationship with Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin. On paper, there is nothing wrong with this. As Winston Churchill observed, “Meeting jaw to jaw is better than war.”

The problem confronting Trump is the fundamental difference between how he perceives Putin’s interests and what Putin’s interests actually are. To improve U.S.-Russia relations in concert with U.S. interests, Trump must first recognize the true nature of Putin’s agenda.

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