Trump and Putin's rapport masks deeper tensions

Warm words between two leaders doesn't necessarily signal a thaw in U.S.-Russia relations

- Alan Cullison & Thomas Grove

President-elect Donald Trump has styled himself a master dealmaker who can leverage his warm relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine, cool tensions between the world's biggest nuclear powers and realign global politics.

But that can-do image is at odds with the two leaders' records and the new geopolitical reality. Trump and Putin failed to cut deals on everything from arms control to Ukraine during his first term, and the gulf between the two countries has only widened since he left office.

The Russian leader has had warm words for Trump since his election, calling him "courageous" at a public forum last week. But the Kremlin denied that the two men had spoken since the election, despite a Washington Post report that they held a phone call last week.

Not since the demise of the Soviet Union have the stakes been higher. Russia and the U.S. are locked in an escalating conflict in Ukraine, and Moscow stands accused of sabotage operations across Europe, including covert plans to start fires on cargo or passenger planes headed to the U.S. More broadly, Putin is trying to shift the global balance of power by strengthening a coalition of American rivals, including China, Iran and North Korea.

Both Putin and Trump are seeking to establish positions of strength ahead of what are expected to be tough talks on Ukraine, but any window of hope will largely hinge on whether Trump will be able to translate kind words into concrete diplomatic breakthroughs.

When Trump won the 2016 election, Russian lawmakers popped Champagne on the floor of parliament anticipating a new era of U.S.-Russian relations under the businessman who had spent months on the campaign trail praising Putin.

Then the Kremlin didn't retaliate when Barack Obama, before handing over to Trump, kicked out 35 Russian diplomats alleged to have meddled in the election. Russia hoped instead to turn the page with the incoming president.