Why Kremlin really wants a Trump-Putin summit
Russian diplomats may have been expelled from across the globe but the Kremlin would still like to talk.
Friday 30 March 2018 13:32, UK
Talk to Russians about President Vladimir Putin and one thing they tend to share is an appreciation for his perceived strength.
They like the robust way he "defends" the nation.
That toughness is currently on display as Russia expels 150 Western diplomats in retaliation for a move by Western nations earlier this week.
Of this number, 60 US diplomats have been given a week to leave and the American consulate and residence in St Petersburg have been shuttered.
But the comments and official pronouncements coming out of the Russian capital have two somewhat contradictory sides.
First, Russian officials say the expulsions are proof of how they deal with "mass international provocations".
The coordinated action by 28 countries along with NATO in protest of Russia's alleged poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal has been dismissed as "absolutely unacceptable" and the product of "toughest pressure from the US and the United Kingdom".
Vladimir Dzhabarov, chairman of the Russian parliament's foreign affairs committee, said: "We have nothing to fear.
"Our president has definitively expressed our stance: Russia is a sovereign country and we will never allow being spoken to from the position of the 'big brother'."
Government run online publisher Sputnik sniffed a clandestine plan on Friday morning.
It argues the UK has launched a 'counter-propaganda war' against Russia in order to reclaim lost influence.
"It feels like Britain is trying to come back to its old tradition of domination over Europe, over the rest of Europe.
"Britain is trying to re-win this influence by forcing European countries by an ultimatum, are you with us, or are you with Russia?" said journalist Jury Turin.
Yet there is a softer, more conciliatory message emerging from the Russian capital. The Kremlin really wants to talk.
Mr Dzhabarov added: "We are always ready for a dialogue, as Putin says constantly.
"But of course, Russia-US relations cannot develop normally as long as Mr Trump limits himself to stand-up meetings, running past, saying hello and exchanging a few phrases."
What the Russians seek is a seat at the top table - preferably in the form of a Trump-Putin summit.
Paulo von Schirach, an academic from the Global Policy Institute, says the current dispute could clinch it.
"The silver lining of this crisis could be that the new Trump foreign policy team could see this as an opportunity to work with Moscow behind the scenes in order to reset the bilateral relationship," he said.
That is the dream - and the opportunity - that the Russians are still trying to pursue.
The Kremlin has few friends in the US Congress and the State Department (which accused Russia of "acting like a victim" overnight), but they are unlikely to give up on a new relationship with Mr Trump.