US President Barack Obama has warned the US
president-elect, Donald Trump, against taking a purely “realpolitik
approach” to relations with Russia.
“I’ve sought a constructive relationship with Russia but what I
have also been is realistic in recognising there are some
significant differences in how Russia views the world and how we
view the world,” Obama said at a press conference with the German
chancellor, Angela Merkel.
While not expecting Trump to “follow exactly our blueprint or
our approach”, Obama said he was hopeful that his successor would
pursue constructive policies that defend democratic values and the
rule of law.
Trump, he said, should not “simply take a realpolitik approach
and suggest … we just cut some deals with Russia – even if it hurts
people or violates international norms or leaves smaller countries
vulnerable or creates long-term problems in regions like
Syria”.
“What makes me cautiously optimistic about my successor and the
shift from campaign to governance is there is something about the
solemn responsibilities of that office, the extraordinary demands
that are placed on the United States not just by its own people but
by people around the world, that forces you to focus,” the Guardian
cited Obama as saying.