AS DONALD TRUMP took the oath of office in Washington, applause rang out in a loft in central Moscow where pro-government activists, Kremlin-friendly consultants and nationalist politicians gathered to usher in the new American president. A “triptych” painting featuring Mr Trump, Vladimir Putin and the French far-right leader Marine Le Pen (pictured) stood in the middle of the room. Visitors sipped semi-sweet champagne and nibbled on meat pirozhki. Some party-goers donned the Guy Fawkes masks beloved of the online collective Anonymous, an impish nod to the Russian hackers whom American officials believe interfered in the elections.
While much of the world has greeted Mr Trump’s rise with trepidation, Russia has been ecstatic. Mr Trump’s pledges to improve relations have been welcomed. Charges that the Kremlin played a role in bringing him to power have been dismissed by Mr Putin as “fabrications”. (American intelligence agencies are still investigating potential links between Mr Trump’s campaign and Russian officials.) But Russian enthusiasm does not spring from a belief that Mr Trump will “make America great again”: many...Continue reading
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