A Bromance rekindled

Russian artists have added Donald Trump to their collections of matryoshka dolls, but rarely do they put the two leaders - Russian President Vladimir Putin and the U.S. president on the face of one doll. It reflects hope in Russia for better American-Russian relations. Russia-U.S. relations have been as frosty as a Siberian winter, but Russians are now hopeful that Trump will help change that.

Trump is someone Putin understands - a ruthless dealmaker willing to forgo liberalism in pursuit of national interests. He has been so flattering of Putin, saying "he's very much a leader" with "very strong control over a country."

"If he [Putin] says great things about me, I'll say great things about him," Trump said in back in September 2016 on the eve of his first presidency but still adheres to this statement today. 

MOSCOW, RUSSIA – February 2025: Matryoshka depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin and the 47th President of the USA of Donald Trump on the counter of Souvenirs in Moscow. Dreamstime.com Vladgalenko

We are relaxed because we are winning: Russia welcomes an unconventional Trump! Susan Ormiston· CBC News · Posted: Jan 18, 2017 5:00 AM. (Ironically, same again in January 2025!)