Putin prepares for White House shift
Flashpoints projected as Biden administration takes a tougher foreign policy stance on Russia
Russian president Vladimir Putin’s uncharacteristically unhurried effort to congratulate Joe Biden on his election victory reflects the challenges ahead for US-Russia relations. The president-elect, who worked with Russia during the Cold War on the Senate foreign relations committee and as vice president under President Barack Obama, is expected to be much firmer with Putin than his predecessor. During his election campaign, Biden called Russia an ‘opponent’ as well as the ‘biggest threat’ to the security of the US. Unlike Trump, who refused to criticise either Putin or Russian behaviour despite Congress applying sanctions on Russian entities and individuals, Biden’s position will align more
Also in this section
8 December 2025
The Caribbean country’s role in the global oil market is significantly diminished, but disruptions caused by outright conflict would still have implications for US Gulf Coast refineries
5 December 2025
Mistaken assumptions around an oil bull run that never happened are a warning over the talk of a supply glut
4 December 2025
Time is running out for Lukoil and Rosneft to divest international assets that will be mostly rendered useless to them when the US sanctions deadline arrives in mid-December
3 December 2025
Aramco’s pursuit of $30b in US gas partnerships marks a strategic pivot. The US gains capital and certainty; Saudi Arabia gains access, flexibility and a new export future
