Source: Reuters Insider
Speaking to Reuters Insider, Carnegie’s Matthew Rojansky examined the implications of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s decision to regain the presidency for the reset of U.S.-Russian relations. “We will not see a rollback on any big direction the ‘reset’ has taken,” Rojansky argued. “What we are going to see is a difference in personal rapport between the two leaders, Obama and Putin.”
Rojansky added that although the leadership shuffle in Moscow will not result in any strategic-level policy changes on either side, it is possible that Putin's announcement will cause a lame-duck transition period before the presidential elections, where the Russian officials will be leery of any active cooperation with the United States because such steps could be politically sensitive.