If you’re wondering which nation Russians loathe the most, the obvious answer is Ukraine — once seen as a “brotherly nation,” now reduced to a target of bombed schools and hospitals in the name of “liberation.”
But a close second is the United States. According to Russia’s last independent pollster, the Levada Center, three-quarters of Russians view the U.S. as the villain. Iran, astonishingly, enjoys eight times more favor than Washington. And love for China nearly matches the disdain for America. Russia isn’t seeking a “reset” or compromise — it’s been conditioned to see us as a mortal enemy. In the 1990s, when Russia dabbled in democracy under Boris Yeltsin, 70% saw America as a friend. Under Putin, those numbers have flipped.
The Kremlin thrives on a lie: that Russia is defending itself against a scheming West. Europe is cast as Washington’s puppet, and the war in Ukraine is spun as a fight against NATO. It’s the only way Moscow can excuse the disastrous showing of its own military. Three years after launching a full-scale invasion, Russia controls less of Ukraine than it did in 2022. The hard truth — one Moscow hides — is that Ukrainians are fighting this war alone.
There are no American or European troops in Ukraine. No NATO jets are protecting its skies as U.S. interceptors did for Israel against Iran’s missiles. Yes, the West has provided weapons and aid — often reluctantly and too late — because standing by while Russia redraws borders through force and commits atrocities is unconscionable. Supporting Ukraine isn’t charity, and this isn’t a proxy war. It’s about defending freedom and upholding the principle that sovereign nations shouldn’t live in fear of violent neighbors.
In the 1990s, the U.S., along with the U.K., France, and Russia, persuaded Ukraine to surrender its nuclear arsenal, promising security in return. If America’s word means nothing, why would anyone trust it again? And what will stop the next aggressor?
Any U.S. outreach to Russia is interpreted in Moscow not as goodwill, but as weakness. As former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson put it, “Putin isn’t negotiating. He’s laughing at us.”
With an economy the size of Texas and a demographic crisis looming, Russia knows it’s no global superpower. It’s a kleptocracy built on nostalgia and delusion — incapable of delivering prosperity, but adept at selling imperial fantasies in exchange for obedience. Unable to rise on its own, Moscow’s strategy is to drag the West down.
Putin has lied at every turn — about Crimea under Obama, about Syria during Trump’s first term, about Ukraine under Biden. He’s lying still. There’s hardly a moment in recent memory when Putin wasn’t deceiving, manipulating, or insulting Western leaders.
And it’s not subtle. After Trump’s 2024 reelection, Russian state TV aired decades-old nude photos of Melania Trump during primetime — trolling, yes, but also psychological warfare straight out of the KGB playbook.
In a recent clip, Putin is seen smirking and laughing with Russian elites after being reminded he was late for a scheduled call with Trump — a calculated show of disrespect. It’s classic “reflexive control,” a Soviet doctrine meant to provoke adversaries into self-defeating moves.
Then came the spectacle at the United Nations, where America found itself voting alongside Belarus, North Korea, and Sudan against a resolution stating the obvious: there’s a difference between invading and being invaded. For Russia, watching the U.S. land in that position was a diplomatic win.
This isn’t new. After World War II, the Soviet Union betrayed its allies and cast Eastern Europe into decades of oppression. To expect anything different from Putin’s Russia is not realism — it’s delusion.
America faces a simple choice: stop playing a rigged game. Stop dignifying a regime that sees our humiliation, not compromise, as the ultimate goal.
After months of Kremlin provocation, Trump is reportedly “pissed off” — as he should be. But it’s actions, not outrage, that count. Putin can end this war today by pulling back his troops. If we want to be respected, we have to stop projecting weakness and inviting ridicule.
Rejecting the Kremlin’s mockery isn’t escalation — it’s a matter of national dignity.
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