The United States and Russia plunge deeper into their worst crisis since the cold war, and politics in both countries has outstripped the capacity of any government to mitigate the danger.
Unexpected signature of the President of Donald trump on new sanctions punishing Russia for alleged interference in last year's elections in the United States, caused the explosive rhetorical response from Moscow.
But a dangerous situation is also compounded by the lack of clear White house's approach to Russia. Simultaneous policy of accommodation and confrontation against Moscow, combined with the struggle for influence between Congress and the President threatens to sow confusion, which can increase the chances of miscalculation between two nuclear adversaries.
Protests in Moscow on Wednesday after trump signed the bill on sanctions, reflected the fury on new restrictions on the Russian economy - and perhaps also political pressure, which left the government little choice. And was first noticed by a personal contempt for the very Trump that could reflect frustration in Moscow that the President has failed to fulfill his promise to improve relations with Russia.
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