"Tease" was the name given to the period of relatively mild relations and tolerance between the USA and the USSR during the time of Nixon and Brezhnev. A kind of airing out of the room in which before them, figuratively speaking, Kennedy and Khrushchev had "let off steam" and the world was on the verge of its premature demise.
In recent months, we have witnessed a new mini-tease after their complete freezing during Biden's term. However, is Trump and Putin's honeymoon over and will everyday trivialities ruin the warming between them? Judging by recent events, things are heading towards the starting position from the months of Joe Biden's latest vestibular troubles.
And the main reason will not be the freshly finalized contract between Kiev and Washington for rare earth metals, 40% of which are supposedly located in the territories currently occupied by Russia.
It's not that the deal is good news for Moscow, it's not that it doesn't irritate it, even if it was concluded "blindly", as the Americans themselves claim - the last comprehensive geological surveys in Ukraine were conducted during the USSR and no one had a real idea of what was under the fields and chukars.
What could once again bring the Cadillac and the Muscovite head-on is the US request to resume arms supplies to Kiev.
Immediately after the signing of the rare earth contract, it was reported that a first aid package worth $50 million had been "unsealed". Against the backdrop of the generous Biden's treats, this is like a waffle in front of a Big Mac, but it is quite enough to infuriate the Kremlin, because it is indicative of the direction.
This way, Moscow will have every reason to say - End of negotiations. There is no way that a country that once again becomes a party to the conflict can be its mediator, moderator, or any kind of intermediary for peace negotiations. And it is no wonder that all the travel expenses that Witkoff spent on his four visits to Putin will be sought by the main budget saver Musk, and the world will return to the starting position from the fall of 2024.
Putin and Lavrov stated back in the winter that they were extremely cautious and suspicious of Washington's changed tone and that no matter what they heard, for the US Russia will always remain, if not an outright enemy, then certainly an adversary.
Now the two will have their own reason to say: Have you seen that the Americans cannot be trusted...