RUSSIA/RUSSIA INVESTIGATION/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “There was crowing in Russia on Monday [3-25-19] that the special counsel’s investigation did not find coordination between Moscow and the Trump campaign in 2016, but optimism about improved relations was tempered by the report’s extensive focus on Russian meddling in the presidential election. Official reaction to a summary of Robert S. Mueller III’s report that was released on Sunday proved decidedly muted. Dmitri S. Peskov, the spokesman for President Vladimir V. Putin, told reporters that the only news in the summary was the ‘recognition that there wasn’t any collusion,’ and he repeated his denial that Russia had interfered in the American election. Mr. Putin has maintained a steady interest in good relations with the United States, he said, while American actions toward Russia have been erratic, so the ball is in Washington’s court. From others in the Kremlin elite, however, the main refrain was ‘we told you so,’ along with some hope that President Trump would now be free to pursue his campaign goal of improving relations with Russia.”
–Neil MacFarquhar, “Russians Hope Mueller Report Opens Door to Improved U.S. Ties,” The New York Times online, March 25, 2019