Since the Cold War, Washington and Moscow have ostensibly struggled to better comprehend each other’s domestic and geopolitical policies. Instead, they tend to project their own worldview and strategic priorities onto the other, oftentimes resulting in mutual misinterpretation, friction and confrontation.

Under Vladimir Putin, Russia is back as a global power and rival to the United States for influence. But even if by some measures it is still weaker economically and militarily than the United States, Russia maintains a centralized authoritarian state that can intervene around the world when needed. And it possesses a nuclear arsenal that could be used to fend off a direct Western intervention, if necessary.

As a result, US policy has oscillated between the hope that post-Soviet Russia would become a near-peer partner and the fear that Russian interests were being ignored. The effort to “reset” relations during the Obama administration’s first term became unsustainable when Ukraine’s post-Yanukovych government was driven towards Western integration, and Russia responded with outright force in Crimea and in southeastern Ukraine to defend its claim to a sphere of influence.

Despite the tensions, there remain many areas of common ground between the US and Russia. A strong majority of Americans support NATO and its role in Ukraine, for example. But there are also major differences in opinion about the drivers of world politics and the leaders in charge. Most Americans do not have positive opinions about Russia or confidence in its leader, Vladimir Putin. In addition, a substantial majority of Americans would not want to stand with Russia in a hypothetical conflict with China over Taiwan.