Obama urges Trump against realpolitik in relations with Russia

Outgoing US president voices hopes during Berlin visit that his
successor will defend democratic values and rule of law

Philip Oltermann in Berlin
Thursday 17 November 2016 18.40 GMT

Barack Obama has warned the US president-elect, Donald Trump, against taking a purely “realpolitik approach” to relations with Russia and encouraged his successor to continue standing up for American values.

“I’ve sought a constructive relationship with Russia but what I have also been is realistic in recognising there are some significant differences in how Russia views the world and how we view the world,” Obama said at a press conference with the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, in Berlin.

While not expecting Trump to “follow exactly our blueprint or our approach”, Obama said he was hopeful that his successor would pursue constructive policies that defend democratic values and the rule of law.

Trump, he said, should not “simply take a realpolitik approach and suggest … we just cut some deals with Russia – even if it hurts people or violates international norms or leaves smaller countries vulnerable or creates long-term problems in regions like Syria”.

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