The Kremlin on Sunday expressed approval of US President Donald Trump’s new national security strategy, particularly welcoming the administration’s decision to stop labelling Russia as a “direct threat.” Moscow also said that several elements of the strategy closely align with its own worldview.
The updated US National Security Strategy presents Trump’s approach as one of “flexible realism” and makes a strong case for reviving the 19th-century Monroe Doctrine, which positioned the Western Hemisphere as a sphere of influence dominated by Washington. The document also portrays European powers as declining, warns of the continent’s risk of “civilizational erasure,” and emphasises that ending the war in Ukraine is a “core” strategic interest for the United States. It further states Washington’s intention to reestablish strategic stability with Russia—a point that Moscow has long urged.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, speaking to state television reporter Pavel Zarubin, said the shifts in the US strategy largely mirror Russia’s own assessments. “The adjustments that we see correspond in many ways to our vision,” Peskov stated.
One of the most notable points in the US document is its pledge to halt “the perception, and preventing the reality, of NATO as a perpetually expanding alliance.” Peskov called that position encouraging, given Moscow’s longstanding objections to NATO expansion.
However, the Kremlin spokesperson also offered a cautionary note, saying that what he referred to as the US “deep state” remains influential and may not share Trump’s positions. Trump has frequently used the term to describe what he says is an entrenched network within the US government that resists change and undermines presidents who challenge established power structures—including himself.
Trump’s critics dismiss the “deep state” as a conspiracy theory designed to justify political overreach and to delegitimise career officials.
Since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the United States has consistently labelled Moscow as an aggressor in its national security assessments. Trump’s newer strategy marks a significant rhetorical shift by calling for cooperation on strategic stability instead of characterising Russia as a direct threat.
Peskov told the state-run TASS news agency that this change in tone is a “positive step” toward stabilising relations. Trump has frequently spoken favourably about Russian President Vladimir Putin, a pattern that has intensified criticism from US political opponents who accuse him of being overly accommodating to Moscow—even though his administrations imposed multiple rounds of sanctions on Russia.
Meanwhile, European leaders have increasingly voiced concern that Trump may be steering US foreign policy away from Europe. With many European nations relying heavily on the US for defence support, these shifts in America’s strategic posture have raised alarms across major capitals.