November 16, 1933, was a major milestone in the uneasy relations between Russia and the United States considering the critical importance of these ties for maintaining international peace and security. For 16 years following the October Revolution, Washington stubbornly refused to recognise the young Soviet state, but on this day in 1933, we restored continuity in our interstate relations, which dated back to 1807.

To make this happen, the US ruling elite had to put aside its ambitions and do away with stereotypes by accepting a new reality. Not only did this move usher in broad opportunities for promoting mutually beneficial trade and economic cooperation, but it also laid the foundation for the allied relationship between the Soviet Union and the United States during the Great Patriotic War.

From then on, there were ups and downs, highs and lows in our bilateral relations shaped as they were by the Cold War logic, and even teetering on the edge of a nuclear confrontation, as was the case during the Cuban Missile Crisis, without nevertheless reaching the fatal point of no return. US government leaders at that time had enough common sense to stop in order to come to an agreement with the USSR on our peaceful coexistence and arms control.

Unfortunately, the generation which dominated the US political elite in the 1990s and 2000s was not receptive to this kind of pragmatic vision. In their worldview, the illusory belief in the “end of history” and the US hegemony reaching its golden age were and remain the basic tenets. Even more so, today’s politicians and the expert community overseas have been unable to adopt an adequate vision of the processes, which have been unfolding in Russia since 1991. These US elites have persisted with their futile and absurd focus on regime change and inciting internal strife by investing substantial funds in these efforts. As the world experiences tectonic geopolitical shifts and with the reshuffle of the global balance of power underway, Washington has become preoccupied with a reliance on global containment of Moscow and Beijing, which amounts to a containment policy against the global majority that refuses to accept the rules-based order imposed by the West.

This is the primary cause behind the ongoing deep crisis in Russia-US relations. Wielding its rampant Russophobia as a weapon, Washington bears the blame for reducing our relations to next to nothing. In fact, there is a risk that these relations can be severed any moment. This is not Russia’s choice, but the irresponsible steps by the United States to promote further escalation, including its doctrine to inflict a strategic defeat on Moscow, could bring about disastrous consequences.

Still, today’s anniversary does offer an opportunity to reminiscence over the positive historical experiences our two countries have had together, when they proceeded in their relations based on respect and taking each other’s interests into account. These principles were at the core of the 1933 agreement to restore diplomatic relations and they remain relevant in today’s world, with the unprecedented challenges it faces.