Newsweek

Tillerson's Moscow Ties Chill Kremlin Critics' Hopes

Some in Russia are lauding Trump's nomination of the Exxon CEO for secretary of state, although opponents say it 'would take a miracle for Tillerson to criticize Russia on human rights.'
President Vladimir Putin, Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin and Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson take part in a signing ceremony at a Rosneft refinery in the Black Sea town of Tuapse, Russia on June 15, 2012.
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In Russia, supporters and opponents of President Vladimir Putin agree on very little. Yet as Donald Trump, the U.S. president-elect, prepares to enter the White House, there is one thing they are in full accordance on:  For the next four years at least, the United States will stop promoting human rights and democracy in Russia.

“Putin had an affinity for Trump before the elections because they both brutally reject political correctness,” said Fyodor Lukyanov, a political analyst who heads a Kremlin foreign-policy advisory council. “He believes the crisis in Russia-U.S. relations began when the Americans started to talk about democratic values, instead

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