RUSSIALINK Russia Direct/Ivan Tsvetkov: “After Flynn’s dismissal, Russia starts to doubt Trump. After National Security Advisor Michael Flynn’s scandalous resignation and Donald Trump’s tough new rhetoric toward the Kremlin, Russia has started to back away from the U.S. president. That could be dangerous.”

“This week has not been easy for U.S.-Russia relations, especially with the scandalous resignation of President Donald Trump’s National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. Russia is now back on the agenda of the U.S. media after a brief period in which U.S. President Donald Trump’s early presidential moves overshadowed any talk of foreign policy. The image of Flynn is controversial in the U.S., at least because journalists, experts and politicians see him as the Kremlin’s key lobbyist within the Trump administration. Flynn’s image was tainted after his sudden appearance at the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the RT TV channel (which is seen by the media community as the Kremlin’s propaganda arm). On December 10, 2015, he was among the high-ranking guests and took the floor during the anniversary celebration, while sitting close to Russian President Vladimir Putin. …”