US President Barack Obama's successor is unlikely to soften Washington's stance on Russia, stated Ariel Cohen, suggesting that Ukraine will remain "at the heart of the conflict" between the Kremlin and the White House beyond the 2016 presidential election.

All the major presidential candidates are demonstrating a tough approach toward Russia, praising the idea to supply weapons to Ukraine, noted Ariel Cohen, director of the Center for Energy, Natural Resources and Geopolitics at the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security.

"In the polls, Americans are united on Ukraine; the majority of respondents support increased sanctions on the Kremlin. All of the major presidential candidates, save Senator Rand Paul, take a tough approach with Moscow and support arming Ukraine," the expert emphasized.

Pew: 41% now favor arming Ukraine, up from 30%. 53% oppose. Fewer undecideds but broadly similar to recent YouGov pic.twitter.com/CuGD0nXkbh — William Jordan (@williamjordann) 23 февраля 2015

© REUTERS / Joshua Lott/Files What Would A Clinton Presidency Mean for Relations With Russia?

At the same time the Democratic presidential hopeful herself considers Moscow a hard nut to crack. Ariel Cohen noted that "how to confront the Russian enigma is not a new subject for Clinton."

He cited Hillary Clinton who wrote in her memoir "Hard Choices": "For many years I have spent a lot of time thinking about how to understand [Russian President] Putin."

© Flickr / The World Affairs Council of Philadelphia Jeb Bush is Hispanic? Voter Card Could Cause Problems for 2016 Presidential Candidate

On the other hand, it will not be easier for the Kremlin to cope with another potential presidential candidate, Republican Jeb Bush, Ariel Cohen emphasized.

On March 30 Jeb Bush told American radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt that Washington should demonstrate to Moscow its commitment to NATO and its members.

The expert suggested that "key players" from George W. Bush's foreign affairs’ circle, such as former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and former Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, are most likely to join his younger brother's team. They could hardly be called "Kremlin favorites," Mr. Cohen remarked.

© AP Photo / Jim Cole, File Rand Paul Pulls Ahead of Hillary Clinton in Two Key States – Poll

Rand Paul and his Russia advisers – Ambassador Richard Burt and Dimitri Simes, president of the Center for the National Interest – are known as proponents of warmer relations with Russia, Cohen noted.

"Thus, short of a surprising Paul victory in 2016, Russia is facing a united front of Republican and Democratic candidates," Cohen concluded, adding that "there are no easy outs for Moscow—either from Republicans or Democrats."

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