Top Russian Analyst Fyodor Lukyanov appeared on TV recently to discuss US-Russian relations and China. He gave an outstanding critique of the future of US-Russian relations, also discussing China.

Lukyanov is editor-in-chief of Russia in Global Affairs magazine and chairman of the Presidium of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, an independent Moscow-based think tank. He is a frequent guest in Russian media.

Mr. Lukyanov made no bones about his view that expectations on the part of Russians for good things from Donald Trump are misplaced. The new president and his team are nationalists, he explained. That means they will abandon ideologically-based regime change as contrary to America's national interests. But Trump's administration will still seek to advance American power in the world, he warned.

Furthermore, Lukyanov predicted an effort by Washington to drive a wedge between Beijing and Moscow - a strategy US policy paragon Henry Kissinger has long advocated.

Overall, he said, Russia should expect the United States led by Donald Trump and his advisors to be much more competent and yes, dangerous, than Obama's ideological flunkies.