Russia is not Belgium, and it is not Canada. It was one of only two superpowers until the Soviet Union imploded under the weight of its own belligerent imbecility, and it has been wallowing in a post-imperial funk, 'malaise' in Jimmy Carter's lexicon, ever since. It could theoretically regain some of its lost power as the West's partner, but being one of many is not how Russia rolls. Whenever Washington makes a friendly overture to Moscow, Russians interpret it the way Luke Skywalker heard Darth Vader say, between bouts of heavy mechanical breathing, 'Join me, and together we can rule the galaxy as father and son'.

Moscow on the Tigris: Russia Joins the Terror Nexus (19 February 2016)