For over two centuries, Russia and the United States have often functioned as mirror images of each other—alternating between friendship and hostility and frequently using each other’s image for domestic political purposes. Despite rarely being economic rivals and consistently fighting on the same side in the world wars, their current relationship is one of pronounced enmity. However, this antagonism wasn’t always the norm, and it’s unlikely to remain permanent.
What have been the predominant visions of America in Russia? What are the major perspectives on Russia that shape American discourse? And how—if at all—might these longstanding perceptions help explain Putin’s war on Ukraine and its reinterpretation as a broader conflict between Russia and the United States?

IIvan Kurilla, Professor of History and International Relations at the European
University at St. Petersburg until 2024, is the author of seven books in
Russian on the history of Russian-American relations, history of U.S. foreign
policy, and the use and misuse of history in contemporary society. His most
recent book, Distant Friends and Intimate Enemies: A History of Russian-
American Relations (co-authored with Victoria I. Zhuravleva and David S.
Foglesong), is forthcoming from Cambridge University Press in 2025. He is currently the Visiting Tallman Scholar in Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies at Bowdoin College.