Donald Trump's campaign and election have raised expectations for change in US-Russia relations. But just under a year into his administration, little has changed. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, however, has quickly emerged as President Trump's point person for relations with Moscow. He described a gradual approach: trying to ease tensions, taking small steps on smaller issues, and then moving on to more challenging issues. Journalists said he even told Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov that the Ukraine-Russia conflict was the biggest obstacle to restoring a more normal relationship. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayRussia, for its part, sees no immediate change in Washington's policy and is unhappy with American actions such as the cruise missile attack on Syria and the imposition of additional sanctions, elected to invest its hopes in a face face-to-face between Trump and Putin. This gave the US president time to check out the important aspects and meet with the leaders of NATO, China and Ukraine before sitting down with Putin. The two world leaders discussed the planned issues: Ukraine, Syria and North Korea. Shortly before the meeting, Tillerson indicated a willingness to engage more aggressively in finding a solution to the Ukraine-Russia conflict and appointed a special envoy, supporting Trump's overtures. The heads of state have agreed on a ceasefire in southern Syria, which is good. Otherwise, the meeting was lukewarm and the parties did not announce much progress (and did not expect any). Trump raised concerns about Russian interference in the US presidential election, which Putin, of course, denied. The presidents agreed on the creation of a joint working group on cybersecurity. The Kremlin called the meeting a success. If nothing else, it demonstrated that Putin had come a long way since the 2014 G20 meeting in Australia during the Obama administration, when he left early after being openly snubbed by other leaders. Regarding election hacking, the Russians claimed that Trump had accepted Putin's denial. Putin said the IT group would put an end to "speculation" about Russian election interference. In post-meeting press appearances, Putin subtly complimented Trump, in ways that seemed designed to appeal to the American president's ego. That strategy worked. This suggests that the Kremlin has not given up on Trump and that Putin may believe he can manipulate him. At the time, Trump returned to Washington not to cheers but to new revelations about his son's contacts with Russians and offers of derogatory information from the Russian government about Hillary Clinton. The investigation will last months and will continue to cast a shadow over the White House and its Russia policy well into the new year. Any agreements with Moscow will be subjected to microscopic scrutiny to determine whether they involve inappropriate concessions by the current administration. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a custom essay It seems that the focus is on The US approach towards Russia will now return to where it began, with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. It reportedly has a three-part strategy: push back when Moscow overreaches or commits aggressive acts, cooperate where interests converge, and strengthen stability.