
MOSCOW -- In the early days of the Barack Obama administration, then-Vice President Joe Biden briefly advocated for "pressing the reset button" in U.S. relations with Russia. Biden's upcoming presidency, however, looks more likely to push Russia into a closer relationship with China.
Analysts say Moscow is poised to expand cooperation with Beijing over the next fours years due to a risk of new sanctions and a growing perception that the American political system is dysfunctional. Alexander Gabuev, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Moscow Center, told Nikkei Asia that a Biden presidency would likely leave Russia with "no other choice but to lean more on China for external support."