We turn now to take a broader look at U.S.-Russian relations in the wake of
Donald Trump’s election. On Tuesday, Trump officially nominated Rex Tillerson,
chair and CEO of ExxonMobil, to be secretary of state. Tillerson is known to
have close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who awarded Tillerson the
country’s Order of Friendship decoration in 2013. One of the focuses of the
Senate confirmation hearings will be Exxon’s $500 billion oil exploration
partnership with the Russian government’s oil company, Rosneft. Considered the
largest oil deal in history, the partnership can only go through if the U.S.
lifts sanctions against Russia, which the Obama administration imposed over
Russia’s intervention in Ukraine. The news of Rex Tillerson’s nomination came
just days after the CIA accused Russia of meddling in the U.S. election to help
Donald Trump win. Trump has rejected the CIA’s conclusion, decrying it as
"ridiculous."
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