nina khrushchev is associate dean at the new school here in new york. great to have you with us. >> thank you. >> i've got to ask you straight up, who do you think is playing who in this situation? who has the upper hand? are these two men kind of feeling each other out or is one or the other more dominant in the driver's seat? because you had trump yesterday with what some described as this watered down approach, not biting on to the sanctions talk, and that s reciprocated almost as equally friendly with the message from vladimir putin today, not reciprocating with sanctions and as we saw the russian embassy retweeting donald trump. >> i think they are feeling each other out. they've been doing that for a year now. they've been sending each other signals hello, i'm going to be a friend of yours if you're elected and i'm going to be friendly with you, vladimir putin and try to really shape the relationship better. i think they are feeling each other out. it's also part -- this is clear. i think everybody was expecting an asymmetrical response from putin