I think the Russians are smart enough to be slightly creeped out and wonder if they're being played.
He sucks up to them, in public, and he uses them as a foil, to upset the Europeans, but he also quietly signed off on another round of sanctions.
Discussion
I don't know if Russians really understand that they might been played. They didn't with the Minsk's agreements, the nuclear weapons and other agreements. I don't think there is an agreement that the West fully honoured. Maybe there is, i don't remember.
Maybe Russians are expecting that Trump, as a businessman, might want a mutually beneficial deal, but as i have said many times Russians are based on industry, Trump is a rentier. Rentiers are not based on mutually beneficial deals...
Trump is just haggling and wants some good deals, to help finance his Big Plans at home. He has no friends, just negotiating partners.
Yeah ok, but plans back at home depend on the value of the dollar and things get tricky on that. And i just remembered that Trump also threatened BRICS states
https://thehill.com/business/5118693-trump-threats-tariffs-brics-reserve-currency/
I think this time is about who has the better bait and if the other will bite it...