A cursory study of Russian literature will convince anyone that Russia is more culturally aligned with us than South America, Mexico, Asia, the Middle East, and, for God's sake, Africa. I'm not just talking about world view, but also quality. The Russian cultural world view and the quality of their arts speak to Europeans more loudly. I'm, maybe foolishly, optimistic that we can be firm allies, since, as you say, language and politics are fluid and are almost always overcome by street level culture.
A cursory study of Russian literature will convince anyone that Russia is more culturally aligned with us than South America, Mexico, Asia, the Middle East, and, for God's sake, Africa. I'm not just talking about world view, but also quality. The Russian cultural world view and the quality of their arts speak to Europeans more loudly. I'm, maybe foolishly, optimistic that we can be firm allies, since, as you say, language and politics are fluid and are almost always overcome by street level culture.