On face value, it was an unusually cheery poll: 71 percent of Russians now want to improve economic, political and cultural ties with the West. According to the pollster Levada Center, the figure that has soared since July 2015, when just 50 percent of respondents wanted to improve relations. It suggested the era of mutual fear and loathing might be slowly, but surely, coming to an end.

And yet, things are not as simple as they seem. Distrust, even fear of the West, the country’s longtime foe, hasn’t, in fact, gone anywhere. The profound anti-Americanism, which settled in Russian society during mid-2000s, before reaching unprecedented heights following the Ukrainian crisis and Russia’s subsequent isolation, is unlikely to be eliminated any time soon.

Russians might seem ready to improve relations with the U.S. and EU, especially after the election of ‘their guy’ Trump in the U.S. But do they really know what to do, and just how much are they ready to invest in it?

Understandings

On a basic level, society has always been willing to cooperate and improve ties with the West, Levada sociologist Denis Volkov told The Moscow Times: “The logic the media offer is ’we want cooperation, but they — the West — don’t,’ and the public easily agrees with it, because it lifts responsibility off them.”

Such logic — “we’re good, they’re bad” — goes very well with anti-Americanism.

Read more coverage about anti-Americanism in Russia: Can Russia's Profound Anti-Americanism Be Overcome?

But another basic understanding in the Russian psyche is of NATO being a direct threat to Russia. This particular bogeyman has dominated public opinion for decades. It was there before the Crimea annexation, and even before Russian President Vladimir Putin took office.

