Russia seeks good relations with the EU and with the US. That the Russians would oppose an idiotic and useless ABM system in Poland and the Czech Republic does not mean they are trying to challenge the US. Warmongers in Israel play up the supposed threat posed by Iran and Russia because they have a symbiotic relationship with the US armaments manufacturers who need "threats" to the US to enable the garguantuan arms budgets to go through Congress year after year.

Both Russia and the US have suffered not having a demon enemy since the fall of the USSR, but Putin has seen the folly of his ways and sought out the US to fill this role for Russia, while Bush has sought out lesser demons who were ill suited for the task. The primary attributes of the demon enemy are to be both evil and powerful, so that while it raises patriotism to a fever pitch, the actual results of engagement are so terrible, that sane people will never go along with them.