DISINFO: Russophobia is the basis of US foreign policy
SUMMARY
These days, the foreign policy of the United States is manifested by anti-Russian sanctions and staged anti-Russian provocations. Like the Soviet Union, Russia is only following the United States in the escalation.
RESPONSE
A frequently recurring element of pro-Kremlin disinformation that follows two popular narratives among pro-Kremlin media outlets: 1) Western actions against the Kremlin are genuinely anti-Russian, 2) Russia is only reacting to so-called Western threats.
Contrary to the unsubstantiated claim, US foreign policy has been re-active to those actions of the Kremlin that have been undermining international security and stability. These included political reactions to issues such as the illegal annexation of Ukraine's Crimean peninsula in 2014, the Kremlin's support towards separatists in Eastern Ukraine and attempts from the Kremlin to interfere with US politics, amongst others. The same is the case with the European Union's response towards Kremlin aggression in its eastern neighbourhood. See a more detailed description of EU-Russia relations here.
The second claim (about Russophobia) is genuinely misleading and applied to stoke emotional reactions while creating a distraction from the Kremlin's actions. Recent US governments have taken no action against the Russian people or society. Sanctions are targeted at and imposed due to the actions of the leadership in the Kremlin.
According to the research of the Atlantic Council's DFRLab, the Kremlin has weaponised the notion of Russophobia, while pro-Kremlin disinformation actors are actively using this narrative, particularly with regards to Ukraine, Georgia, Poland, the Baltic states and the US.
See more disinformation claims about the US here.