The ongoing investigation into meddling in the U.S. presidential election proves the United States' relationship with Russia is complicated and has been for decades. Thirty years ago, President Ronald Reagan delivered an impassioned plea in West Berlin for the leader of the Soviet Union to tear down the Berlin Wall.
Clip: Decades of complicated United States-Russia relations
Jun. 12, 2017 AT 1:18 p.m. EDT
TRANSCRIPT
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Robert Costa: As the ongoing investigation into meddling in the U.S. presidential election proves, the United States' relationship with Russia is complicated. But this thorny relationship goes back for decades. And this is a week of anniversaries that remind us just how cold the diplomatic ties can be.
Ronald Reagan: Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!
Robert Costa: Thirty years ago, President Ronald Reagan -- a Republican who President Trump has singled out as one of his favorite predecessors -- made an impassioned plea in West Berlin. Reagan urged the leader of the Soviet Union to "tear down this wall." It was another two years before the Berlin Wall came down.
And in Russia today, President Vladimir Putin is marking an independence day of sorts. It’s been 27 years since Russia declared it's intention to separate from the Soviet Union.
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