Introduction The trade policy between the United States and Russia has been strained since 1991 after the fall of the former Soviet Union. Although the Cold War ended with the fall of the Soviet Union, the tension and suspicion between the United States and Russia remained very high. Russia always felt that the United States was encroaching into its sphere in East Europe. On the other hand, the United States always felt that Russia was planning a nuclear war against NATO members. These political tensions affected trade relations between them. It even denied Russia an opportunity to become a member of World Trade Organization (Eckes 29). Until 2013, there were positive signs that suggested a cordial relationship and improved trade between the two countries. However, the annexation of Crimea by Russia and subsequent invasion in East Ukraine has worsened trade relations between the two countries. The recent economic sanctions given by the United States against Russia have paralyzed trade. This study will look at the trade policies between these two countries. Clinton-Boris Era When the Soviet Union collapsed, Boris Yeltsin came to power in Russia. He was largely seen as a reformist who was determined to mend the broken relationship between his country and the United States. At this time, there were numerous laws sanctioning trade between the United States and Russia. However, Yeltsin was concerned about the economic condition of his country, and accepted the Economic Shock Therapy policy that was suggested by the United States’ Bill Clinton. The trade relation between these two countries was at a record high in the late 1990s, since the end of the Second World War (Chang 42). However, the two leaders left power almost at the same time when they were still trying to find an appropriate working formula on how to improve trade between the two nations. Bush-Putin Era The era of George Bush of the United States and Vladimir Putin of Russia saw a new strained relationship between these two countries. These two leaders were both very assertive in their approach to various issues in foreign policy. For instance, Bush installed missiles in Poland as a way of protecting US allies in East and West Europe. In retaliation, Putin ordered his forced to rebuild Russian surveillance in the United States (Broadman 73). This brought serious suspicion that affected trade. The Russian traders in the United States were viewed as spies who wanted to gather intelligence from this country. On the other hand, the US exports to Russia were also viewed with suspicion. The United States enacted laws that restricted trade between the two countries. In fact, Chorev (58) says that the United States unilaterally thwarted attempts by Russia to join World Trade Organization. This further limited the capacity of the two countries to have a thriving unilateral trade relationship. Obama-Medvedev Era When President Obama took over power in the United States, and Medvedev took control of Russia, the two leaders were seen to be interested in defusing the tension and improving trade relations. In 2009, the Obama administration reached out to the Russian authorities in order to find a working relationship between the two countries. The two leaders promised to drop their political differences and develop a working relationship between the two countries. A new policy was developed in the late