Imagine for a moment that it's the year 2064 and the U.S. president, flanked by flags, with the Oval Office fireplace behind his back, has arranged to address the nation. He begins intoning solemnly into a camera (or whatever has replaced the camera in that distant future):
Today, the United States is changing its relationship with the people of Russia. In the most significant changes in our policy in more than 50 years, we will end an outdated approach that for decades has failed to advance our interests. Instead, we will begin to normalize relations between our two countries.
Proudly the U.S. has supported democracy and human rights in Russia through these five decades. We've done so primarily through policies that aimed to isolate the country.