Perfectly true: Russia is neither an ally, nor particularly vital.
Russia was teh nation taht kept the Afghanistani Northern Alliance intact so we could use them to ouster al-Qaeda/Taliban - which our vital allies Saudi Arabia and Pakistan were propping up. If not for Russia allowing us to use their allies and their allies bases in Central Asia we would not have been victorious there. In addition Putin warnedBush days before 9/11 that something was up. Russia's growing vitality will be seen in the years to come.