Why does Donald Trump keep praising Putin?
Russian plant, Russian collusion, Russian asset – Donald Trump has heard all the accusations before that claim he is beholden to Moscow – but he still has nice things to say about Vladimir Putin, no matter that the master of the Kremlin is an international villain.
Why has Donald Trump done this in the past and keeps doing it?
Donald Trump Said Putin Is a Genius?
Trump’s seeming support for Putin was on display during the initial stages of the Russian invasion of Ukraine back in 2022.
Speaking to Clay Travis and Buck Sexton show, the former president said back in early 2022, “I went in yesterday and there was a television screen, and I said, ‘This is genius.’ Putin declares a big portion of the Ukraine — of Ukraine — Putin declares it as independent. Oh, that’s wonderful.”
He also added that Putin’s actions were “pretty savvy.”
Donald Trump later said to a gathering at Mar-a-Lago back in February that “[Putin] is taking over a country for $2 worth of sanctions. I’d say that’s pretty smart.”
Putin Has Outsmarted Biden, Trump Said
Donald Trump continued to parrot the line that Putin never would have staged the invasion had Trump still been president.
Trump insinuated that Putin had outsmarted President Joe Biden saying in a speech to the rightwing gathering after the war started that Putin was playing Biden like a drum.
Spend Money at Home Not In Ukraine
The former president also alluded to his America First foreign policy strategy in which he derided aid to Ukraine as a waste of money that could better be spent at home.
Keep Ukraine From Turning Into World War Three
Donald Trump also wanted some type of peace process with Russia.
It is not clear what the details of a negotiated armistice would be – whether the terms would favor Russia or Ukraine.
Trump’s America First strategy hinges upon the ending of “forever wars” and Donald Trump believes that if it doesn’t stop soon the war in Ukraine could include American boots on the ground.
He has claimed he could stop the war in “24 hours” presumably by his close relations with Putin.
Trump Wants to Drain the Swamp of War Mongers
Trump also hates so-called war mongers and he has vowed if elected again to throw all globalists and national security hawks out of the Department of Defense and Department of State.
Republicans Becoming Skeptical
Other Republicans have taken note of Trump’s reticence to support aid to Ukraine. Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy has warned Ukraine would not get a blank check.
Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has introduced a bill to require money pledged and donated to Ukraine be audited.
Representative Matt Gaetz called for a halt to all aid. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has said that Biden is more concerned with Ukraine’s borders and not the borders of the United States.
End This Awful War
Donald Trump appears to have an affinity for Putin and that is alarming. However, Trump is correct to call for negotiations. This war has gone on for over a year. Both sides are slaughtering each other. The battles in Donetsk and Luhansk are stalemates with hundreds of lives lost in exchange for just a few yards of territory.
If Donald Trump thinks he can get elected again and end the war, then more power to him. Someone needs to have the courage to attempt peace negotiations.
Both Sides Are Stubborn
No one wants to favor Russia as they are clearly the bad actors. However, Ukraine has some stiff demands such as all Russian personnel out of the country including Crimea, that Putin and his minions be subject to war crime tribunals, and that Moscow pay reparations to Kyiv. Russia wants control over Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Luhansk.
Most observers and armchair strategists do not have a clear end state for the war. They are happy for Ukraine to keep fighting. The Biden administration’s policy has been to let the Ukrainians decide when they want to cease fire and begin negotiating.
Yes, Trump has a strange man crush on Putin and this needs to stop, but anyone who even has a remote and vague plan for peace should be listened to.
Author Expertise and Experience: Serving as 19FortyFive’s Defense and National Security Editor, Dr. Brent M. Eastwood is the author of Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare. He is an Emerging Threats expert and former U.S. Army Infantry officer. You can follow him on Twitter @BMEastwood. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science and Foreign Policy/ International Relations.
Matthew
February 25, 2023 at 2:33 pm
I do not agree with Mr. Eastwood on this. Russian aggression needs to be stopped. Their annexation of the old USSR countries is a violation of that countries sovereignty. Any other view of that is not looking at the larger picture. A “forever” war is one without solid goals or objectives. This war has one, that Russia retreats back into its borders and leaves other sovereign countries alone.
MDB
February 25, 2023 at 3:33 pm
Let me summarize: Any one who has à reasonable plan to end the war in Ukraine should be listened to.
The rest is not worth reading. The biggest problem is Trump ain’t reasonable.
Here’s a conjecture that is more reasonable — Putin invaded Ukraine with the idea that he would then announce that Trump convinced him to pull back. And this gets Trump reelected in 2024, all for Putin’s master plan to get his 20 years in the making espionage asset back in power.
Dave Vockins
March 3, 2023 at 4:54 pm
Ukraine did nothing to antagonize Russia! Putin has set his sights o stealing every part of Ukraine, and eventually as many old Soviet Union countries as he can! The scumbag Russian Politburo don’t give a damn about their citizens, or the citizens of any country! They just want take everything they can for Putin and his filthy corrupt partners in crime, to hell with the cost in lives ad blood! Ukraine Needs all the help they can get! If they go down, (God forbid) The rest of eastern Europe will follow! Putin is a heartless, Souless, Cretin and needs to be beaten and beaten severely, and made to pay for his monstrous innumerable crimes, and he along with his cronies, must rebuild the cities of Ukraine! Sovereignty is vital to all countries, and so is freedom!