Donald Trump’s record of embarrassing weakness toward Russia is not exactly new. On the contrary, it’s been a staple of his career in politics. But as the Republican president’s second term gets underway, it’s striking to see the degree to which he’s adding to this ignominious record. An NBC News report summarized:
For a decade, Russian President Vladimir Putin has been the West’s pariah after first annexing Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula and then launching a full-scale invasion of the country. Now, President Donald Trump has given Putin a big boost— and possibly re-entry onto the global stage — by offering him much of what he’s been asking for in Ukraine.
Consider some of the recent events that have unfolded in and around the White House.
- Trump and his team are gutting the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, which is great news for Putin.
- Trump and his team are disbanding the FBI’s Foreign Influence Task Force and paring back enforcement of the Foreign Agents Registration Act, which is great news for Putin.
- Trump and his party made Tulsi Gabbard the director of national intelligence, despite the fact that she’s been accused of “repeatedly echoing propaganda” spread by the Kremlin.
- Trump, on a very regular basis, publicly vouches for Putin’s interest in peace, despite the devastating war in Ukraine that Putin began and can end at any time.
- Trump and his team negotiated a prisoner swap with Russia, turning over a convicted money launderer, and then gushed about Putin and the diplomatic victory “he was able to pull off.”
- Trump opened the door to a possible Putin visit to the White House.
And then, of course, there’s our allies in Ukraine — whom the Republican has blamed for the war that was imposed on them by their authoritarian neighbors.
- Trump said he expects Russia to keep at least some of the land Putin took from Ukraine by force.
- Trump hedged on whether he considers Ukraine an equal member of the peace process, while again suggesting Russia’s invasion was Ukraine’s fault.
- Trump mocked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s poll numbers.
- Before peace talks begin in earnest, Trump and his Pentagon chief are already effectively taking NATO membership for Ukraine off the table, necessarily strengthening Moscow’s negotiating position.
- Trump continues to suggest that Ukraine should expect to give up natural resources to the United States in exchange for security assistance.
“Putin has scored a whole series of victories today. It’s hard to encompass them all,” former White House national security adviser John Bolton told CNN. The former Trump aide added, “They’re drinking vodka straight out of the bottle in the Kremlin tonight. It was a great day for Moscow.”
The next time the incumbent American president talks about how “tough” he is with Russia, keep this in mind.
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