25 times Trump was soft on Russia

[Rigby5]

Wow, you are such a dope.

What is blundering Joe Biden and his handlers doing to stop Putin?

Currently is Russia a Communist country, yes or no?

If you didn't have your head deep up Xi Jin Ping's rectum you would realize the CCP is America's main adversary.

Russia was NEVER a communist country.
Communism means a system is locally cooperative, communal, and collective.
That requires a democracy.
Instead, Russia was a centralized dictatorship under Stalin, that was never cooperative, communal, or collective.
Gorbachev totally dropped the pretense, and admitted Russia was totally capitalist.

The main adversary to the American people, its the US Military Industrial Complex, that constantly wastes our tax money on weapons to invade innocent countries like Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, etc.

 

[Rigby5]

Russia is a dictatorship. about half our country wants a dictatorship, with there favorite dictator,

Russia has elections, and is more of a democracy than the US.
At least in Russia, you are not controlled by an evil and corrupt 2 party stranglehold.

 

[Thunderbird]

Russia was NEVER a communist country.
Communism means a system is locally cooperative, communal, and collective.
That requires a democracy.
Instead, Russia was a centralized dictatorship under Stalin, that was never cooperative, communal, or collective.
Gorbachev totally dropped the pretense, and admitted Russia was totally capitalist.

The main adversary to the American people, its the US Military Industrial Complex, that constantly wastes our tax money on weapons to invade innocent countries like Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, etc.

Marxism-Leninism AKA Communism is just a con to establish a dictatorship. Communists promise a worker’s paradise if you give them absolute power. After they acquire all the power they shoot you or throw you in a prison camp or starve you.

 

[Stann]

25 times Trump was soft on Russia​

Analysis by Marshall Cohen, CNN
Updated 10:29 AM ET, Sun November 17, 2019

(CNN)President Donald Trump has an Achilles' heel when it comes to Russia.
Over the years, he's made no secret that he has a soft spot for the country and its authoritarian leader, President Vladimir Putin. Trump has proved that he is willing to reject widely held US foreign policy views and align himself with the Kremlin on everything from Russian interference in US elections to the war in Syria.
Trump's ties to Russians were so concerning that the FBI believed there was good reason to investigate potential collusion between his 2016 campaign and the Kremlin. Counterintelligence investigators also examined whether Trump himself was somehow a Russian asset. (Special counsel Robert Mueller did not establish a criminal conspiracy of collusion.)
In Trump's eyes, these allegations are proof of a conspiracy against him by Democratic lawmakers and other "deep state" enemies in the US government. He bombastically declared last year, "There's never been a president as tough on Russia as I have been."
But that claim is simply false, based on Trump's actions over the last few years. Here's a full breakdown of 25 occasions when Trump was soft on Russia or gave Putin a boost.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump talk during a bilateral meeting at the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan, June 28, 2019.

Trump has repeatedly praised Putin​

While he was a private citizen, during his 2016 campaign and throughout his presidency, Trump has showered Putin with praise. He said Putin was "so nice," he called Putin a "strong leader" and said Putin has done "a really great job outsmarting our country." Trump also claimed he'd "get along very well" with Putin. Few, if any, Western leaders have echoed these comments.

Trump hired Manafort to run his campaign​

Trump raised eyebrows in spring 2016 when he hired GOP operative Paul Manafort to run his presidential campaign. Manafort spent a decade working for pro-Russian politicians and parties in Ukraine and cultivated close relationships with Putin-friendly oligarchs. Manafort is currently in prison for, among other things, evading taxes on the $60 million he made from his Ukraine consulting.

Trump suggested Russia can keep Crimea​

Trump said Putin did "an amazing job of taking the mantle" when Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. During the presidential campaign, Trump broke with US policy and suggested he was OK if Russia kept the Ukrainian territory. He repeated a Kremlin talking point, saying, "The people of Crimea, from what I've heard, would rather be with Russia than where they were."

Trump's team softened the GOP platform on Ukraine​

Ahead of the 2016 Republican National Convention, Trump campaign aides blocked language from the party platform that called for the US government to send lethal weapons to Ukraine for its war against Russian proxies. Mueller investigated this for potential collusion but determined the change was not made "at the behest" of Russia. (The Trump administration ultimately gave lethal arms and anti-tank weapons to the Ukrainian military.)

Trump made light of Russian hacking​

Throughout the 2016 campaign, Trump cast doubt on the US government assessment that Russia hacked the Democratic National Committee and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman. At a news conference in July 2016, he even asked Russia to hack more, saying, "Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing,"

Trump denied that Russia interfered in 2016​

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the FBI, the CIA, the National Security Agency, the Justice Department and the Senate Intelligence Committee all confirmed that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to help Trump. But Trump has repeatedly rejected this view, and publicly sided with Putin at the Helsinki summit in 2018, saying he accepted Putin's denials.

Trump transition undermined Russian sanctions​

After the election, the Trump transition team asked Russia not to retaliate against new US sanctions imposed by then-President Barack Obama. The sanctions were meant to punish Russia for interfering in the election, but then-Trump aide Michael Flynn asked the Russian ambassador not to escalate the situation so they could have a good relationship once Trump took over.

Trump was open to lifting Russian sanctions​

Days before his inauguration, Trump told The Wall Street Journal that he was open to lifting sanctions on Russia. He said: "If you get along and if Russia is really helping us, why would anybody have sanctions if somebody's doing some really great things?" Putin has tried for years to persuade the US and European countries to end crippling sanctions on Russia's economy.

Trump refused to say Putin is a killer​

Bucking other US leaders, Trump has dismissed credible allegations that Putin uses violence against his opponents. Trump said in 2015, "I think it would be despicable if that took place, but I haven't seen any evidence that he killed anybody, in terms of reporters." Asked again in February 2017, Trump deflected, saying, "There are a lot of killers. Do you think our country is so innocent?"

Trump mulled giving spy compounds to Russia​

The Washington Post reported in May 2017 that the Trump administration considered returning two diplomatic compounds to Russia. The Obama administration expelled Russian diplomats and seized the compounds in New York and Maryland after the 2016 election, claiming they were used for "intelligence" purposes. The compounds were never returned to Russia.

Trump gave Russia classified intelligence​

President Trump with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in the Oval Office
In a shocking move during the early months of his presidency, Trump shared highly classified intelligence with two senior Russian officials during an Oval Office meeting in May 2017. The intelligence, which was about ISIS, was sensitive enough that it could have exposed a vulnerable source. The unplanned disclosure by Trump rattled even many of his Republican allies.

Trump was reluctant to sign Russian sanctions​

Lawmakers passed a bipartisan bill in July 2017 imposing new sanctions against Russia, even though Trump administration officials reportedly tried to water down the language. Trump reluctantly signed the bill, but said the new law contained "clearly unconstitutional provisions." Trump had little choice in the matter because the bill had passed with veto-proof majorities. (The Treasury Department followed up with several rounds of hard-hitting sanctions.)

Trump thanked Putin for expelling US diplomats​

Trump thanked Putin for expelling hundreds of US diplomats from Russia in August 2017, saying, "I want to thank him because we're trying to cut down our payroll." Putin kicked out the officials to retaliate for US sanctions. Trump's view conflicted with the State Department, which said the mass expulsion was "uncalled for." (Trump later said he was being sarcastic.)

Trump criticized and alienated NATO allies​

Trump has repeatedly attacked NATO, aligning himself with Putin, who wants to weaken the alliance. Trump said NATO was "obsolete," rattling European leaders. At his first NATO summit, Trump scolded other countries for not spending enough on defense and declined to commit to NATO's mutual defense pledge. (Trump later said he supported the mutual defense provision.)

Trump eased sanctions on Deripaska​

In January 2019, the Trump administration lifted sanctions on three Russian companies tied to Oleg Deripaska, a Russian oligarch with close ties to Putin. The Treasury Department had sanctioned Deripaska and the companies over his support for Russian interference in the 2016 election. In a bipartisan rebuke, 11 Senate Republicans supported a Democratic resolution calling for the sanctions to remain.

Trump congratulated Putin on his sham election​

Ignoring the advice of several top national security aides, Trump congratulated Putin on his March 2018 reelection victory. Putin got 77% of the vote, but Western observers declared that the election "lacked genuine competition" and took place in an "overly controlled legal and political environment." Trump's critics said he had given the election legitimacy it did not deserve.

Trump defended USSR invasion of Afghanistan​

During a January 2019 Cabinet meeting, Trump defended the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan. He said the Soviet Union "was right" to invade in 1979 because "terrorists were going into Russia." The comments puzzled many observers, who noted that the Soviets invaded to bolster a communist government and the US had backed Afghan militants who fought the Soviets.

Trump praised pro-Russian leaders in Europe​

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban and President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on May 13, 2019.
On several occasions, Trump has praised controversial far-right European leaders who have been shunned by most US officials because of their close ties to Putin. Trump met at the White House with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a top Kremlin ally. He praised the campaign of French politician Marine Le Pen, whose party previously got millions from a Russian bank.

Trump didn't publicly condemn Russian attack​

According to congressional testimony, Trump declined to publicly condemn a Russian attack against Ukrainian military vessels in November 2018, even though the State Department prepared a statement for him. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo criticized Russia's "dangerous escalation." The White House didn't say anything, but Trump canceled a meeting with Putin.

Trump wanted to let Russia back in the G7​

Breaking with American allies, Trump repeatedly called for Russia to be invited back into the Group of Seven. Russia was suspended from the working group of leading industrial nations in 2014 after Putin annexed Crimea. At this year's G7 summit in France, Trump pressed the other leaders to include Russia next year. They balked at the request, which would have been a huge benefit to Putin without any concessions.

Trump's Syria withdrawal gave Putin a boost​

Trump announced in October 2019 that US troops were withdrawing from northern Syria. The abrupt move cleared the way for Turkey to conquer territories previously controlled by the US and allied Kurdish militias. It also gave Russia a golden opportunity to expand its influence and swiftly take over abandoned US outposts and checkpoints. Trump's move was a boon for Putin.

Trump repeated Kremlin talking points on ISIS​

After announcing the Syria withdrawal, Trump repeated Kremlin talking points about ISIS. He said, "Russia hates ISIS as much as the United States does" and that they are equal partners in the fight. But Trump's comments don't reflect the reality on the ground: Since intervening in Syria in 2015, the Russian military has focused its airstrikes on anti-government rebels, not ISIS.

President Donald Trump and Russia's President Vladimir Putin attend a joint press conference after a meeting at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, on July 16, 2018. Full credit: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

Trump spread Russian myths about Ukraine​

Over the past two months, Trump has said many false things about Ukraine that align with Russian disinformation about the country. This includes claims of uncontrollable corruption, improper ties between Ukrainian officials and the Obama administration, and allegations that Ukraine meddled in US elections. This helps Putin's goal of destabilizing US-Ukraine relations.

Trump temporarily froze US aid for Ukraine​

As the impeachment inquiry has revealed, Trump personally froze $391 million in US military and security assistance for Ukraine in mid-2019. US diplomats said Ukraine desperately needed the help for its war against Russian proxies. Previously, the Trump administration had slow-walked sales of anti-tank missiles to Ukraine because of concerns it would upset Russia, according to a State Department official.

Trump considered visiting Putin on Russian soil​

Trump said last week that he is thinking about visiting Russia, at Putin's invitation, to attend a military parade next year. The US government has repeatedly called out Russia's aggressive moves around the world, so a visit from a sitting US president would be highly unusual. Obama made the last visit in 2013, when relations were warmer, before Russia invaded Ukraine.

No doubt this embolden Putin to do what he's done today. They're both psychopaths.

 

[Wickerthing]

This is a direct quote from Trump on the Jeanine Pirro Tunnel of Towers Foundation Radio show on Sunday March 13th as he and she discussed the reasons for Putin's action against Ukraine.
TRUMP: "You say what's the purpose of this. They had a country, you could see it was a country where there was a lot of LOVE." "And WE'RE doing it because, you know, somebody wants to make his country larger, or he wants to put it back the way it was."

This is the guy who you right-wing morons thought would push back against Putin? Thank goodness that there is truth in Freudian Slips because there is never truth from Trump voluntarily. Remember when he said in Helsinki that he can't see why interference in the 2016 elections could possibly be Putin? Then tried to backtrack and say he meant, "I can't see any reason why it wouldn't be!" That correction made no logical sense at all.

 

[Big Bend Texas]

25 times Trump was soft on Russia​

Analysis by Marshall Cohen, CNN
Updated 10:29 AM ET, Sun November 17, 2019

(CNN)President Donald Trump has an Achilles' heel when it comes to Russia.
Over the years, he's made no secret that he has a soft spot for the country and its authoritarian leader, President Vladimir Putin. Trump has proved that he is willing to reject widely held US foreign policy views and align himself with the Kremlin on everything from Russian interference in US elections to the war in Syria.
Trump's ties to Russians were so concerning that the FBI believed there was good reason to investigate potential collusion between his 2016 campaign and the Kremlin. Counterintelligence investigators also examined whether Trump himself was somehow a Russian asset. (Special counsel Robert Mueller did not establish a criminal conspiracy of collusion.)
In Trump's eyes, these allegations are proof of a conspiracy against him by Democratic lawmakers and other "deep state" enemies in the US government. He bombastically declared last year, "There's never been a president as tough on Russia as I have been."
But that claim is simply false, based on Trump's actions over the last few years. Here's a full breakdown of 25 occasions when Trump was soft on Russia or gave Putin a boost.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump talk during a bilateral meeting at the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan, June 28, 2019.

Trump has repeatedly praised Putin​

While he was a private citizen, during his 2016 campaign and throughout his presidency, Trump has showered Putin with praise. He said Putin was "so nice," he called Putin a "strong leader" and said Putin has done "a really great job outsmarting our country." Trump also claimed he'd "get along very well" with Putin. Few, if any, Western leaders have echoed these comments.

Trump hired Manafort to run his campaign​

Trump raised eyebrows in spring 2016 when he hired GOP operative Paul Manafort to run his presidential campaign. Manafort spent a decade working for pro-Russian politicians and parties in Ukraine and cultivated close relationships with Putin-friendly oligarchs. Manafort is currently in prison for, among other things, evading taxes on the $60 million he made from his Ukraine consulting.

Trump suggested Russia can keep Crimea​

Trump said Putin did "an amazing job of taking the mantle" when Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. During the presidential campaign, Trump broke with US policy and suggested he was OK if Russia kept the Ukrainian territory. He repeated a Kremlin talking point, saying, "The people of Crimea, from what I've heard, would rather be with Russia than where they were."

Trump's team softened the GOP platform on Ukraine​

Ahead of the 2016 Republican National Convention, Trump campaign aides blocked language from the party platform that called for the US government to send lethal weapons to Ukraine for its war against Russian proxies. Mueller investigated this for potential collusion but determined the change was not made "at the behest" of Russia. (The Trump administration ultimately gave lethal arms and anti-tank weapons to the Ukrainian military.)

Trump made light of Russian hacking​

Throughout the 2016 campaign, Trump cast doubt on the US government assessment that Russia hacked the Democratic National Committee and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman. At a news conference in July 2016, he even asked Russia to hack more, saying, "Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing,"

Trump denied that Russia interfered in 2016​

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the FBI, the CIA, the National Security Agency, the Justice Department and the Senate Intelligence Committee all confirmed that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to help Trump. But Trump has repeatedly rejected this view, and publicly sided with Putin at the Helsinki summit in 2018, saying he accepted Putin's denials.

Trump transition undermined Russian sanctions​

After the election, the Trump transition team asked Russia not to retaliate against new US sanctions imposed by then-President Barack Obama. The sanctions were meant to punish Russia for interfering in the election, but then-Trump aide Michael Flynn asked the Russian ambassador not to escalate the situation so they could have a good relationship once Trump took over.

Trump was open to lifting Russian sanctions​

Days before his inauguration, Trump told The Wall Street Journal that he was open to lifting sanctions on Russia. He said: "If you get along and if Russia is really helping us, why would anybody have sanctions if somebody's doing some really great things?" Putin has tried for years to persuade the US and European countries to end crippling sanctions on Russia's economy.

Trump refused to say Putin is a killer​

Bucking other US leaders, Trump has dismissed credible allegations that Putin uses violence against his opponents. Trump said in 2015, "I think it would be despicable if that took place, but I haven't seen any evidence that he killed anybody, in terms of reporters." Asked again in February 2017, Trump deflected, saying, "There are a lot of killers. Do you think our country is so innocent?"

Trump mulled giving spy compounds to Russia​

The Washington Post reported in May 2017 that the Trump administration considered returning two diplomatic compounds to Russia. The Obama administration expelled Russian diplomats and seized the compounds in New York and Maryland after the 2016 election, claiming they were used for "intelligence" purposes. The compounds were never returned to Russia.

Trump gave Russia classified intelligence​

President Trump with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in the Oval Office
In a shocking move during the early months of his presidency, Trump shared highly classified intelligence with two senior Russian officials during an Oval Office meeting in May 2017. The intelligence, which was about ISIS, was sensitive enough that it could have exposed a vulnerable source. The unplanned disclosure by Trump rattled even many of his Republican allies.

Trump was reluctant to sign Russian sanctions​

Lawmakers passed a bipartisan bill in July 2017 imposing new sanctions against Russia, even though Trump administration officials reportedly tried to water down the language. Trump reluctantly signed the bill, but said the new law contained "clearly unconstitutional provisions." Trump had little choice in the matter because the bill had passed with veto-proof majorities. (The Treasury Department followed up with several rounds of hard-hitting sanctions.)

Trump thanked Putin for expelling US diplomats​

Trump thanked Putin for expelling hundreds of US diplomats from Russia in August 2017, saying, "I want to thank him because we're trying to cut down our payroll." Putin kicked out the officials to retaliate for US sanctions. Trump's view conflicted with the State Department, which said the mass expulsion was "uncalled for." (Trump later said he was being sarcastic.)

Trump criticized and alienated NATO allies​

Trump has repeatedly attacked NATO, aligning himself with Putin, who wants to weaken the alliance. Trump said NATO was "obsolete," rattling European leaders. At his first NATO summit, Trump scolded other countries for not spending enough on defense and declined to commit to NATO's mutual defense pledge. (Trump later said he supported the mutual defense provision.)

Trump eased sanctions on Deripaska​

In January 2019, the Trump administration lifted sanctions on three Russian companies tied to Oleg Deripaska, a Russian oligarch with close ties to Putin. The Treasury Department had sanctioned Deripaska and the companies over his support for Russian interference in the 2016 election. In a bipartisan rebuke, 11 Senate Republicans supported a Democratic resolution calling for the sanctions to remain.

Trump congratulated Putin on his sham election​

Ignoring the advice of several top national security aides, Trump congratulated Putin on his March 2018 reelection victory. Putin got 77% of the vote, but Western observers declared that the election "lacked genuine competition" and took place in an "overly controlled legal and political environment." Trump's critics said he had given the election legitimacy it did not deserve.

Trump defended USSR invasion of Afghanistan​

During a January 2019 Cabinet meeting, Trump defended the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan. He said the Soviet Union "was right" to invade in 1979 because "terrorists were going into Russia." The comments puzzled many observers, who noted that the Soviets invaded to bolster a communist government and the US had backed Afghan militants who fought the Soviets.

Trump praised pro-Russian leaders in Europe​

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban and President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on May 13, 2019.
On several occasions, Trump has praised controversial far-right European leaders who have been shunned by most US officials because of their close ties to Putin. Trump met at the White House with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a top Kremlin ally. He praised the campaign of French politician Marine Le Pen, whose party previously got millions from a Russian bank.

Trump didn't publicly condemn Russian attack​

According to congressional testimony, Trump declined to publicly condemn a Russian attack against Ukrainian military vessels in November 2018, even though the State Department prepared a statement for him. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo criticized Russia's "dangerous escalation." The White House didn't say anything, but Trump canceled a meeting with Putin.

Trump wanted to let Russia back in the G7​

Breaking with American allies, Trump repeatedly called for Russia to be invited back into the Group of Seven. Russia was suspended from the working group of leading industrial nations in 2014 after Putin annexed Crimea. At this year's G7 summit in France, Trump pressed the other leaders to include Russia next year. They balked at the request, which would have been a huge benefit to Putin without any concessions.

Trump's Syria withdrawal gave Putin a boost​

Trump announced in October 2019 that US troops were withdrawing from northern Syria. The abrupt move cleared the way for Turkey to conquer territories previously controlled by the US and allied Kurdish militias. It also gave Russia a golden opportunity to expand its influence and swiftly take over abandoned US outposts and checkpoints. Trump's move was a boon for Putin.

Trump repeated Kremlin talking points on ISIS​

After announcing the Syria withdrawal, Trump repeated Kremlin talking points about ISIS. He said, "Russia hates ISIS as much as the United States does" and that they are equal partners in the fight. But Trump's comments don't reflect the reality on the ground: Since intervening in Syria in 2015, the Russian military has focused its airstrikes on anti-government rebels, not ISIS.

President Donald Trump and Russia's President Vladimir Putin attend a joint press conference after a meeting at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, on July 16, 2018. Full credit: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

Trump spread Russian myths about Ukraine​

Over the past two months, Trump has said many false things about Ukraine that align with Russian disinformation about the country. This includes claims of uncontrollable corruption, improper ties between Ukrainian officials and the Obama administration, and allegations that Ukraine meddled in US elections. This helps Putin's goal of destabilizing US-Ukraine relations.

Trump temporarily froze US aid for Ukraine​

As the impeachment inquiry has revealed, Trump personally froze $391 million in US military and security assistance for Ukraine in mid-2019. US diplomats said Ukraine desperately needed the help for its war against Russian proxies. Previously, the Trump administration had slow-walked sales of anti-tank missiles to Ukraine because of concerns it would upset Russia, according to a State Department official.

Trump considered visiting Putin on Russian soil​

Trump said last week that he is thinking about visiting Russia, at Putin's invitation, to attend a military parade next year. The US government has repeatedly called out Russia's aggressive moves around the world, so a visit from a sitting US president would be highly unusual. Obama made the last visit in 2013, when relations were warmer, before Russia invaded Ukraine.

Carrot and Stick, not exactly an unheard of concept. Personally I think he laid it on way too thick but when push came to shove, he also used the stick pretty effectively.

25 times Trump was soft on Russia​

Analysis by Marshall Cohen, CNN
Updated 10:29 AM ET, Sun November 17, 2019

(CNN)President Donald Trump has an Achilles' heel when it comes to Russia.
Over the years, he's made no secret that he has a soft spot for the country and its authoritarian leader, President Vladimir Putin. Trump has proved that he is willing to reject widely held US foreign policy views and align himself with the Kremlin on everything from Russian interference in US elections to the war in Syria.
Trump's ties to Russians were so concerning that the FBI believed there was good reason to investigate potential collusion between his 2016 campaign and the Kremlin. Counterintelligence investigators also examined whether Trump himself was somehow a Russian asset. (Special counsel Robert Mueller did not establish a criminal conspiracy of collusion.)
In Trump's eyes, these allegations are proof of a conspiracy against him by Democratic lawmakers and other "deep state" enemies in the US government. He bombastically declared last year, "There's never been a president as tough on Russia as I have been."
But that claim is simply false, based on Trump's actions over the last few years. Here's a full breakdown of 25 occasions when Trump was soft on Russia or gave Putin a boost.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump talk during a bilateral meeting at the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan, June 28, 2019.

Trump has repeatedly praised Putin​

While he was a private citizen, during his 2016 campaign and throughout his presidency, Trump has showered Putin with praise. He said Putin was "so nice," he called Putin a "strong leader" and said Putin has done "a really great job outsmarting our country." Trump also claimed he'd "get along very well" with Putin. Few, if any, Western leaders have echoed these comments.

Trump hired Manafort to run his campaign​

Trump raised eyebrows in spring 2016 when he hired GOP operative Paul Manafort to run his presidential campaign. Manafort spent a decade working for pro-Russian politicians and parties in Ukraine and cultivated close relationships with Putin-friendly oligarchs. Manafort is currently in prison for, among other things, evading taxes on the $60 million he made from his Ukraine consulting.

Trump suggested Russia can keep Crimea​

Trump said Putin did "an amazing job of taking the mantle" when Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. During the presidential campaign, Trump broke with US policy and suggested he was OK if Russia kept the Ukrainian territory. He repeated a Kremlin talking point, saying, "The people of Crimea, from what I've heard, would rather be with Russia than where they were."

Trump's team softened the GOP platform on Ukraine​

Ahead of the 2016 Republican National Convention, Trump campaign aides blocked language from the party platform that called for the US government to send lethal weapons to Ukraine for its war against Russian proxies. Mueller investigated this for potential collusion but determined the change was not made "at the behest" of Russia. (The Trump administration ultimately gave lethal arms and anti-tank weapons to the Ukrainian military.)

Trump made light of Russian hacking​

Throughout the 2016 campaign, Trump cast doubt on the US government assessment that Russia hacked the Democratic National Committee and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman. At a news conference in July 2016, he even asked Russia to hack more, saying, "Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing,"

Trump denied that Russia interfered in 2016​

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the FBI, the CIA, the National Security Agency, the Justice Department and the Senate Intelligence Committee all confirmed that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to help Trump. But Trump has repeatedly rejected this view, and publicly sided with Putin at the Helsinki summit in 2018, saying he accepted Putin's denials.

Trump transition undermined Russian sanctions​

After the election, the Trump transition team asked Russia not to retaliate against new US sanctions imposed by then-President Barack Obama. The sanctions were meant to punish Russia for interfering in the election, but then-Trump aide Michael Flynn asked the Russian ambassador not to escalate the situation so they could have a good relationship once Trump took over.

Trump was open to lifting Russian sanctions​

Days before his inauguration, Trump told The Wall Street Journal that he was open to lifting sanctions on Russia. He said: "If you get along and if Russia is really helping us, why would anybody have sanctions if somebody's doing some really great things?" Putin has tried for years to persuade the US and European countries to end crippling sanctions on Russia's economy.

Trump refused to say Putin is a killer​

Bucking other US leaders, Trump has dismissed credible allegations that Putin uses violence against his opponents. Trump said in 2015, "I think it would be despicable if that took place, but I haven't seen any evidence that he killed anybody, in terms of reporters." Asked again in February 2017, Trump deflected, saying, "There are a lot of killers. Do you think our country is so innocent?"

Trump mulled giving spy compounds to Russia​

The Washington Post reported in May 2017 that the Trump administration considered returning two diplomatic compounds to Russia. The Obama administration expelled Russian diplomats and seized the compounds in New York and Maryland after the 2016 election, claiming they were used for "intelligence" purposes. The compounds were never returned to Russia.

Trump gave Russia classified intelligence​

President Trump with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in the Oval Office
In a shocking move during the early months of his presidency, Trump shared highly classified intelligence with two senior Russian officials during an Oval Office meeting in May 2017. The intelligence, which was about ISIS, was sensitive enough that it could have exposed a vulnerable source. The unplanned disclosure by Trump rattled even many of his Republican allies.

Trump was reluctant to sign Russian sanctions​

Lawmakers passed a bipartisan bill in July 2017 imposing new sanctions against Russia, even though Trump administration officials reportedly tried to water down the language. Trump reluctantly signed the bill, but said the new law contained "clearly unconstitutional provisions." Trump had little choice in the matter because the bill had passed with veto-proof majorities. (The Treasury Department followed up with several rounds of hard-hitting sanctions.)

Trump thanked Putin for expelling US diplomats​

Trump thanked Putin for expelling hundreds of US diplomats from Russia in August 2017, saying, "I want to thank him because we're trying to cut down our payroll." Putin kicked out the officials to retaliate for US sanctions. Trump's view conflicted with the State Department, which said the mass expulsion was "uncalled for." (Trump later said he was being sarcastic.)

Trump criticized and alienated NATO allies​

Trump has repeatedly attacked NATO, aligning himself with Putin, who wants to weaken the alliance. Trump said NATO was "obsolete," rattling European leaders. At his first NATO summit, Trump scolded other countries for not spending enough on defense and declined to commit to NATO's mutual defense pledge. (Trump later said he supported the mutual defense provision.)

Trump eased sanctions on Deripaska​

In January 2019, the Trump administration lifted sanctions on three Russian companies tied to Oleg Deripaska, a Russian oligarch with close ties to Putin. The Treasury Department had sanctioned Deripaska and the companies over his support for Russian interference in the 2016 election. In a bipartisan rebuke, 11 Senate Republicans supported a Democratic resolution calling for the sanctions to remain.

Trump congratulated Putin on his sham election​

Ignoring the advice of several top national security aides, Trump congratulated Putin on his March 2018 reelection victory. Putin got 77% of the vote, but Western observers declared that the election "lacked genuine competition" and took place in an "overly controlled legal and political environment." Trump's critics said he had given the election legitimacy it did not deserve.

Trump defended USSR invasion of Afghanistan​

During a January 2019 Cabinet meeting, Trump defended the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan. He said the Soviet Union "was right" to invade in 1979 because "terrorists were going into Russia." The comments puzzled many observers, who noted that the Soviets invaded to bolster a communist government and the US had backed Afghan militants who fought the Soviets.

Trump praised pro-Russian leaders in Europe​

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban and President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on May 13, 2019.
On several occasions, Trump has praised controversial far-right European leaders who have been shunned by most US officials because of their close ties to Putin. Trump met at the White House with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a top Kremlin ally. He praised the campaign of French politician Marine Le Pen, whose party previously got millions from a Russian bank.

Trump didn't publicly condemn Russian attack​

According to congressional testimony, Trump declined to publicly condemn a Russian attack against Ukrainian military vessels in November 2018, even though the State Department prepared a statement for him. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo criticized Russia's "dangerous escalation." The White House didn't say anything, but Trump canceled a meeting with Putin.

Trump wanted to let Russia back in the G7​

Breaking with American allies, Trump repeatedly called for Russia to be invited back into the Group of Seven. Russia was suspended from the working group of leading industrial nations in 2014 after Putin annexed Crimea. At this year's G7 summit in France, Trump pressed the other leaders to include Russia next year. They balked at the request, which would have been a huge benefit to Putin without any concessions.

Trump's Syria withdrawal gave Putin a boost​

Trump announced in October 2019 that US troops were withdrawing from northern Syria. The abrupt move cleared the way for Turkey to conquer territories previously controlled by the US and allied Kurdish militias. It also gave Russia a golden opportunity to expand its influence and swiftly take over abandoned US outposts and checkpoints. Trump's move was a boon for Putin.

Trump repeated Kremlin talking points on ISIS​

After announcing the Syria withdrawal, Trump repeated Kremlin talking points about ISIS. He said, "Russia hates ISIS as much as the United States does" and that they are equal partners in the fight. But Trump's comments don't reflect the reality on the ground: Since intervening in Syria in 2015, the Russian military has focused its airstrikes on anti-government rebels, not ISIS.

President Donald Trump and Russia's President Vladimir Putin attend a joint press conference after a meeting at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, on July 16, 2018. Full credit: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

Trump spread Russian myths about Ukraine​

Over the past two months, Trump has said many false things about Ukraine that align with Russian disinformation about the country. This includes claims of uncontrollable corruption, improper ties between Ukrainian officials and the Obama administration, and allegations that Ukraine meddled in US elections. This helps Putin's goal of destabilizing US-Ukraine relations.

Trump temporarily froze US aid for Ukraine​

As the impeachment inquiry has revealed, Trump personally froze $391 million in US military and security assistance for Ukraine in mid-2019. US diplomats said Ukraine desperately needed the help for its war against Russian proxies. Previously, the Trump administration had slow-walked sales of anti-tank missiles to Ukraine because of concerns it would upset Russia, according to a State Department official.

Trump considered visiting Putin on Russian soil​

Trump said last week that he is thinking about visiting Russia, at Putin's invitation, to attend a military parade next year. The US government has repeatedly called out Russia's aggressive moves around the world, so a visit from a sitting US president would be highly unusual. Obama made the last visit in 2013, when relations were warmer, before Russia invaded Ukraine.

Guess you folks never heard of the "Carrot and Stick" approach.

Trump used both pretty effectively to keep Putin in check.

https://www.gibsondunn.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/trump-administration-imposes-unprecedented-russia-sanctions.pdf

Trump Is Sanctioning Russians For Election Meddling & Yes You Read That Right

A month a after group of Russian individuals and companies were indicted by Robert Mueller — the special counsel overseeing the FBI's Russia investigation — President Donald Trump's administration took action against a separate list of Russians and…

www.elitedaily.com

On the record: The U.S. administration’s actions on Russia | Brookings

What has the administration actually done on Russia? Below is a chronological list of its actions and official statements since January 20, 2017. During that period, the administration has taken 27 actions on Russia.

www.brookings.edu

 

[Rigby5]

Anyone who think Russia is our enemy is brainwashed by propaganda.
They not only were our allies in WWII, but when it comes to evil genocide, like the US invading Vietnam, Russia was on the side of defending the victim from imperialist aggression.
And Russia got nothing out of it.
It is just too bad the US never was charged with war crimes for murdering over 3 million innocent Vietnamese.

 

[Rigby5]

This is a direct quote from Trump on the Jeanine Pirro Tunnel of Towers Foundation Radio show on Sunday March 13th as he and she discussed the reasons for Putin's action against Ukraine.
TRUMP: "You say what's the purpose of this. They had a country, you could see it was a country where there was a lot of LOVE." "And WE'RE doing it because, you know, somebody wants to make his country larger, or he wants to put it back the way it was."

This is the guy who you right-wing morons thought would push back against Putin? Thank goodness that there is truth in Freudian Slips because there is never truth from Trump voluntarily. Remember when he said in Helsinki that he can't see why interference in the 2016 elections could possibly be Putin? Then tried to backtrack and say he meant, "I can't see any reason why it wouldn't be!" That correction made no logical sense at all.

That is stupid because there was no "interference" in the 2016 election except by the DNC that gave out the debate questions to Hillary ahead of time.
That is not technically illegal, but was the single more fraudulent and corrupt thing I ever heard of anyone doing.

 

[Wickerthing]

That is stupid because there was no "interference" in the 2016 election except by the DNC that gave out the debate questions to Hillary ahead of time.
That is not technically illegal, but was the single more fraudulent and corrupt thing I ever heard of anyone doing.

Really? That's it? The most corrupt and fraudulent thing you have heard of someone doing? Do you live in a tree? Do you read? Investigate? Search historic docs? Have you read the Mueller report? I mean, not the twisted mess that Bill Barr presented as an honest summary of what was found? Volume 2? Ever looked into it? Because you'll fall out of that tree if you do. But, I've discovered that the Trump sheep have zero interest in Truth or honor or accuracy if it might possibly differ from what the most prolific liar on the planet has convinced you of.

 

[Batcat]

25 times Trump was soft on Russia​

Analysis by Marshall Cohen, CNN
Updated 10:29 AM ET, Sun November 17, 2019

(CNN)President Donald Trump has an Achilles' heel when it comes to Russia.
Over the years, he's made no secret that he has a soft spot for the country and its authoritarian leader, President Vladimir Putin. Trump has proved that he is willing to reject widely held US foreign policy views and align himself with the Kremlin on everything from Russian interference in US elections to the war in Syria.
Trump's ties to Russians were so concerning that the FBI believed there was good reason to investigate potential collusion between his 2016 campaign and the Kremlin. Counterintelligence investigators also examined whether Trump himself was somehow a Russian asset. (Special counsel Robert Mueller did not establish a criminal conspiracy of collusion.)
In Trump's eyes, these allegations are proof of a conspiracy against him by Democratic lawmakers and other "deep state" enemies in the US government. He bombastically declared last year, "There's never been a president as tough on Russia as I have been."
But that claim is simply false, based on Trump's actions over the last few years. Here's a full breakdown of 25 occasions when Trump was soft on Russia or gave Putin a boost.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump talk during a bilateral meeting at the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan, June 28, 2019.

Trump has repeatedly praised Putin​

While he was a private citizen, during his 2016 campaign and throughout his presidency, Trump has showered Putin with praise. He said Putin was "so nice," he called Putin a "strong leader" and said Putin has done "a really great job outsmarting our country." Trump also claimed he'd "get along very well" with Putin. Few, if any, Western leaders have echoed these comments.

Trump hired Manafort to run his campaign​

Trump raised eyebrows in spring 2016 when he hired GOP operative Paul Manafort to run his presidential campaign. Manafort spent a decade working for pro-Russian politicians and parties in Ukraine and cultivated close relationships with Putin-friendly oligarchs. Manafort is currently in prison for, among other things, evading taxes on the $60 million he made from his Ukraine consulting.

Trump suggested Russia can keep Crimea​

Trump said Putin did "an amazing job of taking the mantle" when Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. During the presidential campaign, Trump broke with US policy and suggested he was OK if Russia kept the Ukrainian territory. He repeated a Kremlin talking point, saying, "The people of Crimea, from what I've heard, would rather be with Russia than where they were."

Trump's team softened the GOP platform on Ukraine​

Ahead of the 2016 Republican National Convention, Trump campaign aides blocked language from the party platform that called for the US government to send lethal weapons to Ukraine for its war against Russian proxies. Mueller investigated this for potential collusion but determined the change was not made "at the behest" of Russia. (The Trump administration ultimately gave lethal arms and anti-tank weapons to the Ukrainian military.)

Trump made light of Russian hacking​

Throughout the 2016 campaign, Trump cast doubt on the US government assessment that Russia hacked the Democratic National Committee and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman. At a news conference in July 2016, he even asked Russia to hack more, saying, "Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing,"

Trump denied that Russia interfered in 2016​

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the FBI, the CIA, the National Security Agency, the Justice Department and the Senate Intelligence Committee all confirmed that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to help Trump. But Trump has repeatedly rejected this view, and publicly sided with Putin at the Helsinki summit in 2018, saying he accepted Putin's denials.

Trump transition undermined Russian sanctions​

After the election, the Trump transition team asked Russia not to retaliate against new US sanctions imposed by then-President Barack Obama. The sanctions were meant to punish Russia for interfering in the election, but then-Trump aide Michael Flynn asked the Russian ambassador not to escalate the situation so they could have a good relationship once Trump took over.

Trump was open to lifting Russian sanctions​

Days before his inauguration, Trump told The Wall Street Journal that he was open to lifting sanctions on Russia. He said: "If you get along and if Russia is really helping us, why would anybody have sanctions if somebody's doing some really great things?" Putin has tried for years to persuade the US and European countries to end crippling sanctions on Russia's economy.

Trump refused to say Putin is a killer​

Bucking other US leaders, Trump has dismissed credible allegations that Putin uses violence against his opponents. Trump said in 2015, "I think it would be despicable if that took place, but I haven't seen any evidence that he killed anybody, in terms of reporters." Asked again in February 2017, Trump deflected, saying, "There are a lot of killers. Do you think our country is so innocent?"

Trump mulled giving spy compounds to Russia​

The Washington Post reported in May 2017 that the Trump administration considered returning two diplomatic compounds to Russia. The Obama administration expelled Russian diplomats and seized the compounds in New York and Maryland after the 2016 election, claiming they were used for "intelligence" purposes. The compounds were never returned to Russia.

Trump gave Russia classified intelligence​

President Trump with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in the Oval Office
In a shocking move during the early months of his presidency, Trump shared highly classified intelligence with two senior Russian officials during an Oval Office meeting in May 2017. The intelligence, which was about ISIS, was sensitive enough that it could have exposed a vulnerable source. The unplanned disclosure by Trump rattled even many of his Republican allies.

Trump was reluctant to sign Russian sanctions​

Lawmakers passed a bipartisan bill in July 2017 imposing new sanctions against Russia, even though Trump administration officials reportedly tried to water down the language. Trump reluctantly signed the bill, but said the new law contained "clearly unconstitutional provisions." Trump had little choice in the matter because the bill had passed with veto-proof majorities. (The Treasury Department followed up with several rounds of hard-hitting sanctions.)

Trump thanked Putin for expelling US diplomats​

Trump thanked Putin for expelling hundreds of US diplomats from Russia in August 2017, saying, "I want to thank him because we're trying to cut down our payroll." Putin kicked out the officials to retaliate for US sanctions. Trump's view conflicted with the State Department, which said the mass expulsion was "uncalled for." (Trump later said he was being sarcastic.)

Trump criticized and alienated NATO allies​

Trump has repeatedly attacked NATO, aligning himself with Putin, who wants to weaken the alliance. Trump said NATO was "obsolete," rattling European leaders. At his first NATO summit, Trump scolded other countries for not spending enough on defense and declined to commit to NATO's mutual defense pledge. (Trump later said he supported the mutual defense provision.)

Trump eased sanctions on Deripaska​

In January 2019, the Trump administration lifted sanctions on three Russian companies tied to Oleg Deripaska, a Russian oligarch with close ties to Putin. The Treasury Department had sanctioned Deripaska and the companies over his support for Russian interference in the 2016 election. In a bipartisan rebuke, 11 Senate Republicans supported a Democratic resolution calling for the sanctions to remain.

Trump congratulated Putin on his sham election​

Ignoring the advice of several top national security aides, Trump congratulated Putin on his March 2018 reelection victory. Putin got 77% of the vote, but Western observers declared that the election "lacked genuine competition" and took place in an "overly controlled legal and political environment." Trump's critics said he had given the election legitimacy it did not deserve.

Trump defended USSR invasion of Afghanistan​

During a January 2019 Cabinet meeting, Trump defended the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan. He said the Soviet Union "was right" to invade in 1979 because "terrorists were going into Russia." The comments puzzled many observers, who noted that the Soviets invaded to bolster a communist government and the US had backed Afghan militants who fought the Soviets.

Trump praised pro-Russian leaders in Europe​

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban and President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on May 13, 2019.
On several occasions, Trump has praised controversial far-right European leaders who have been shunned by most US officials because of their close ties to Putin. Trump met at the White House with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a top Kremlin ally. He praised the campaign of French politician Marine Le Pen, whose party previously got millions from a Russian bank.

Trump didn't publicly condemn Russian attack​

According to congressional testimony, Trump declined to publicly condemn a Russian attack against Ukrainian military vessels in November 2018, even though the State Department prepared a statement for him. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo criticized Russia's "dangerous escalation." The White House didn't say anything, but Trump canceled a meeting with Putin.

Trump wanted to let Russia back in the G7​

Breaking with American allies, Trump repeatedly called for Russia to be invited back into the Group of Seven. Russia was suspended from the working group of leading industrial nations in 2014 after Putin annexed Crimea. At this year's G7 summit in France, Trump pressed the other leaders to include Russia next year. They balked at the request, which would have been a huge benefit to Putin without any concessions.

Trump's Syria withdrawal gave Putin a boost​

Trump announced in October 2019 that US troops were withdrawing from northern Syria. The abrupt move cleared the way for Turkey to conquer territories previously controlled by the US and allied Kurdish militias. It also gave Russia a golden opportunity to expand its influence and swiftly take over abandoned US outposts and checkpoints. Trump's move was a boon for Putin.

Trump repeated Kremlin talking points on ISIS​

After announcing the Syria withdrawal, Trump repeated Kremlin talking points about ISIS. He said, "Russia hates ISIS as much as the United States does" and that they are equal partners in the fight. But Trump's comments don't reflect the reality on the ground: Since intervening in Syria in 2015, the Russian military has focused its airstrikes on anti-government rebels, not ISIS.

President Donald Trump and Russia's President Vladimir Putin attend a joint press conference after a meeting at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, on July 16, 2018. Full credit: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

Trump spread Russian myths about Ukraine​

Over the past two months, Trump has said many false things about Ukraine that align with Russian disinformation about the country. This includes claims of uncontrollable corruption, improper ties between Ukrainian officials and the Obama administration, and allegations that Ukraine meddled in US elections. This helps Putin's goal of destabilizing US-Ukraine relations.

Trump temporarily froze US aid for Ukraine​

As the impeachment inquiry has revealed, Trump personally froze $391 million in US military and security assistance for Ukraine in mid-2019. US diplomats said Ukraine desperately needed the help for its war against Russian proxies. Previously, the Trump administration had slow-walked sales of anti-tank missiles to Ukraine because of concerns it would upset Russia, according to a State Department official.

Trump considered visiting Putin on Russian soil​

Trump said last week that he is thinking about visiting Russia, at Putin's invitation, to attend a military parade next year. The US government has repeatedly called out Russia's aggressive moves around the world, so a visit from a sitting US president would be highly unusual. Obama made the last visit in 2013, when relations were warmer, before Russia invaded Ukraine.

The bottom line remains that Putin did not invade Ukraine during the Trump Presidency. One year into the Biden Presidency Putin makes his move. Either Putin sees Biden as weak or Putin has damning evidence on Biden corruption and consequently owns Biden.

It might just be possible that the liberals who said Trump was Putin’s puppet were wrong but Joe Biden is.

If China also owns Biden we can kiss Taiwan good-bye too.

Also beware of Rocket Man in North Korea. He gets very upset when nobody pays him attention. He might decide to set off a nuclear explosion at high altitude over our nation to cripple our power grid possibly for years.

In my opinion Joe Biden is the worst President in modern history at exactly the worst time.

We do live in interesting times.

 

[Big Bend Texas]

25 times Trump was soft on Russia​

Analysis by Marshall Cohen, CNN
Updated 10:29 AM ET, Sun November 17, 2019

(CNN)President Donald Trump has an Achilles' heel when it comes to Russia.
Over the years, he's made no secret that he has a soft spot for the country and its authoritarian leader, President Vladimir Putin. Trump has proved that he is willing to reject widely held US foreign policy views and align himself with the Kremlin on everything from Russian interference in US elections to the war in Syria.
Trump's ties to Russians were so concerning that the FBI believed there was good reason to investigate potential collusion between his 2016 campaign and the Kremlin. Counterintelligence investigators also examined whether Trump himself was somehow a Russian asset. (Special counsel Robert Mueller did not establish a criminal conspiracy of collusion.)
In Trump's eyes, these allegations are proof of a conspiracy against him by Democratic lawmakers and other "deep state" enemies in the US government. He bombastically declared last year, "There's never been a president as tough on Russia as I have been."
But that claim is simply false, based on Trump's actions over the last few years. Here's a full breakdown of 25 occasions when Trump was soft on Russia or gave Putin a boost.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump talk during a bilateral meeting at the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan, June 28, 2019.

Trump has repeatedly praised Putin​

While he was a private citizen, during his 2016 campaign and throughout his presidency, Trump has showered Putin with praise. He said Putin was "so nice," he called Putin a "strong leader" and said Putin has done "a really great job outsmarting our country." Trump also claimed he'd "get along very well" with Putin. Few, if any, Western leaders have echoed these comments.

Trump hired Manafort to run his campaign​

Trump raised eyebrows in spring 2016 when he hired GOP operative Paul Manafort to run his presidential campaign. Manafort spent a decade working for pro-Russian politicians and parties in Ukraine and cultivated close relationships with Putin-friendly oligarchs. Manafort is currently in prison for, among other things, evading taxes on the $60 million he made from his Ukraine consulting.

Trump suggested Russia can keep Crimea​

Trump said Putin did "an amazing job of taking the mantle" when Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. During the presidential campaign, Trump broke with US policy and suggested he was OK if Russia kept the Ukrainian territory. He repeated a Kremlin talking point, saying, "The people of Crimea, from what I've heard, would rather be with Russia than where they were."

Trump's team softened the GOP platform on Ukraine​

Ahead of the 2016 Republican National Convention, Trump campaign aides blocked language from the party platform that called for the US government to send lethal weapons to Ukraine for its war against Russian proxies. Mueller investigated this for potential collusion but determined the change was not made "at the behest" of Russia. (The Trump administration ultimately gave lethal arms and anti-tank weapons to the Ukrainian military.)

Trump made light of Russian hacking​

Throughout the 2016 campaign, Trump cast doubt on the US government assessment that Russia hacked the Democratic National Committee and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman. At a news conference in July 2016, he even asked Russia to hack more, saying, "Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing,"

Trump denied that Russia interfered in 2016​

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the FBI, the CIA, the National Security Agency, the Justice Department and the Senate Intelligence Committee all confirmed that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to help Trump. But Trump has repeatedly rejected this view, and publicly sided with Putin at the Helsinki summit in 2018, saying he accepted Putin's denials.

Trump transition undermined Russian sanctions​

After the election, the Trump transition team asked Russia not to retaliate against new US sanctions imposed by then-President Barack Obama. The sanctions were meant to punish Russia for interfering in the election, but then-Trump aide Michael Flynn asked the Russian ambassador not to escalate the situation so they could have a good relationship once Trump took over.

Trump was open to lifting Russian sanctions​

Days before his inauguration, Trump told The Wall Street Journal that he was open to lifting sanctions on Russia. He said: "If you get along and if Russia is really helping us, why would anybody have sanctions if somebody's doing some really great things?" Putin has tried for years to persuade the US and European countries to end crippling sanctions on Russia's economy.

Trump refused to say Putin is a killer​

Bucking other US leaders, Trump has dismissed credible allegations that Putin uses violence against his opponents. Trump said in 2015, "I think it would be despicable if that took place, but I haven't seen any evidence that he killed anybody, in terms of reporters." Asked again in February 2017, Trump deflected, saying, "There are a lot of killers. Do you think our country is so innocent?"

Trump mulled giving spy compounds to Russia​

The Washington Post reported in May 2017 that the Trump administration considered returning two diplomatic compounds to Russia. The Obama administration expelled Russian diplomats and seized the compounds in New York and Maryland after the 2016 election, claiming they were used for "intelligence" purposes. The compounds were never returned to Russia.

Trump gave Russia classified intelligence​

President Trump with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in the Oval Office
In a shocking move during the early months of his presidency, Trump shared highly classified intelligence with two senior Russian officials during an Oval Office meeting in May 2017. The intelligence, which was about ISIS, was sensitive enough that it could have exposed a vulnerable source. The unplanned disclosure by Trump rattled even many of his Republican allies.

Trump was reluctant to sign Russian sanctions​

Lawmakers passed a bipartisan bill in July 2017 imposing new sanctions against Russia, even though Trump administration officials reportedly tried to water down the language. Trump reluctantly signed the bill, but said the new law contained "clearly unconstitutional provisions." Trump had little choice in the matter because the bill had passed with veto-proof majorities. (The Treasury Department followed up with several rounds of hard-hitting sanctions.)

Trump thanked Putin for expelling US diplomats​

Trump thanked Putin for expelling hundreds of US diplomats from Russia in August 2017, saying, "I want to thank him because we're trying to cut down our payroll." Putin kicked out the officials to retaliate for US sanctions. Trump's view conflicted with the State Department, which said the mass expulsion was "uncalled for." (Trump later said he was being sarcastic.)

Trump criticized and alienated NATO allies​

Trump has repeatedly attacked NATO, aligning himself with Putin, who wants to weaken the alliance. Trump said NATO was "obsolete," rattling European leaders. At his first NATO summit, Trump scolded other countries for not spending enough on defense and declined to commit to NATO's mutual defense pledge. (Trump later said he supported the mutual defense provision.)

Trump eased sanctions on Deripaska​

In January 2019, the Trump administration lifted sanctions on three Russian companies tied to Oleg Deripaska, a Russian oligarch with close ties to Putin. The Treasury Department had sanctioned Deripaska and the companies over his support for Russian interference in the 2016 election. In a bipartisan rebuke, 11 Senate Republicans supported a Democratic resolution calling for the sanctions to remain.

Trump congratulated Putin on his sham election​

Ignoring the advice of several top national security aides, Trump congratulated Putin on his March 2018 reelection victory. Putin got 77% of the vote, but Western observers declared that the election "lacked genuine competition" and took place in an "overly controlled legal and political environment." Trump's critics said he had given the election legitimacy it did not deserve.

Trump defended USSR invasion of Afghanistan​

During a January 2019 Cabinet meeting, Trump defended the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan. He said the Soviet Union "was right" to invade in 1979 because "terrorists were going into Russia." The comments puzzled many observers, who noted that the Soviets invaded to bolster a communist government and the US had backed Afghan militants who fought the Soviets.

Trump praised pro-Russian leaders in Europe​

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban and President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on May 13, 2019.
On several occasions, Trump has praised controversial far-right European leaders who have been shunned by most US officials because of their close ties to Putin. Trump met at the White House with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a top Kremlin ally. He praised the campaign of French politician Marine Le Pen, whose party previously got millions from a Russian bank.

Trump didn't publicly condemn Russian attack​

According to congressional testimony, Trump declined to publicly condemn a Russian attack against Ukrainian military vessels in November 2018, even though the State Department prepared a statement for him. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo criticized Russia's "dangerous escalation." The White House didn't say anything, but Trump canceled a meeting with Putin.

Trump wanted to let Russia back in the G7​

Breaking with American allies, Trump repeatedly called for Russia to be invited back into the Group of Seven. Russia was suspended from the working group of leading industrial nations in 2014 after Putin annexed Crimea. At this year's G7 summit in France, Trump pressed the other leaders to include Russia next year. They balked at the request, which would have been a huge benefit to Putin without any concessions.

Trump's Syria withdrawal gave Putin a boost​

Trump announced in October 2019 that US troops were withdrawing from northern Syria. The abrupt move cleared the way for Turkey to conquer territories previously controlled by the US and allied Kurdish militias. It also gave Russia a golden opportunity to expand its influence and swiftly take over abandoned US outposts and checkpoints. Trump's move was a boon for Putin.

Trump repeated Kremlin talking points on ISIS​

After announcing the Syria withdrawal, Trump repeated Kremlin talking points about ISIS. He said, "Russia hates ISIS as much as the United States does" and that they are equal partners in the fight. But Trump's comments don't reflect the reality on the ground: Since intervening in Syria in 2015, the Russian military has focused its airstrikes on anti-government rebels, not ISIS.

President Donald Trump and Russia's President Vladimir Putin attend a joint press conference after a meeting at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, on July 16, 2018. Full credit: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

Trump spread Russian myths about Ukraine​

Over the past two months, Trump has said many false things about Ukraine that align with Russian disinformation about the country. This includes claims of uncontrollable corruption, improper ties between Ukrainian officials and the Obama administration, and allegations that Ukraine meddled in US elections. This helps Putin's goal of destabilizing US-Ukraine relations.

Trump temporarily froze US aid for Ukraine​

As the impeachment inquiry has revealed, Trump personally froze $391 million in US military and security assistance for Ukraine in mid-2019. US diplomats said Ukraine desperately needed the help for its war against Russian proxies. Previously, the Trump administration had slow-walked sales of anti-tank missiles to Ukraine because of concerns it would upset Russia, according to a State Department official.

Trump considered visiting Putin on Russian soil​

Trump said last week that he is thinking about visiting Russia, at Putin's invitation, to attend a military parade next year. The US government has repeatedly called out Russia's aggressive moves around the world, so a visit from a sitting US president would be highly unusual. Obama made the last visit in 2013, when relations were warmer, before Russia invaded Ukraine.

There's no way on earth this is "fair use". Do the moderators not monitor that stuff at all here?

 

[Big Bend Texas]

Sure, he was so soft on Russia that Russia annexed Crimea during the Obama admin and he is threatening Ukraine under the Biden Regime and Putin didn't rattle his saber one time under the Trump admin. You used a lot of words trying to cover up the reality that I just showed you in four lines.

You have to be a complete blind partisan hack to say this with a straight face and particularly to believe it.

You folks were screaming he'd start WWIII by retaliating against the Russians for Chemical Weapons attacks in Syria.

What happened, we bombed the shit our of the bases responsible destroying facilities, ordnance, and the aircraft he was using.

How did Putin Retaliate? By sheepishly leaving the field.

When Putin's ground forces attacked US forces in Syria, the immediate reply was to give our area commanders permission to use all the resources at their disposal to stop it so within hours an entire battalion of Russian troops have been destroyed along with all of their hardware.

Still no WWIII of course.

In his short 4 years he leveled more and more severe sanctions on Russia than any president since the the fall of the wall to punish them economically and they have been steadily stripping the wealth of Putin and his fellow Oligarchs that keep him in power for profit, and from which he had profited from mightily until Trump came along.

He also expelled their diplomats and seized Russian Gov't owned property where they were operating spy missions here in the US as part of his "appeasement to Putin".

What did Obama do? Kissed a lot of ass and licked a lot of nuts for 8 years particularly in China and Russia.

What has Biden done, more or the same for more than a year until he was forced to act due to overwhelming demand from the citizens of this nation to get off the crapper and start providing aid to Ukraine.

 

[Concerned American]

You have to be a complete blind partisan hack to say this with a straight face and particularly to believe it.

You folks were screaming he'd start WWIII by retaliating against the Russians for Chemical Weapons attacks in Syria.

What happened, we bombed the shit our of the bases responsible destroying facilities, ordnance, and the aircraft he was using.

How did Putin Retaliate? By sheepishly leaving the field.

When Putin's ground forces attacked US forces in Syria, the immediate reply was to give our area commanders permission to use all the resources at their disposal to stop it so within hours an entire battalion of Russian troops have been destroyed along with all of their hardware.

Still no WWIII of course.

In his short 4 years he leveled more and more severe sanctions on Russia than any president since the the fall of the wall to punish them economically and they have been steadily stripping the wealth of Putin and his fellow Oligarchs that keep him in power for profit, and from which he had profited from mightily until Trump came along.

He also expelled their diplomats and seized Russian Gov't owned property where they were operating spy missions here in the US as part of his "appeasement to Putin".

What did Obama do? Kissed a lot of ass and licked a lot of nuts for 8 years particularly in China and Russia.

What has Biden done, more or the same for more than a year until he was forced to act due to overwhelming demand from the citizens of this nation to get off the crapper and start providing aid to Ukraine.

Are you having problems with reading comprehension. I think you just reiterated what I said with a couple of nice-to-know additions about Syria. Calm down man, read.

 

[Big Bend Texas]

Are you having problems with reading comprehension. I think you just reiterated what I said with a couple of nice-to-know additions about Syria. Calm down man, read.

My comprehension skills are still well in tact. Yours however seem to be totally lacking.

Read the post I quoted of yours again and then compare it to mine.

 

[TeeDub]

Russia has no PEE tapes on Biden ,just trump

You must be on comrade Hilda's payroll if you still believe her DEBUNKED bull shit.

 

[Redfish]

25 times Trump was soft on Russia​

Analysis by Marshall Cohen, CNN
Updated 10:29 AM ET, Sun November 17, 2019

(CNN)President Donald Trump has an Achilles' heel when it comes to Russia.
Over the years, he's made no secret that he has a soft spot for the country and its authoritarian leader, President Vladimir Putin. Trump has proved that he is willing to reject widely held US foreign policy views and align himself with the Kremlin on everything from Russian interference in US elections to the war in Syria.
Trump's ties to Russians were so concerning that the FBI believed there was good reason to investigate potential collusion between his 2016 campaign and the Kremlin. Counterintelligence investigators also examined whether Trump himself was somehow a Russian asset. (Special counsel Robert Mueller did not establish a criminal conspiracy of collusion.)
In Trump's eyes, these allegations are proof of a conspiracy against him by Democratic lawmakers and other "deep state" enemies in the US government. He bombastically declared last year, "There's never been a president as tough on Russia as I have been."
But that claim is simply false, based on Trump's actions over the last few years. Here's a full breakdown of 25 occasions when Trump was soft on Russia or gave Putin a boost.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump talk during a bilateral meeting at the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan, June 28, 2019.

Trump has repeatedly praised Putin​

While he was a private citizen, during his 2016 campaign and throughout his presidency, Trump has showered Putin with praise. He said Putin was "so nice," he called Putin a "strong leader" and said Putin has done "a really great job outsmarting our country." Trump also claimed he'd "get along very well" with Putin. Few, if any, Western leaders have echoed these comments.

Trump hired Manafort to run his campaign​

Trump raised eyebrows in spring 2016 when he hired GOP operative Paul Manafort to run his presidential campaign. Manafort spent a decade working for pro-Russian politicians and parties in Ukraine and cultivated close relationships with Putin-friendly oligarchs. Manafort is currently in prison for, among other things, evading taxes on the $60 million he made from his Ukraine consulting.

Trump suggested Russia can keep Crimea​

Trump said Putin did "an amazing job of taking the mantle" when Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. During the presidential campaign, Trump broke with US policy and suggested he was OK if Russia kept the Ukrainian territory. He repeated a Kremlin talking point, saying, "The people of Crimea, from what I've heard, would rather be with Russia than where they were."

Trump's team softened the GOP platform on Ukraine​

Ahead of the 2016 Republican National Convention, Trump campaign aides blocked language from the party platform that called for the US government to send lethal weapons to Ukraine for its war against Russian proxies. Mueller investigated this for potential collusion but determined the change was not made "at the behest" of Russia. (The Trump administration ultimately gave lethal arms and anti-tank weapons to the Ukrainian military.)

Trump made light of Russian hacking​

Throughout the 2016 campaign, Trump cast doubt on the US government assessment that Russia hacked the Democratic National Committee and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman. At a news conference in July 2016, he even asked Russia to hack more, saying, "Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing,"

Trump denied that Russia interfered in 2016​

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the FBI, the CIA, the National Security Agency, the Justice Department and the Senate Intelligence Committee all confirmed that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to help Trump. But Trump has repeatedly rejected this view, and publicly sided with Putin at the Helsinki summit in 2018, saying he accepted Putin's denials.

Trump transition undermined Russian sanctions​

After the election, the Trump transition team asked Russia not to retaliate against new US sanctions imposed by then-President Barack Obama. The sanctions were meant to punish Russia for interfering in the election, but then-Trump aide Michael Flynn asked the Russian ambassador not to escalate the situation so they could have a good relationship once Trump took over.

Trump was open to lifting Russian sanctions​

Days before his inauguration, Trump told The Wall Street Journal that he was open to lifting sanctions on Russia. He said: "If you get along and if Russia is really helping us, why would anybody have sanctions if somebody's doing some really great things?" Putin has tried for years to persuade the US and European countries to end crippling sanctions on Russia's economy.

Trump refused to say Putin is a killer​

Bucking other US leaders, Trump has dismissed credible allegations that Putin uses violence against his opponents. Trump said in 2015, "I think it would be despicable if that took place, but I haven't seen any evidence that he killed anybody, in terms of reporters." Asked again in February 2017, Trump deflected, saying, "There are a lot of killers. Do you think our country is so innocent?"

Trump mulled giving spy compounds to Russia​

The Washington Post reported in May 2017 that the Trump administration considered returning two diplomatic compounds to Russia. The Obama administration expelled Russian diplomats and seized the compounds in New York and Maryland after the 2016 election, claiming they were used for "intelligence" purposes. The compounds were never returned to Russia.

Trump gave Russia classified intelligence​

President Trump with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in the Oval Office
In a shocking move during the early months of his presidency, Trump shared highly classified intelligence with two senior Russian officials during an Oval Office meeting in May 2017. The intelligence, which was about ISIS, was sensitive enough that it could have exposed a vulnerable source. The unplanned disclosure by Trump rattled even many of his Republican allies.

Trump was reluctant to sign Russian sanctions​

Lawmakers passed a bipartisan bill in July 2017 imposing new sanctions against Russia, even though Trump administration officials reportedly tried to water down the language. Trump reluctantly signed the bill, but said the new law contained "clearly unconstitutional provisions." Trump had little choice in the matter because the bill had passed with veto-proof majorities. (The Treasury Department followed up with several rounds of hard-hitting sanctions.)

Trump thanked Putin for expelling US diplomats​

Trump thanked Putin for expelling hundreds of US diplomats from Russia in August 2017, saying, "I want to thank him because we're trying to cut down our payroll." Putin kicked out the officials to retaliate for US sanctions. Trump's view conflicted with the State Department, which said the mass expulsion was "uncalled for." (Trump later said he was being sarcastic.)

Trump criticized and alienated NATO allies​

Trump has repeatedly attacked NATO, aligning himself with Putin, who wants to weaken the alliance. Trump said NATO was "obsolete," rattling European leaders. At his first NATO summit, Trump scolded other countries for not spending enough on defense and declined to commit to NATO's mutual defense pledge. (Trump later said he supported the mutual defense provision.)

Trump eased sanctions on Deripaska​

In January 2019, the Trump administration lifted sanctions on three Russian companies tied to Oleg Deripaska, a Russian oligarch with close ties to Putin. The Treasury Department had sanctioned Deripaska and the companies over his support for Russian interference in the 2016 election. In a bipartisan rebuke, 11 Senate Republicans supported a Democratic resolution calling for the sanctions to remain.

Trump congratulated Putin on his sham election​

Ignoring the advice of several top national security aides, Trump congratulated Putin on his March 2018 reelection victory. Putin got 77% of the vote, but Western observers declared that the election "lacked genuine competition" and took place in an "overly controlled legal and political environment." Trump's critics said he had given the election legitimacy it did not deserve.

Trump defended USSR invasion of Afghanistan​

During a January 2019 Cabinet meeting, Trump defended the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan. He said the Soviet Union "was right" to invade in 1979 because "terrorists were going into Russia." The comments puzzled many observers, who noted that the Soviets invaded to bolster a communist government and the US had backed Afghan militants who fought the Soviets.

Trump praised pro-Russian leaders in Europe​

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban and President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on May 13, 2019.
On several occasions, Trump has praised controversial far-right European leaders who have been shunned by most US officials because of their close ties to Putin. Trump met at the White House with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a top Kremlin ally. He praised the campaign of French politician Marine Le Pen, whose party previously got millions from a Russian bank.

Trump didn't publicly condemn Russian attack​

According to congressional testimony, Trump declined to publicly condemn a Russian attack against Ukrainian military vessels in November 2018, even though the State Department prepared a statement for him. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo criticized Russia's "dangerous escalation." The White House didn't say anything, but Trump canceled a meeting with Putin.

Trump wanted to let Russia back in the G7​

Breaking with American allies, Trump repeatedly called for Russia to be invited back into the Group of Seven. Russia was suspended from the working group of leading industrial nations in 2014 after Putin annexed Crimea. At this year's G7 summit in France, Trump pressed the other leaders to include Russia next year. They balked at the request, which would have been a huge benefit to Putin without any concessions.

Trump's Syria withdrawal gave Putin a boost​

Trump announced in October 2019 that US troops were withdrawing from northern Syria. The abrupt move cleared the way for Turkey to conquer territories previously controlled by the US and allied Kurdish militias. It also gave Russia a golden opportunity to expand its influence and swiftly take over abandoned US outposts and checkpoints. Trump's move was a boon for Putin.

Trump repeated Kremlin talking points on ISIS​

After announcing the Syria withdrawal, Trump repeated Kremlin talking points about ISIS. He said, "Russia hates ISIS as much as the United States does" and that they are equal partners in the fight. But Trump's comments don't reflect the reality on the ground: Since intervening in Syria in 2015, the Russian military has focused its airstrikes on anti-government rebels, not ISIS.

President Donald Trump and Russia's President Vladimir Putin attend a joint press conference after a meeting at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, on July 16, 2018. Full credit: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

Trump spread Russian myths about Ukraine​

Over the past two months, Trump has said many false things about Ukraine that align with Russian disinformation about the country. This includes claims of uncontrollable corruption, improper ties between Ukrainian officials and the Obama administration, and allegations that Ukraine meddled in US elections. This helps Putin's goal of destabilizing US-Ukraine relations.

Trump temporarily froze US aid for Ukraine​

As the impeachment inquiry has revealed, Trump personally froze $391 million in US military and security assistance for Ukraine in mid-2019. US diplomats said Ukraine desperately needed the help for its war against Russian proxies. Previously, the Trump administration had slow-walked sales of anti-tank missiles to Ukraine because of concerns it would upset Russia, according to a State Department official.

Trump considered visiting Putin on Russian soil​

Trump said last week that he is thinking about visiting Russia, at Putin's invitation, to attend a military parade next year. The US government has repeatedly called out Russia's aggressive moves around the world, so a visit from a sitting US president would be highly unusual. Obama made the last visit in 2013, when relations were warmer, before Russia invaded Ukraine.

wanting a civilized relationship with russia is not being soft, why do you libs want endless wars?

 

[Redfish]

Ah, because he's on Russia's payroll.

Biden's problem is that he is on both Russia and Ukraine payroll

 

[CrusaderFrank]

25 times Trump was soft on Russia​

Analysis by Marshall Cohen, CNN
Updated 10:29 AM ET, Sun November 17, 2019

(CNN)President Donald Trump has an Achilles' heel when it comes to Russia.
Over the years, he's made no secret that he has a soft spot for the country and its authoritarian leader, President Vladimir Putin. Trump has proved that he is willing to reject widely held US foreign policy views and align himself with the Kremlin on everything from Russian interference in US elections to the war in Syria.
Trump's ties to Russians were so concerning that the FBI believed there was good reason to investigate potential collusion between his 2016 campaign and the Kremlin. Counterintelligence investigators also examined whether Trump himself was somehow a Russian asset. (Special counsel Robert Mueller did not establish a criminal conspiracy of collusion.)
In Trump's eyes, these allegations are proof of a conspiracy against him by Democratic lawmakers and other "deep state" enemies in the US government. He bombastically declared last year, "There's never been a president as tough on Russia as I have been."
But that claim is simply false, based on Trump's actions over the last few years. Here's a full breakdown of 25 occasions when Trump was soft on Russia or gave Putin a boost.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump talk during a bilateral meeting at the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan, June 28, 2019.

Trump has repeatedly praised Putin​

While he was a private citizen, during his 2016 campaign and throughout his presidency, Trump has showered Putin with praise. He said Putin was "so nice," he called Putin a "strong leader" and said Putin has done "a really great job outsmarting our country." Trump also claimed he'd "get along very well" with Putin. Few, if any, Western leaders have echoed these comments.

Trump hired Manafort to run his campaign​

Trump raised eyebrows in spring 2016 when he hired GOP operative Paul Manafort to run his presidential campaign. Manafort spent a decade working for pro-Russian politicians and parties in Ukraine and cultivated close relationships with Putin-friendly oligarchs. Manafort is currently in prison for, among other things, evading taxes on the $60 million he made from his Ukraine consulting.

Trump suggested Russia can keep Crimea​

Trump said Putin did "an amazing job of taking the mantle" when Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. During the presidential campaign, Trump broke with US policy and suggested he was OK if Russia kept the Ukrainian territory. He repeated a Kremlin talking point, saying, "The people of Crimea, from what I've heard, would rather be with Russia than where they were."

Trump's team softened the GOP platform on Ukraine​

Ahead of the 2016 Republican National Convention, Trump campaign aides blocked language from the party platform that called for the US government to send lethal weapons to Ukraine for its war against Russian proxies. Mueller investigated this for potential collusion but determined the change was not made "at the behest" of Russia. (The Trump administration ultimately gave lethal arms and anti-tank weapons to the Ukrainian military.)

Trump made light of Russian hacking​

Throughout the 2016 campaign, Trump cast doubt on the US government assessment that Russia hacked the Democratic National Committee and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman. At a news conference in July 2016, he even asked Russia to hack more, saying, "Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing,"

Trump denied that Russia interfered in 2016​

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the FBI, the CIA, the National Security Agency, the Justice Department and the Senate Intelligence Committee all confirmed that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to help Trump. But Trump has repeatedly rejected this view, and publicly sided with Putin at the Helsinki summit in 2018, saying he accepted Putin's denials.

Trump transition undermined Russian sanctions​

After the election, the Trump transition team asked Russia not to retaliate against new US sanctions imposed by then-President Barack Obama. The sanctions were meant to punish Russia for interfering in the election, but then-Trump aide Michael Flynn asked the Russian ambassador not to escalate the situation so they could have a good relationship once Trump took over.

Trump was open to lifting Russian sanctions​

Days before his inauguration, Trump told The Wall Street Journal that he was open to lifting sanctions on Russia. He said: "If you get along and if Russia is really helping us, why would anybody have sanctions if somebody's doing some really great things?" Putin has tried for years to persuade the US and European countries to end crippling sanctions on Russia's economy.

Trump refused to say Putin is a killer​

Bucking other US leaders, Trump has dismissed credible allegations that Putin uses violence against his opponents. Trump said in 2015, "I think it would be despicable if that took place, but I haven't seen any evidence that he killed anybody, in terms of reporters." Asked again in February 2017, Trump deflected, saying, "There are a lot of killers. Do you think our country is so innocent?"

Trump mulled giving spy compounds to Russia​

The Washington Post reported in May 2017 that the Trump administration considered returning two diplomatic compounds to Russia. The Obama administration expelled Russian diplomats and seized the compounds in New York and Maryland after the 2016 election, claiming they were used for "intelligence" purposes. The compounds were never returned to Russia.

Trump gave Russia classified intelligence​

President Trump with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in the Oval Office
In a shocking move during the early months of his presidency, Trump shared highly classified intelligence with two senior Russian officials during an Oval Office meeting in May 2017. The intelligence, which was about ISIS, was sensitive enough that it could have exposed a vulnerable source. The unplanned disclosure by Trump rattled even many of his Republican allies.

Trump was reluctant to sign Russian sanctions​

Lawmakers passed a bipartisan bill in July 2017 imposing new sanctions against Russia, even though Trump administration officials reportedly tried to water down the language. Trump reluctantly signed the bill, but said the new law contained "clearly unconstitutional provisions." Trump had little choice in the matter because the bill had passed with veto-proof majorities. (The Treasury Department followed up with several rounds of hard-hitting sanctions.)

Trump thanked Putin for expelling US diplomats​

Trump thanked Putin for expelling hundreds of US diplomats from Russia in August 2017, saying, "I want to thank him because we're trying to cut down our payroll." Putin kicked out the officials to retaliate for US sanctions. Trump's view conflicted with the State Department, which said the mass expulsion was "uncalled for." (Trump later said he was being sarcastic.)

Trump criticized and alienated NATO allies​

Trump has repeatedly attacked NATO, aligning himself with Putin, who wants to weaken the alliance. Trump said NATO was "obsolete," rattling European leaders. At his first NATO summit, Trump scolded other countries for not spending enough on defense and declined to commit to NATO's mutual defense pledge. (Trump later said he supported the mutual defense provision.)

Trump eased sanctions on Deripaska​

In January 2019, the Trump administration lifted sanctions on three Russian companies tied to Oleg Deripaska, a Russian oligarch with close ties to Putin. The Treasury Department had sanctioned Deripaska and the companies over his support for Russian interference in the 2016 election. In a bipartisan rebuke, 11 Senate Republicans supported a Democratic resolution calling for the sanctions to remain.

Trump congratulated Putin on his sham election​

Ignoring the advice of several top national security aides, Trump congratulated Putin on his March 2018 reelection victory. Putin got 77% of the vote, but Western observers declared that the election "lacked genuine competition" and took place in an "overly controlled legal and political environment." Trump's critics said he had given the election legitimacy it did not deserve.

Trump defended USSR invasion of Afghanistan​

During a January 2019 Cabinet meeting, Trump defended the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan. He said the Soviet Union "was right" to invade in 1979 because "terrorists were going into Russia." The comments puzzled many observers, who noted that the Soviets invaded to bolster a communist government and the US had backed Afghan militants who fought the Soviets.

Trump praised pro-Russian leaders in Europe​

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban and President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on May 13, 2019.
On several occasions, Trump has praised controversial far-right European leaders who have been shunned by most US officials because of their close ties to Putin. Trump met at the White House with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a top Kremlin ally. He praised the campaign of French politician Marine Le Pen, whose party previously got millions from a Russian bank.

Trump didn't publicly condemn Russian attack​

According to congressional testimony, Trump declined to publicly condemn a Russian attack against Ukrainian military vessels in November 2018, even though the State Department prepared a statement for him. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo criticized Russia's "dangerous escalation." The White House didn't say anything, but Trump canceled a meeting with Putin.

Trump wanted to let Russia back in the G7​

Breaking with American allies, Trump repeatedly called for Russia to be invited back into the Group of Seven. Russia was suspended from the working group of leading industrial nations in 2014 after Putin annexed Crimea. At this year's G7 summit in France, Trump pressed the other leaders to include Russia next year. They balked at the request, which would have been a huge benefit to Putin without any concessions.

Trump's Syria withdrawal gave Putin a boost​

Trump announced in October 2019 that US troops were withdrawing from northern Syria. The abrupt move cleared the way for Turkey to conquer territories previously controlled by the US and allied Kurdish militias. It also gave Russia a golden opportunity to expand its influence and swiftly take over abandoned US outposts and checkpoints. Trump's move was a boon for Putin.

Trump repeated Kremlin talking points on ISIS​

After announcing the Syria withdrawal, Trump repeated Kremlin talking points about ISIS. He said, "Russia hates ISIS as much as the United States does" and that they are equal partners in the fight. But Trump's comments don't reflect the reality on the ground: Since intervening in Syria in 2015, the Russian military has focused its airstrikes on anti-government rebels, not ISIS.

President Donald Trump and Russia's President Vladimir Putin attend a joint press conference after a meeting at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, on July 16, 2018. Full credit: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

Trump spread Russian myths about Ukraine​

Over the past two months, Trump has said many false things about Ukraine that align with Russian disinformation about the country. This includes claims of uncontrollable corruption, improper ties between Ukrainian officials and the Obama administration, and allegations that Ukraine meddled in US elections. This helps Putin's goal of destabilizing US-Ukraine relations.

Trump temporarily froze US aid for Ukraine​

As the impeachment inquiry has revealed, Trump personally froze $391 million in US military and security assistance for Ukraine in mid-2019. US diplomats said Ukraine desperately needed the help for its war against Russian proxies. Previously, the Trump administration had slow-walked sales of anti-tank missiles to Ukraine because of concerns it would upset Russia, according to a State Department official.

Trump considered visiting Putin on Russian soil​

Trump said last week that he is thinking about visiting Russia, at Putin's invitation, to attend a military parade next year. The US government has repeatedly called out Russia's aggressive moves around the world, so a visit from a sitting US president would be highly unusual. Obama made the last visit in 2013, when relations were warmer, before Russia invaded Ukraine.

 

[bigrebnc1775]

25 times Trump was soft on Russia​

Analysis by Marshall Cohen, CNN
Updated 10:29 AM ET, Sun November 17, 2019

(CNN)President Donald Trump has an Achilles' heel when it comes to Russia.
Over the years, he's made no secret that he has a soft spot for the country and its authoritarian leader, President Vladimir Putin. Trump has proved that he is willing to reject widely held US foreign policy views and align himself with the Kremlin on everything from Russian interference in US elections to the war in Syria.
Trump's ties to Russians were so concerning that the FBI believed there was good reason to investigate potential collusion between his 2016 campaign and the Kremlin. Counterintelligence investigators also examined whether Trump himself was somehow a Russian asset. (Special counsel Robert Mueller did not establish a criminal conspiracy of collusion.)
In Trump's eyes, these allegations are proof of a conspiracy against him by Democratic lawmakers and other "deep state" enemies in the US government. He bombastically declared last year, "There's never been a president as tough on Russia as I have been."
But that claim is simply false, based on Trump's actions over the last few years. Here's a full breakdown of 25 occasions when Trump was soft on Russia or gave Putin a boost.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump talk during a bilateral meeting at the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan, June 28, 2019.

Trump has repeatedly praised Putin​

While he was a private citizen, during his 2016 campaign and throughout his presidency, Trump has showered Putin with praise. He said Putin was "so nice," he called Putin a "strong leader" and said Putin has done "a really great job outsmarting our country." Trump also claimed he'd "get along very well" with Putin. Few, if any, Western leaders have echoed these comments.

Trump hired Manafort to run his campaign​

Trump raised eyebrows in spring 2016 when he hired GOP operative Paul Manafort to run his presidential campaign. Manafort spent a decade working for pro-Russian politicians and parties in Ukraine and cultivated close relationships with Putin-friendly oligarchs. Manafort is currently in prison for, among other things, evading taxes on the $60 million he made from his Ukraine consulting.

Trump suggested Russia can keep Crimea​

Trump said Putin did "an amazing job of taking the mantle" when Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. During the presidential campaign, Trump broke with US policy and suggested he was OK if Russia kept the Ukrainian territory. He repeated a Kremlin talking point, saying, "The people of Crimea, from what I've heard, would rather be with Russia than where they were."

Trump's team softened the GOP platform on Ukraine​

Ahead of the 2016 Republican National Convention, Trump campaign aides blocked language from the party platform that called for the US government to send lethal weapons to Ukraine for its war against Russian proxies. Mueller investigated this for potential collusion but determined the change was not made "at the behest" of Russia. (The Trump administration ultimately gave lethal arms and anti-tank weapons to the Ukrainian military.)

Trump made light of Russian hacking​

Throughout the 2016 campaign, Trump cast doubt on the US government assessment that Russia hacked the Democratic National Committee and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman. At a news conference in July 2016, he even asked Russia to hack more, saying, "Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing,"

Trump denied that Russia interfered in 2016​

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the FBI, the CIA, the National Security Agency, the Justice Department and the Senate Intelligence Committee all confirmed that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to help Trump. But Trump has repeatedly rejected this view, and publicly sided with Putin at the Helsinki summit in 2018, saying he accepted Putin's denials.

Trump transition undermined Russian sanctions​

After the election, the Trump transition team asked Russia not to retaliate against new US sanctions imposed by then-President Barack Obama. The sanctions were meant to punish Russia for interfering in the election, but then-Trump aide Michael Flynn asked the Russian ambassador not to escalate the situation so they could have a good relationship once Trump took over.

Trump was open to lifting Russian sanctions​

Days before his inauguration, Trump told The Wall Street Journal that he was open to lifting sanctions on Russia. He said: "If you get along and if Russia is really helping us, why would anybody have sanctions if somebody's doing some really great things?" Putin has tried for years to persuade the US and European countries to end crippling sanctions on Russia's economy.

Trump refused to say Putin is a killer​

Bucking other US leaders, Trump has dismissed credible allegations that Putin uses violence against his opponents. Trump said in 2015, "I think it would be despicable if that took place, but I haven't seen any evidence that he killed anybody, in terms of reporters." Asked again in February 2017, Trump deflected, saying, "There are a lot of killers. Do you think our country is so innocent?"

Trump mulled giving spy compounds to Russia​

The Washington Post reported in May 2017 that the Trump administration considered returning two diplomatic compounds to Russia. The Obama administration expelled Russian diplomats and seized the compounds in New York and Maryland after the 2016 election, claiming they were used for "intelligence" purposes. The compounds were never returned to Russia.

Trump gave Russia classified intelligence​

President Trump with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in the Oval Office
In a shocking move during the early months of his presidency, Trump shared highly classified intelligence with two senior Russian officials during an Oval Office meeting in May 2017. The intelligence, which was about ISIS, was sensitive enough that it could have exposed a vulnerable source. The unplanned disclosure by Trump rattled even many of his Republican allies.

Trump was reluctant to sign Russian sanctions​

Lawmakers passed a bipartisan bill in July 2017 imposing new sanctions against Russia, even though Trump administration officials reportedly tried to water down the language. Trump reluctantly signed the bill, but said the new law contained "clearly unconstitutional provisions." Trump had little choice in the matter because the bill had passed with veto-proof majorities. (The Treasury Department followed up with several rounds of hard-hitting sanctions.)

Trump thanked Putin for expelling US diplomats​

Trump thanked Putin for expelling hundreds of US diplomats from Russia in August 2017, saying, "I want to thank him because we're trying to cut down our payroll." Putin kicked out the officials to retaliate for US sanctions. Trump's view conflicted with the State Department, which said the mass expulsion was "uncalled for." (Trump later said he was being sarcastic.)

Trump criticized and alienated NATO allies​

Trump has repeatedly attacked NATO, aligning himself with Putin, who wants to weaken the alliance. Trump said NATO was "obsolete," rattling European leaders. At his first NATO summit, Trump scolded other countries for not spending enough on defense and declined to commit to NATO's mutual defense pledge. (Trump later said he supported the mutual defense provision.)

Trump eased sanctions on Deripaska​

In January 2019, the Trump administration lifted sanctions on three Russian companies tied to Oleg Deripaska, a Russian oligarch with close ties to Putin. The Treasury Department had sanctioned Deripaska and the companies over his support for Russian interference in the 2016 election. In a bipartisan rebuke, 11 Senate Republicans supported a Democratic resolution calling for the sanctions to remain.

Trump congratulated Putin on his sham election​

Ignoring the advice of several top national security aides, Trump congratulated Putin on his March 2018 reelection victory. Putin got 77% of the vote, but Western observers declared that the election "lacked genuine competition" and took place in an "overly controlled legal and political environment." Trump's critics said he had given the election legitimacy it did not deserve.

Trump defended USSR invasion of Afghanistan​

During a January 2019 Cabinet meeting, Trump defended the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan. He said the Soviet Union "was right" to invade in 1979 because "terrorists were going into Russia." The comments puzzled many observers, who noted that the Soviets invaded to bolster a communist government and the US had backed Afghan militants who fought the Soviets.

Trump praised pro-Russian leaders in Europe​

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban and President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on May 13, 2019.
On several occasions, Trump has praised controversial far-right European leaders who have been shunned by most US officials because of their close ties to Putin. Trump met at the White House with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a top Kremlin ally. He praised the campaign of French politician Marine Le Pen, whose party previously got millions from a Russian bank.

Trump didn't publicly condemn Russian attack​

According to congressional testimony, Trump declined to publicly condemn a Russian attack against Ukrainian military vessels in November 2018, even though the State Department prepared a statement for him. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo criticized Russia's "dangerous escalation." The White House didn't say anything, but Trump canceled a meeting with Putin.

Trump wanted to let Russia back in the G7​

Breaking with American allies, Trump repeatedly called for Russia to be invited back into the Group of Seven. Russia was suspended from the working group of leading industrial nations in 2014 after Putin annexed Crimea. At this year's G7 summit in France, Trump pressed the other leaders to include Russia next year. They balked at the request, which would have been a huge benefit to Putin without any concessions.

Trump's Syria withdrawal gave Putin a boost​

Trump announced in October 2019 that US troops were withdrawing from northern Syria. The abrupt move cleared the way for Turkey to conquer territories previously controlled by the US and allied Kurdish militias. It also gave Russia a golden opportunity to expand its influence and swiftly take over abandoned US outposts and checkpoints. Trump's move was a boon for Putin.

Trump repeated Kremlin talking points on ISIS​

After announcing the Syria withdrawal, Trump repeated Kremlin talking points about ISIS. He said, "Russia hates ISIS as much as the United States does" and that they are equal partners in the fight. But Trump's comments don't reflect the reality on the ground: Since intervening in Syria in 2015, the Russian military has focused its airstrikes on anti-government rebels, not ISIS.

President Donald Trump and Russia's President Vladimir Putin attend a joint press conference after a meeting at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, on July 16, 2018. Full credit: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

Trump spread Russian myths about Ukraine​

Over the past two months, Trump has said many false things about Ukraine that align with Russian disinformation about the country. This includes claims of uncontrollable corruption, improper ties between Ukrainian officials and the Obama administration, and allegations that Ukraine meddled in US elections. This helps Putin's goal of destabilizing US-Ukraine relations.

Trump temporarily froze US aid for Ukraine​

As the impeachment inquiry has revealed, Trump personally froze $391 million in US military and security assistance for Ukraine in mid-2019. US diplomats said Ukraine desperately needed the help for its war against Russian proxies. Previously, the Trump administration had slow-walked sales of anti-tank missiles to Ukraine because of concerns it would upset Russia, according to a State Department official.

Trump considered visiting Putin on Russian soil​

Trump said last week that he is thinking about visiting Russia, at Putin's invitation, to attend a military parade next year. The US government has repeatedly called out Russia's aggressive moves around the world, so a visit from a sitting US president would be highly unusual. Obama made the last visit in 2013, when relations were warmer, before Russia invaded Ukraine.

But yet Putin stopped invading countries and started invading when Trump left the white house. You just got hooked for more Russian disinformation.

 

[TeeDub]

The fuck he did.

What's wrong with you?

Are you really that fuckin' stupid? He said a "small incursion" might not be that bad. Are you too poor to pay attention?