MSNBC: 79-Year-Old Great-Grandma Among Those Involved in Ukraine Combat Training...BY NEO NAZIS

[I_M4_AU 8,171]

49 minutes ago, homersapien said:

Well, THG thinks he's a genius.

So how does kissing Putin's ass make for a more effective match up than Biden?

Look what is happening.  Who was a better deterrent?  It was the left that declared Trump was kissing Putin’s a$$ not reality.

I can’t wait to see the end result of all this as Biden goes toe-to-toe with Putin.

 

I know one thing for sure, its going to cost more to get gas and everything else in the short term.

[homersapien 11,637]

36 minutes ago, I_M4_AU said:

Look what is happening.  Who was a better deterrent?  It was the left that declared Trump was kissing Putin’s a$$ not reality.

I can’t wait to see the end result of all this as Biden goes toe-to-toe with Putin.

 

I know one thing for sure, its going to cost more to get gas and everything else in the short term.

Why in hell would Putin rock the boat by overtly threatening Ukraine during Trump's administration while Trump was in the middle of doing his bidding - weakening our commitment to NATO?  That would have been stupid on his part. 

NATO has now been rejuvenated by Biden's diplomacy and - even more so - by Putin's aggression.  Can you imagine Trump unifying Europe the way Biden has done?

Trump supporters now criticizing Biden for being soft on Putin is hilariously hypocritical.

And yes, gas will probably go up.  It's the price we pay for freedom.  And it's a pretty small price to pay.

If the 20th century taught us anything, it's that appeasement will ultimately have a higher cost, both in lives and treasure.

 

 

Edited February 23, 2022 by homersapien

[homersapien 11,637]

Trump sides with Putin as Biden tries to stop a war

Analysis by Stephen Collinson, CNN

 

 

It took only 24 hours for Donald Trump to hail Russian President Vladimir Putin’s dismembering of independent, democratic, sovereign Ukraine as an act of “genius.”

The former President often accuses his enemies falsely of treason, but his own giddy rush to side with a foreign leader who is proving to be an enemy of the United States and the West is shocking even by Trump’s self-serving standards.

As President Joe Biden reprises the fabled presidential role of leading the free world, the predecessor who wants to succeed him is showing Putin that impunity, dictator-coddling and hero worship will return if he wins back the White House. Trump’s remarks on a conservative radio show on Tuesday will not only find a warm welcome in the Kremlin. They also will concern allies standing alongside the US against Russia who fear for NATO’s future if Trump returns.

“I went in yesterday and there was a television screen, and I said, ‘This is genius.’ Putin declares a big portion of the Ukraine, of Ukraine, Putin declares it as independent. Oh, that’s wonderful,” Trump said in an interview on “The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show.”

The ex-President added: “So Putin is now saying, ‘It’s independent,’ a large section of Ukraine. I said, ‘How smart is that?’ And he’s going to go in and be a peacekeeper. That’s the strongest peace force,” Trump said. “We could use that on our southern border. That’s the strongest peace force I’ve ever seen. … Here’s a guy who’s very savvy. … I know him very well. Very, very well.”

Trump was referring to Putin’s declaration on Monday that he would regard two rebel regions of eastern Ukraine, where he has been fostering separatism, as independent and his order for Russian troops, which Putin misleadingly called “peacekeeping” forces, to reinforce the enclaves. The move was a flagrant violation of international law, was resonant of the tyrannical territorial aggrandizement of the 1930s that led to World War II and was, as Biden said on Tuesday, tantamount to “the beginning of a Russian invasion.”

In effect, the ex-President is trying to undermine US foreign policy as the current President tries to stop a war that could kill thousands of people and threaten the post-Cold War peace.

But it’s unsurprising Trump would praise anything Putin does, given his genuflecting to the Russian leader while in office. Given that he tried to stage a coup that would have destroyed US democracy, it’s hardly shocking either that he’s not fretting at the loss of Ukrainian freedom. Trump once stood side by side with Putin at a Helsinki summit and trashed US intelligence agencies that said Moscow had interfered in the 2016 election to help him. And Trump tainted Ukrainian democracy himself, seeking to extort President Volodymyr Zelensky into announcing an investigation into his then-Democratic rival, Biden – an abuse of power that earned him the first of his historic two impeachments.

In the hierarchy of vital news stories on Tuesday, the ex-President’s boastful ramblings pale in significance to the alarming events in Eastern Europe. But his comments amounted to more than the normal carnival barking and prioritizing of personal obsessions over national interests for which Trump is known.

More than the average Trump controversy

No other living former president would dream of, let alone get away with, lionizing a Russian leader who may soon be waging the biggest war in Europe since World War II after declaring on Monday that Ukraine has no right to exist.

But Trump’s status as the likely favorite for the Republican nomination in 2024 – and the possibility that he could return to power – takes his latest crowing over Putin’s gangsterism to a new level. He’s sending the promise of future favors and approval of Putin’s illegal land seizures, which suggest he would do little to reverse them as president.

Trump’s latest idolization of Putin is likely to widen the growing divide in the GOP between traditional hawks, who have sometimes praised Biden for standing up to the Russian leader, and pro-Trump lawmakers – and conservative media stars like Tucker Carlson – who have sided with Putin.

Trump’s former secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, a possible future Republican presidential candidate, also recently praised Putin, a scourge of democracy, as a “very talented” and gifted statesman. “He was a KGB agent for goodness sakes. He knows how to use power. We should respect that,” Pompeo told Fox in January.

The fact that this is coming from leading members of the party of ex-President Ronald Reagan, who beseeched then-Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev to “tear down this wall” in divided Berlin and was credited with winning the Cold War, represents a startling transformation. And it shows how far the GOP has traveled away from its respect for fundamental US democratic values in the pursuit of power.

Some Republicans have been more subtle in their criticism of Biden. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has backed the President’s effort to unite Western allies behind the US in order to confront Putin and is in favor of strong sanctions to punish the Russian leader. But not for the first time on Tuesday, the Kentucky Republican demonstrated that he was ready to play the game at both ends – accusing Biden of causing the crisis through weakness.

“I don’t believe Vladimir Putin would have a couple of hundred thousand troops on the border with Ukraine had we not precipitously withdrawn from Afghanistan last August,” McConnell said in Lexington on Tuesday. “The impression we have left, first with the abandonment of Afghanistan, is that America is not interested in playing as large a leadership role as we used to.”

McConnell is tapping into a sentiment shared by many Americans of both parties that the US evacuation from Afghanistan last year was chaotic and poorly planned and hurt perceptions of Biden’s leadership abroad. At the same time, however, Biden’s leadership in this crisis has been more assured. He has, for instance, brought NATO members closer than they have been in many years.

The idea that Biden is weak in the face of Putin is sure to play out on the midterm campaign trail all year. But the fact that Republicans are laying such a charge following their complicity in Trump’s obsequious attitude toward Putin is hypocritical and absurd. The House Republican leadership, which is in Trump’s pocket, accused Biden of “appeasement” on Tuesday – the same day that their de facto leader described Putin as a “genius.”

Trump’s repeated fawning over Putin

While the last administration often laid out a firm stance against Russia, it was repeatedly undermined by Trump’s gushing admiration for Putin in public and his habit of making impulsive decisions that played into Russia’s foreign policy goals, including the US withdrawal from northern Syria.

Trump lauded Putin in the interview Tuesday as a “tough cookie” who loves his country and he insisted that he had stopped Putin from invading Ukraine on his watch.

“I knew that he always wanted Ukraine. I used to talk to him about it. I said, ‘You can’t do it. You’re not going to do it.’ But I could see that he wanted it,” the former President said. In reality, Trump suggested during his 2016 campaign that Russia could keep Crimea, another Ukrainian territory which Putin had annexed in 2014. “The people of Crimea, from what I’ve heard, would rather be with Russia than where they were,” Trump said, parroting a Kremlin talking point.

The idea that Trump’s toughness prevented Putin from invading Ukraine is undermined not only by his chummy exchanges with a leader who imprisoned opponents and presides over a country where journalists are often killed.

One of the goals of Putin’s pressure on Ukraine – as he has made repeatedly clear – is to drive NATO back to its boundaries at the end of the Cold War and to divide the Western alliance. With Trump in power, the Russian leader didn’t need to bother with the latter goal, since his counterpart in the White House frequently berated trans-Atlantic allies and cozied up to US enemies.

And it’s not as if Putin let up on America when Trump was in power. Cyberattacks emanating from Russian soil also took place throughout the Trump presidency, including the SolarWinds operation that breached US federal agencies. Supposed respect for the US didn’t stop Russian agents from using a biological weapon on British soil to poison a defector, according to the UK government.

There are multiple documented instances of Trump being soft on Putin. And GOP criticisms of Biden as failing to stand up to Putin conveniently forget Trump’s notorious Helsinki news conference, not to mention the multiple strange contacts between his 2016 campaign team and Russian outsiders.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/23/politics/donald-trump-vladimir-putin-joe-biden/index.html

 

[homersapien 11,637]

37 times Trump was soft on Russia

Analysis by Marshall Cohen, CNN

Updated 10:36 AM EDT, Tue August 4, 2020

 

 

Editor’s Note: This story originally published on November 17, 2019. It has been updated to include 12 new instances in which President Trump has gone easy on Russia.

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.

Most recently, Trump has denied the veracity of US intelligence reports accusing Russia of paying bounties to Taliban fighters to kill US troops in Afghanistan. Pressed on the topic during an interview with Axios that was released on Wednesday, Trump said he did not raise the issue during a recent phone call with Putin, and continued to suggest that the reports are “fake news.”

During the 2016 campaign, 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 within the US government. He has bombastically declared, “There’s never been a president as tough on Russia as I have been” – a dubious claim that he repeated during the Russian bounties scandal.

But Trump’s narrative is simply false, based on his own actions over the last few years. Here’s a breakdown of 37 occasions when Trump was soft on Russia or gave Putin a boost.

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 was sentenced in 2019 to 7.5 years prison for, among other things, evading taxes on the $60 million he had made in Ukraine. (He was released to house arrest in May 2020 amid coronavirus concerns.)

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 2016 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 aides softened 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 capitalized on Russian meddling to win

Instead of condemning Russia for hacking and leaking Democratic emails, Trump eagerly capitalized on the Kremlin’s meddling, and used the emails to attack Clinton on a near-daily basis in the final stretch of the campaign. The Mueller report said Trump’s campaign “expected it would benefit electorally from information stolen and released through Russian efforts” and that top officials believed they had inside information about WikiLeaks, so they planned a strategy around the expected release of hacked emails.

Trump denied that Russia interfered in 2016

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the FBI, the CIA, the National Security Agency, the Department of Homeland Security, 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 2016 election, the Trump transition team asked Russia not to retaliate too strongly against new US sanctions imposed by then-President Barack Obama. The sanctions were intended 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 returning spy bases 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

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 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 in May 2017, 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.) He has also said he wanted to withdraw from NATO, according to The New York Times, though it hasn’t happened.

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 claimed the new law contained “clearly unconstitutional provisions.” Trump had little choice in the matter because the bill had passed with veto-proof majorities: 419-3 in the House and 98-2 in the Senate. (The Treasury Department followed up with several rounds of hard-hitting sanctions.)

Trump proposed a cyber unit with Russia

After the July 2017 meeting of G20 leaders, Trump said he had spoken with Putin about “forming an impenetrable Cyber Security unit” to combat “election hacking.” Trump quickly backtracked after lawmakers from both parties said it would be ridiculous to work with Russia on cybersecurity because Russia was responsible for egregious hacks against American targets, including during the 2016 election.

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 against US sanctions. Trump’s comments conflicted with the State Department, which said the mass expulsion was “uncalled for.” (Trump later said he was being sarcastic.)

Trump eased sanctions on Deripaska

The Treasury Department in 2018 sanctioned Russian oligarch and Putin ally Oleg Deripaska, along with three companies linked to him, over his support for Russian interference in the 2016 election. But by January 2019, the Trump administration lifted some of these sanctions. 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 balked at sanctions for Skripal poisoning

Trump privately complained about US sanctions intended to punish Russia after one of its ex-spies was poisoned in the United Kingdom, according to Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton. The US and UK blamed Russia for trying to assassinate the defector, Sergei Skripal. After the sanctions were announced in August 2018, Trump tried to rescind them and said the US was “being too tough on Putin,” according to Bolton’s memoir.

Trump nixed US statement about Russian war

In summer 2018, Trump blocked his administration from releasing a statement on the 10th anniversary of the Russia-Georgia war, according to Bolton’s memoir. Bolton said European leaders noticed Trump’s silence and “became even more concerned about American resolve.” Russia invaded its neighbor Georgia during the five-day war in 2008, and still occupies two breakaway territories.

Trump praised pro-Russian leaders in Europe

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 defended Soviet 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 had invaded to bolster a communist government and the US had backed Afghan militants who fought the Soviets.

Trump asked allies 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 the August 2019 G7 summit in France, Trump pressed the other leaders to include Russia at the 2020 gathering. They balked at the request, which would have handed a huge victory 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.

Trump spread Russian myths about Ukraine

During his impeachment proceedings in 2019 and early 2020, Trump 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 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 smeared US ambassador to Ukraine

For more than a year, Trump privately and publicly attacked Marie Yovanovitch, who was the US ambassador to Ukraine until he recalled her in spring 2019. One of Russia’s goals is to weaken the US-Ukraine alliance – Trump played into that by smearing Yovanovitch and undermining her diplomatic work in Ukraine. Her ouster was a major part of Trump’s impeachment.

Trump considered visiting Putin on Russian soil

Trump said in November 2019 that he was thinking about visiting Russia, at Putin’s invitation, to attend a 2020 military parade in Moscow. 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. After months of speculation, Trump declined the invitation, as the Covid-19 pandemic wreaked havoc around the world.

Trump gave Putin a PR victory on Covid-19

As the coronavirus pandemic exploded in spring 2020, the US accepted a large delivery of medical supplies from Russia, which were flown into New York City. Trump thanked Putin for the “very nice offer,” even while diplomats sparred over whether the equipment had been donated or purchased. Regardless, experts said the stunt was a propaganda bonanza for the Kremlin.

Trump invited Russia to 2020 G7 summit

Trump announced in May 2020 that he was postponing the US-based G7 summit because of the coronavirus and that he also wanted to extend invitations to Russia and three other countries to participate. Other G7 leaders swiftly rejected Trump’s idea to invite Putin, because Russia still hasn’t withdrawn from Crimea and has continued its aggressive actions around the world.

Trump directed CIA to share intel with Russia

Trump directed the Central Intelligence Agency to share more counterterrorism intelligence with Russia, according to the national security website Just Security, which cited two former CIA officials who had served under Trump. The officials said the US received nothing in return, which is consistent with past intelligence-sharing with Russia.

Trump ignored warnings of Russian bounties

The President was repeatedly told during in-person briefings and in written intelligence reports in 2019 and 2020 that the US government believed Russia paid bounties to Afghan militants to kill Americans, according to CNN and other outlets. Despite being given this information, Trump did not publicly condemn Russia or take any retaliatory actions. Trump has denied receiving any briefings on the topic.

Trump called Russian bounty story a ‘hoax’

Rejecting the findings from US intelligence agencies, Trump said allegations that Russia paid Taliban militants to kill US troops were “another hoax” that was “made up by fake news.” By saying he doesn’t believe the allegations against Russia, Trump publicly sided with the Kremlin, which denies paying any bounties.

Trump never raised Russian bounties with Putin

After Trump was briefed on the Russian bounties, and after the story was revealed by the press, he had several phone calls with Putin. But Trump never raised the topic of bounties with Putin during these calls, never told Putin to stop and never threatened any retaliation. “That’s an issue that many people said was fake news. … I have never discussed it with him,” Trump said in a July 2020 interview with Axios.

Trump ordered US troops out of Germany

In June 2020, Trump approved plans to significantly reduce the number of US troops in Germany. The plan to remove about one-third of the force drew serious concerns from the Pentagon because it could compromise Europe-based defenses against Russia. In a letter to Trump, nearly two dozen Republican lawmakers said his decision would “strengthen the position of Russia to our detriment.”

https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/17/politics/trump-soft-on-russia/index.html

[I_M4_AU 8,171]

12 minutes ago, homersapien said:

Why in hell would Putin rock the boat by overtly threatening Ukraine during Trump's administration while Trump was in the middle of doing his bidding - weakening our commitment to NATO?  That would have been stupid on his part. 

NATO has now been rejuvenated by Biden's diplomacy and - even more so - by Putin's aggression.  Can you imagine Trump unifying Europe the way Biden has done?

Trump was getting other NATO countries to pony up their fair share which not weakening NATO.  What a spin.

Unifying Europe?  Is that what you call it?  He pulled out of Afghanistan without telling his allies (mostly European) and capitulated to Russia by allowing them to finish Nord Stream 2 at Germany’s request. That move really didn’t help this crisis. Europe is highly dependent on Russian oil and gas so Germany doesn’t want Biden to go too severe on his sanctions.  The man is an imbecile.

[homersapien 11,637]

9 minutes ago, I_M4_AU said:

Trump was getting other NATO countries to pony up their fair share which not weakening NATO.  What a spin.

Unifying Europe?  Is that what you call it?  He pulled out of Afghanistan without telling his allies (mostly European) and capitulated to Russia by allowing them to finish Nord Stream 2 at Germany’s request. That move really didn’t help this crisis. Europe is highly dependent on Russian oil and gas so Germany doesn’t want Biden to go too severe on his sanctions.  The man is an imbecile.

Trump weakened the NATO alliance, pure and simple.  Biden has restored it's strength.

Europe is unified now against Russia, thanks to Biden diplomacy.  Fact.

Trump negotiated our exit from Afghanistan and it was going to happen regardless.  And it was going to be messy regardless.  Having said that Biden did a terrible job in managing it.  Simply terrible.

 

[I_M4_AU 8,171]

1 minute ago, homersapien said:

Europe is unified now against Russia, thanks to Biden diplomacy.  Fact.

Trump negotiated our exit from Afghanistan and it was going to happen regardless.  And it was going to be messy regardless.  Having said that Biden did a terrible job in managing it.  Simply terrible.

Germany sent helmets to Ukraine, helmets.  That is one soft gesture right there.

The bolded part is correct.

[homersapien 11,637]

33 minutes ago, I_M4_AU said:

Germany sent helmets to Ukraine, helmets.  That is one soft gesture right there.

The bolded part is correct.

Germany has halted approval of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.  That's pretty significant. 

Meanwhile, 5,000 miles away, you are whining about our gas prices going up.

So who in hell are you to talk about "soft gestures"?

Edited February 23, 2022 by homersapien

[homersapien 11,637]

33 minutes ago, I_M4_AU said:

The bolded part is correct.

Unlike you, I am an independent thinker. 

 

Edited February 23, 2022 by homersapien

[Grumps 3,706]

I will go on record as saying that I think that Russia's aggression is all a show. I think they are pretending that they are going to invade Ukraine. Biden and the European leaders are going to come in with great diplomacy and save the world from WWIII, just in time to help the democrats before the midterm election. This will also give the military/industrial complex the ability to ramp up weapons production and make billions without the U.S. putting soldiers into harm's way. Great plan!

[CoffeeTiger 5,318]

2 hours ago, I_M4_AU said:

Look what is happening.  Who was a better deterrent?  It was the left that declared Trump was kissing Putin’s a$$ not reality.

I can’t wait to see the end result of all this as Biden goes toe-to-toe with Putin.

 

I know one thing for sure, its going to cost more to get gas and everything else in the short term.

 

lol. you can say Trump doesn't kiss Putin ass all you want, but Trump himself and his own words disagree with you. 

Only thing going hard on Putin during the Trump Presidency was in Trumps pants. 

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/02/22/trump-reacts-putins-invasion-ukraine-exactly-youd-expect/

“I went in yesterday and there was a television screen, and I said, ‘This is genius,’ ” Trump continued. “Putin declares a big portion of the Ukraine — of Ukraine. Putin declares it as independent. Oh, that’s wonderful. So, Putin is now saying, ‘It’s independent,’ a large section of Ukraine. I said, ‘How smart is that?’ And he’s gonna go in and be a peacekeeper. That’s strongest peace force … We could use that on our southern border.”

https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-claims-crimea-is-part-of-russia-since-people-speak-russian-g7-summit-2018-6

President Donald Trump told world leaders at the G7 summit that Crimea, a contested territory south of Ukraine, is part of Russia because everyone there speaks Russian, two diplomatic sources told Buzzfeed. 

 

https://www.cnn.com/2016/07/31/politics/donald-trump-russia-ukraine-crimea-putin/index.html

During the ABC interview, Stephanopoulos interjected to note that Trump has suggested he could recognize Russia’s claim on Crimea over Ukraine’s – and Trump didn’t back away from that possibility in the interview.

“I’m going to take a look at it,” he said. “But you know, the people of Crimea, from what I’ve heard, would rather be with Russia than where they were. And you have to look at that, also … just so you understand, that was done under Obama’s administration.”

[I_M4_AU 8,171]

1 hour ago, homersapien said:

Germany has halted approval of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.  That's pretty significant. 

Meanwhile, 5,000 miles away, you are whining about our gas prices going up.

So who in hell are you to talk about "soft gestures"?

If Biden had left the sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline in January of 2021 it would have been out of Germany’s hands, but nooooo.  Mr Appeasement doesn’t work that way.

I just made the statement that gas and oil will cost more along with everything else.  That was not a whine, it was a statement of fact.  I will have no choice but to pay more for things, just like every other American.  This whole thing could have been avoided.

[I_M4_AU 8,171]

47 minutes ago, CoffeeTiger said:

you can say Trump doesn't kiss Putin ass all you want, but Trump himself and his own words disagree with you. 

And yet no wars in Trumps Presidency, imagine that.

[pensacolatiger 313]

“Muh Biden” voters surprised swamp creature doing swamp creature things.  Good job dumb asses🤣

[CoffeeTiger 5,318]

1 hour ago, I_M4_AU said:

And yet no wars in Trumps Presidency, imagine that.

Yeah, why would Putin create trouble for his best buddy? 
 

[pensacolatiger 313]

27 minutes ago, CoffeeTiger said:

Yeah, why would Putin create trouble for his best buddy? 
 

Lol - still this?  You helped elect the worst president in the history of this country.  All you’ve got is “muh orange man bad”!  🤣

[CoffeeTiger 5,318]

1 hour ago, pensacolatiger said:

Lol - still this?  You helped elect the worst president in the history of this country.  All you’ve got is “muh orange man bad”!  🤣

Orange man must have been bad to lose an election to the ‘worst President in U.S. history’ 

[Grumps 3,706]

1 hour ago, CoffeeTiger said:

Yeah, why would Putin create trouble for his best buddy? 
 

Trump should have to pay you rent.

[SaturdayGT 719]

8 hours ago, homersapien said:

37 times Trump was soft on Russia

Analysis by Marshall Cohen, CNN

Updated 10:36 AM EDT, Tue August 4, 2020

 

 

Editor’s Note: This story originally published on November 17, 2019. It has been updated to include 12 new instances in which President Trump has gone easy on Russia.

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.

Most recently, Trump has denied the veracity of US intelligence reports accusing Russia of paying bounties to Taliban fighters to kill US troops in Afghanistan. Pressed on the topic during an interview with Axios that was released on Wednesday, Trump said he did not raise the issue during a recent phone call with Putin, and continued to suggest that the reports are “fake news.”

During the 2016 campaign, 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 within the US government. He has bombastically declared, “There’s never been a president as tough on Russia as I have been” – a dubious claim that he repeated during the Russian bounties scandal.

But Trump’s narrative is simply false, based on his own actions over the last few years. Here’s a breakdown of 37 occasions when Trump was soft on Russia or gave Putin a boost.

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 was sentenced in 2019 to 7.5 years prison for, among other things, evading taxes on the $60 million he had made in Ukraine. (He was released to house arrest in May 2020 amid coronavirus concerns.)

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 2016 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 aides softened 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 capitalized on Russian meddling to win

Instead of condemning Russia for hacking and leaking Democratic emails, Trump eagerly capitalized on the Kremlin’s meddling, and used the emails to attack Clinton on a near-daily basis in the final stretch of the campaign. The Mueller report said Trump’s campaign “expected it would benefit electorally from information stolen and released through Russian efforts” and that top officials believed they had inside information about WikiLeaks, so they planned a strategy around the expected release of hacked emails.

Trump denied that Russia interfered in 2016

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the FBI, the CIA, the National Security Agency, the Department of Homeland Security, 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 2016 election, the Trump transition team asked Russia not to retaliate too strongly against new US sanctions imposed by then-President Barack Obama. The sanctions were intended 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 returning spy bases 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

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 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 in May 2017, 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.) He has also said he wanted to withdraw from NATO, according to The New York Times, though it hasn’t happened.

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 claimed the new law contained “clearly unconstitutional provisions.” Trump had little choice in the matter because the bill had passed with veto-proof majorities: 419-3 in the House and 98-2 in the Senate. (The Treasury Department followed up with several rounds of hard-hitting sanctions.)

Trump proposed a cyber unit with Russia

After the July 2017 meeting of G20 leaders, Trump said he had spoken with Putin about “forming an impenetrable Cyber Security unit” to combat “election hacking.” Trump quickly backtracked after lawmakers from both parties said it would be ridiculous to work with Russia on cybersecurity because Russia was responsible for egregious hacks against American targets, including during the 2016 election.

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 against US sanctions. Trump’s comments conflicted with the State Department, which said the mass expulsion was “uncalled for.” (Trump later said he was being sarcastic.)

Trump eased sanctions on Deripaska

The Treasury Department in 2018 sanctioned Russian oligarch and Putin ally Oleg Deripaska, along with three companies linked to him, over his support for Russian interference in the 2016 election. But by January 2019, the Trump administration lifted some of these sanctions. 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 balked at sanctions for Skripal poisoning

Trump privately complained about US sanctions intended to punish Russia after one of its ex-spies was poisoned in the United Kingdom, according to Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton. The US and UK blamed Russia for trying to assassinate the defector, Sergei Skripal. After the sanctions were announced in August 2018, Trump tried to rescind them and said the US was “being too tough on Putin,” according to Bolton’s memoir.

Trump nixed US statement about Russian war

In summer 2018, Trump blocked his administration from releasing a statement on the 10th anniversary of the Russia-Georgia war, according to Bolton’s memoir. Bolton said European leaders noticed Trump’s silence and “became even more concerned about American resolve.” Russia invaded its neighbor Georgia during the five-day war in 2008, and still occupies two breakaway territories.

Trump praised pro-Russian leaders in Europe

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 defended Soviet 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 had invaded to bolster a communist government and the US had backed Afghan militants who fought the Soviets.

Trump asked allies 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 the August 2019 G7 summit in France, Trump pressed the other leaders to include Russia at the 2020 gathering. They balked at the request, which would have handed a huge victory 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.

Trump spread Russian myths about Ukraine

During his impeachment proceedings in 2019 and early 2020, Trump 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 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 smeared US ambassador to Ukraine

For more than a year, Trump privately and publicly attacked Marie Yovanovitch, who was the US ambassador to Ukraine until he recalled her in spring 2019. One of Russia’s goals is to weaken the US-Ukraine alliance – Trump played into that by smearing Yovanovitch and undermining her diplomatic work in Ukraine. Her ouster was a major part of Trump’s impeachment.

Trump considered visiting Putin on Russian soil

Trump said in November 2019 that he was thinking about visiting Russia, at Putin’s invitation, to attend a 2020 military parade in Moscow. 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. After months of speculation, Trump declined the invitation, as the Covid-19 pandemic wreaked havoc around the world.

Trump gave Putin a PR victory on Covid-19

As the coronavirus pandemic exploded in spring 2020, the US accepted a large delivery of medical supplies from Russia, which were flown into New York City. Trump thanked Putin for the “very nice offer,” even while diplomats sparred over whether the equipment had been donated or purchased. Regardless, experts said the stunt was a propaganda bonanza for the Kremlin.

Trump invited Russia to 2020 G7 summit

Trump announced in May 2020 that he was postponing the US-based G7 summit because of the coronavirus and that he also wanted to extend invitations to Russia and three other countries to participate. Other G7 leaders swiftly rejected Trump’s idea to invite Putin, because Russia still hasn’t withdrawn from Crimea and has continued its aggressive actions around the world.

Trump directed CIA to share intel with Russia

Trump directed the Central Intelligence Agency to share more counterterrorism intelligence with Russia, according to the national security website Just Security, which cited two former CIA officials who had served under Trump. The officials said the US received nothing in return, which is consistent with past intelligence-sharing with Russia.

Trump ignored warnings of Russian bounties

The President was repeatedly told during in-person briefings and in written intelligence reports in 2019 and 2020 that the US government believed Russia paid bounties to Afghan militants to kill Americans, according to CNN and other outlets. Despite being given this information, Trump did not publicly condemn Russia or take any retaliatory actions. Trump has denied receiving any briefings on the topic.

Trump called Russian bounty story a ‘hoax’

Rejecting the findings from US intelligence agencies, Trump said allegations that Russia paid Taliban militants to kill US troops were “another hoax” that was “made up by fake news.” By saying he doesn’t believe the allegations against Russia, Trump publicly sided with the Kremlin, which denies paying any bounties.

Trump never raised Russian bounties with Putin

After Trump was briefed on the Russian bounties, and after the story was revealed by the press, he had several phone calls with Putin. But Trump never raised the topic of bounties with Putin during these calls, never told Putin to stop and never threatened any retaliation. “That’s an issue that many people said was fake news. … I have never discussed it with him,” Trump said in a July 2020 interview with Axios.

Trump ordered US troops out of Germany

In June 2020, Trump approved plans to significantly reduce the number of US troops in Germany. The plan to remove about one-third of the force drew serious concerns from the Pentagon because it could compromise Europe-based defenses against Russia. In a letter to Trump, nearly two dozen Republican lawmakers said his decision would “strengthen the position of Russia to our detriment.”

https://w

Dang...wonder if Putins list on Ukraine is as big as yours on Trump?

[CoffeeTiger 5,318]

11 hours ago, Grumps said:

Trump should have to pay you rent.

 

Yes, I still have thoughts on the guy who was the US President just a a little over a year ago. That is pretty normal. 

 

You Republicans act like you haven't been obsessed over Hillary Clinton for a decade now and she didn't even win her election.  

 

[pensacolatiger 313]

30 minutes ago, CoffeeTiger said:

 

Yes, I still have thoughts on the guy who was the US President just a a little over a year ago. That is pretty normal. 

 

You Republicans act like you haven't been obsessed over Hillary Clinton for a decade now and she didn't even win her election.  

 

I never think about her, but hey if that’s what you’re into…..

[I_M4_AU 8,171]

2 hours ago, CoffeeTiger said:

 

Yes, I still have thoughts on the guy who was the US President just a a little over a year ago. That is pretty normal. 

 

You Republicans act like you haven't been obsessed over Hillary Clinton for a decade now and she didn't even win her election.  

 

Is that you fifty?

[homersapien 11,637]

On 2/23/2022 at 1:59 PM, I_M4_AU said:

Look what is happening.  Who was a better deterrent? 

In terms of logic, that's the equivalent of saying the Viet Nam war was successful in keeping North Vietnam from invading California. 

[homersapien 11,637]

22 hours ago, I_M4_AU said:

If Biden had left the sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline in January of 2021 it would have been out of Germany’s hands, but nooooo.  Mr Appeasement doesn’t work that way.

I just made the statement that gas and oil will cost more along with everything else.  That was not a whine, it was a statement of fact.  I will have no choice but to pay more for things, just like every other American.  This whole thing could have been avoided.

Yeah, if Putin weren't trying to re-consolidate the Soviet Union by attacking independent countries, Germany would continue to buy Russian oil/gas and the price of petroleum wouldn't spike.

But if you want to insist it's all somehow Biden's fault, well, you do you. 

[homersapien 11,637]

23 hours ago, I_M4_AU said:

And yet no wars in Trumps Presidency, imagine that.

There were no wars in Chamberlain's term either, until there was.