In early 2017, the US Intelligence Agency made a clear judgment as to why Russian President Vladimir V. Putin ordered a vast effort to hamper the recent US presidential election.
Putin wanted to cripple the faith that Americans have in their elections, but they wanted to discover the US-led “liberal world order” that Russians view as a threat to their security. As a way to achieve this goal, Russia worked to help Donald J. Trump win the election.
Eight years later, Trump sat in his oval office, sitting in a fuss with Ukrainian President Voldimir Zelensky, once again making his own judgment regarding the period. There was no Russian sabotage, and only a “fake witch hunt” in which both he and Putin were victims.
“Tell me, Putin went through a lot of hell with me,” he said.
The statement was made. The president sees a common cause with Putin. Putin is a merger of interests built through his battles with people he believes to be his mutual enemies, including Democratic lawmakers, European leaders and a spectrum “deep nation” within the US government.
Trump's relationship with Putin has been scrutinized for many years by US government inquiries, assessments by foreign intelligence services and news media research. In summary, they unearthed evidence in support of a set of theories that address Trump's affinity for Russian strongmen who spent their careers eroding American interests.
There is no single, tidy explanation yet. But based solely on public action during Trump's first six weeks of office, the simple fact is that he has made little decisions about national security or foreign policy that are not supported by the Kremlin.
Thank you for your patience while checking access. If you are in Reader mode, please exit time and log in. Or subscribe to all times.
Thank you for your patience while checking access.
Are you already a subscriber? Log in.
Do you want all the time? Subscribe.
