"I don't regard Putin as a bad guy," he said. "He's super smart"

Oh Putin is super smart no doubt, and has got the measure of Trump and his cronies.
To think that we have such gullible politicians in charge of a super power upon which the stability of large parts of this world depend is as outrageous as it is dangerous.
Putin is laughing all the way to the Kremlin.

“Super smart” and “bad guy”

Not necessarily mutually exclusive.

It sounds like Orwell’s 1984 all over again. Changing allegiances. Pretty nasty, must be so hard for the Ukrainians hearing this stuff, if indeed they do hear it. Thinking of Tibet and China in the past.

What he is saying is new however - are these are the real beliefs that Trump is acting within all along?

RosieandherMaw

“Super smart” and “bad guy”

Not necessarily mutually exclusive.

Yes, I dare say quite a few brutal, megalomaniac dictators could say the same.

Quite simple.

A sycophant.

Witzend

RosieandherMaw

“Super smart” and “bad guy”

Not necessarily mutually exclusive.

Yes, I dare say quite a few brutal, megalomaniac dictators could say the same.

Exactly!

Wyllow3

What he is saying is new however - are these are the real beliefs that Trump is acting within all along?

I think it’s just being said out loud now by Trumps appointees tbh and I’d hope that world leaders had a good idea that was the case.
Trump has made no secret of his admiration for Putin.

I can’t help but think that the Uk should stay well clear of Russia and Ukraine. Our politicians are more likely to antagonise than heal the situation there. Putin is never going to trust the West and why should he? Do we have Russia’s best interests at heart? It’s monstrous that so many people have died and a quick resolution without Uk involvement is the best we can hope for.

Looks like Starmer and other Europeans are being routinely dismissed. Accused of trying to be like Churchill.
Looks like Putin is the only leader getting any kudos.
Wonder how much longer it will take for us to truly recognise who the enemy now is?

Russia might have grounds for attacking the Uk and probably would like to retaliate but so far, has shown remarkable discipline in holding back. I don’t know for how much longer? Obviously all its energy is needed in Ukraine.

The UK and "willing countries" are offering a peace" back up" solution. Ukraine have wanted Europe to be involved and after all its us not the US who are Ukraines neighbours and have supported it during the war - as the US used to.

I honestly don't see how this is antagonising. It's a helpful option. It's says we are standing by.

Wyllow3

The UK and "willing countries" are offering a peace" back up" solution. Ukraine have wanted Europe to be involved and after all its us not the US who are Ukraines neighbours and have supported it during the war - as the US used to.

I honestly don't see how this is antagonising. It's a helpful option. It's says we are standing by.

Obvs Putin sees European involvement as antagonising and if the POTUS regards it in the same way then we know for sure that they are on the same page.
What is it Dubya once said ‘you are either with us or agin us’, and looks like the US, in cahoots with Russia, is now agin us.

My enemy’s enemy and all that? We must have infuriated Putin when BJ made us stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine. Not that it helped that much - 3 years further down the line.
Would you agree to a very disagreeable mother in law settling a family dispute? I don’t think so.

Babs03

Looks like Starmer and other Europeans are being routinely dismissed. Accused of trying to be like Churchill.
Looks like Putin is the only leader getting any kudos.
Wonder how much longer it will take for us to truly recognise who the enemy now is?

I have never regarded Churchill as some kind of saint without flaws. Nevertheless, there are far worse role models - and there isn't much doubt that he was the man for the job at the time. I'd be quite flattered if I were to be "accused" of being like Churchill.

Witzend

RosieandherMaw

“Super smart” and “bad guy”

Not necessarily mutually exclusive.

Yes, I dare say quite a few brutal, megalomaniac dictators could say the same.

Goebbels certainly fell into both categories.

Babs03

Looks like Starmer and other Europeans are being routinely dismissed. Accused of trying to be like Churchill.
Looks like Putin is the only leader getting any kudos.
Wonder how much longer it will take for us to truly recognise who the enemy now is?

We have many enemies.
We didn’t imagine that the US would turn on us tho did we?
Trump has, this time around, surrounded himself not only with yes men but with frankly a few nutters as well.Also ignoramuses and incompetents.

In an unstable world we need our alliances and if US has gone rogue we need to strengthen our ties with Europe even more. Russia has "no grounds" for attacking the UK, neither did he have grounds for marching into Ukraine. Unfortunately it didn't stop him. Russia signed the Budapest memorandum in 1994, the Treaty on Friendship in 1997, Putin signed the 2014 Minsk agreement.None of this has stopped him marching into Ukraine again and once he's taken Ukraine he'll be looking for the next country to invade. We saw what happened when Chamberlain appeased Hitler and IMO, Putin will act no differently. We don't want war but showing weakness and a willingness to let Putin do as he pleases will put us further down the road, not nearer.

foxie48, thanks for the accurate summary. Putin is a danger to all of Europe. Trump and his weird group of support staff are set on distancing the USA from Europe and into cahoots with Putin

Putin told him, he added, that he had prayed for Trump after an assassination attempt against him last year. He also said Putin had commissioned a portrait of the US president as a gift and Trump was "clearly touched by it".

Unbelievable from an American politician.
But yes, Putin is a smart guy. He has groomed Trump to do his bidding and keeps him on side with promises of sweeties. Now, here's a dilemma. The Donald may well have to decide between joining the Commonwealth or still being included in Putin's prayers. What to do?

Starmer acted effectively, quickly, and in good faith when the appalling incident in the White House happened with Zelensky, he created a situation where Zelensky sat down with Trump/US yet again over mineral rights in the expectation Trump was clearly, having signed them, was ready to cut a deal with Putin.

Meanwhile Europe met many times to increase defence and to try and offer some kind of peacekeeping in completely good faith.

Putin then showed he didn't give a damn.

So what has Trump done? Appointed someone totally inadequate to crawl to Putin and now say as clearly as anyone ever could "Ukraine is a false country".

If Ukraine is a false country according to Trump then that gives Putin leave to march into Ukraine and take it over. It's clear the US will not stand in his wa

Putin is clearly much brighter than Trump and his cohorts.. he's also a prime manipulator.. positively Machiavellian.. He also doesn't appear to have any feelings and so is unlikely to be offended or appeased in the same way as Trump.. a truly lethal opponent and yet Trump obviously feels he's in the same league.. it won't end well especially as China is biding it's time and is likely to side with Russia..

Well that certainly sets a dangerous precedent, just call a country you want to occupy a ‘false country’. So next in line false countries like Finland and Latvia one supposes.
The mind boggles 🙄