It's pretty obvious that Putin's attempting to restore the evil empire that was the Soviet Union, whether eventually communist or not. In fact, with the addition of the oil/gas-rich Middle East it might well pose even more of a threat. The guy is a ruthless dictator, has his political opponents murdered, backs most of our enemies (still to this day), and is an increasingly aggressive expansionist. Trump's VP, Mike Pence, and AG, Jeff Sessions, get it. As does Ted Cruz and every other conservative leader I'm aware of. I think even Trump himself now more fully gets it. I wasn't so sure during much of the campaign last year. But with his pick of Pence for VP, I'm far more comfortable about him than I was then.
For their views of Putin, see my earlier posts or my FR home page.
Rust never sleeps...