They want Russia to apologized and PROMISE not to be bad in the future.
Charles M. Blow thinks Russia needs to know they were being mean - maybe xenophobic... or worse. It's so stupid.
Russians mess with us - we mess with them. It's why they have 'intelligence services' and it's why we have intelligence services. Since we're all grownups here (except Charles Blow and his newsroom) we can agree that our 'solution' must be to develop systems that STOP Russians from being able to damage us. And our elections and our digital systems and our financial system etc. etc. etc. Just like they need to do with us.
In the real world Presidents of adversaries don't go around apologizing. Or feeling 'guilty'... or any of the other liberal BS.
Blow seems to be under the impression that it is all about rhetoric while ignoring that Trump is demanding that Putin’s neighbors arm themselves and while explaining to Germany that buying Russian energy is a bad thing because A) The Russian economy is strong in exactly one sector, energy and B) Putin is likely to use dependence to strategic advantage. Trump is offering to supply the Germans instead. Surely undermining Russia’s economy and building up the military might of NATO is a better deterrent that going through a verbal catfight with someone like Vladimir Putin who has a tiny economy, is clearly compensating, and is sitting on a massive Soviet era nuclear arsonal.