Trump is working Putin. He needs several things at once. He needs him to seal the box Kim is in until Kim starts fulfilling what was promised at the summit. Trump was very gracious with Kim, you notice, and yet the sanctions are still on.
Trump needs to try to peel Putin away from Iran on two levels. Trump is trying to ratchet up the pressure on Iran to come back to the table on the nuclear agreement, and he needs Russia to close that back door. And he needs to get Iran out of Syria.
Netanyahu has been working Putin on the latter issue, and has been shuttling back and forth between Putin and Trump; the meeting the other day was the climax of that shuttle diplomacy.
Putin is never going to give up Crimea, and everyone knows that. The main reason to pretend its still in the air is to use it as a bargaining chip against Russian-occupied Ukraine. But, actually, Russian-occupied Ukraine is a bit of a bargaining chip against Crimea as well. There are several moving parts to this Rubik’s Cube, and Trump knows that very well. The adults in Washington also know it, though most of them pretend not to know.
John McCain is a traitor. Since he is on his dead bed and won’t come clean, in my eyes he is forever a traitor. Just ask Sarah Palin.
Nice deconstruction.
Anyone who has watched Trump operate knows his MO....one step at at time.
Trump's trip to Russia was only the first volley.