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President Trump in 2018 called out the factors that led Putin to invade Ukraine
American Thinker.com ^ | February 27, 2022 | Rajan Laad

Posted on 02/27/2022 4:33:41 AM PST by Kaslin

A few years back in 2018 (which seems like the age of innocence considering what the world has devolved into currently), President Donald Trump had a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.

Unlike most meetings where polite banter occurs before TV cameras, and core dealings occur behind closed doors, the cameras were allowed to remain for the entire duration of the meeting.

After the customary pleasantries, Stoltenberg emphasized the importance of NATO for the EU, he thanked Trump for compelling others to contribute more to NATO, and said he looked forward to Trump’s meeting with President Putin.

It was at this moment President Trump launched into a powerful three-minute oration that explains why Putin felt empowered to invade Ukraine.

The following is a gist of Trump’s remarks and the inferences that can be drawn from them.

Trump observed that decades of cowardice in challenging the status quo and probably self-interest have prevented past US Presidents from addressing and dealing with the stark disparity in contributions to NATO.

Trump noted that wealthy nations such as Germany pay merely over 1 percent of their GDP to NATO while, while the US, pays 4.2 percent of a much larger GDP.

He said this is greatly unfair to US taxpayers. This is probably the first time any leader referred to his country's taxpayers at NATO. Usually, during their high-level meets, all personnel involved conveniently forget the citizens who pay for their pomposity.

Trump said it was time that nations such as Germany and France pay their fair share to NATO.

Then Trump pointed out that Germany shut down their coal plants and then struck multi-billion-dollar pipeline deals with Russia, making it dependent for its energy on Russia. Hence Germany has become captive and subservient to Russia.

(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...


TOPICS: Government; Politics; Society
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1 posted on 02/27/2022 4:33:41 AM PST by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin
President Trump has repeatedly shown that he has the best grasp of geopolitics of any American politician.

If there are others who have as good a grasp, they do not seem to be sharing it.

Another possibility is others understand the geopolitics as well, but they want the U.S. to decline and lose power, therefore they are unwilling to tell the truth.

2 posted on 02/27/2022 4:38:38 AM PST by marktwain (Amazing people can read a persons entire personality and character from one photograph.)
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To: Kaslin

He speaks softly ( and firmly!) but carries a big stick.......and he’s not afraid to use the big stick


3 posted on 02/27/2022 4:41:07 AM PST by Guenevere (When the foundations are being destroyed what can the righteous do t)
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To: marktwain

Trump understands geopolitics because he is not part of the kleptocracy that is exploiting nations like Ukraine while promising them the moon.

Trump is not interested in making a few million via pay for play. He always looked at things from what was best for this nation.


4 posted on 02/27/2022 4:45:43 AM PST by Erik Latranyi (We are being played by forces most do not understand)
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To: Kaslin
They say a picture tells a thousand words.


5 posted on 02/27/2022 4:49:11 AM PST by McGruff (In war, truth is the first casualty.)
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To: Kaslin

Trump essentially became Charles Lindbergh when he praised Putin... Huge mistake! Trump is now persona non grata. Don’t even mention his name.


6 posted on 02/27/2022 4:55:55 AM PST by jerod (Nazi's were essentially Socialist in Hugo Boss uniforms... Get over it!)
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To: jerod
It is stupid not to evaluate the opposition truthfully.

Putin is not stupid. It is not unpatriotic to say he is smart.

7 posted on 02/27/2022 4:57:38 AM PST by marktwain (Amazing people can read a persons entire personality and character from one photograph.)
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To: marktwain

He’s a freaking lunatic... Pure and simple. If you have a mad dog... What do you do with it? You put it down... Putin will not survive this... He is as good as dead.


8 posted on 02/27/2022 5:03:17 AM PST by jerod (Nazi's were essentially Socialist in Hugo Boss uniforms... Get over it!)
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To: marktwain

Calling Putin smart isn’t necessarily even praising him. It’s telling the truth about Putin compared to the dimwitted Biden, something people just don’t want to hear, the TRUTH.


9 posted on 02/27/2022 5:07:39 AM PST by FamiliarFace
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To: jerod
Why do you think Putin is a lunatic?

Do you define all aggressive dictators as lunatics?

10 posted on 02/27/2022 5:08:32 AM PST by marktwain (Amazing people can read a persons entire personality and character from one photograph.)
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To: marktwain

I define all dictators as psychotic, self centered individuals who lack empathy and compassion.

The most important trait of a dictator?

Paranoia. When is the last time you saw anybody standing within shiv distance to Putin?

Putin is now scared for his life... Because he knows that the only way this ends now, is with him on a slab.


11 posted on 02/27/2022 5:26:30 AM PST by jerod (Nazi's were essentially Socialist in Hugo Boss uniforms... Get over it!)
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To: McGruff

PM Abe always cracked me up in that photo as well.


12 posted on 02/27/2022 5:27:46 AM PST by Theoria
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To: jerod

If you are correct in your predictions, Putin is not paranoid. He is realistic.


13 posted on 02/27/2022 6:10:47 AM PST by marktwain (Amazing people can read a persons entire personality and character from one photograph.)
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To: jerod

TRUMP!


14 posted on 02/27/2022 6:24:08 AM PST by joshua c (Dump the LEFT. Cable tv, Big tech, national name brands)
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To: jerod

Sounds like you would consider every US President from Obama forward in the same manner (except for one). The paranoia was not expressed in Trump; as evidence, all he cited regarding the spying, fake impeachment, lying elected officials, and a stolen election as being factual . Trump’s is the only administration to take action needed on the international stage effectively in the last 30+ years.
His vaccine stance will get him clobbered. I don’t doubt the opposition to Trump will allow information to come forward that the vaccinated are the ones infecting (and continue to infect) everyone due to the nature of mRNA technology used in “vaccines”. (BTW, the definition of vaccine was changed in Sept 2021 to allow this jab to be called a vaccine - not paranoid at all)


15 posted on 02/27/2022 6:41:18 AM PST by linedrive
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To: FamiliarFace

Trump finished the sentence last night when he said that the problem is, our leaders are so dumb.


16 posted on 02/27/2022 6:47:36 AM PST by one guy in new jersey
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To: Kaslin

What jumps out of that video is Trump’s worthless chief of staff, Kelly bowing his head in embarrassment and playing with his pen.


17 posted on 02/27/2022 6:49:28 AM PST by 1Old Pro
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To: linedrive

What if Trump drops his support of mRNA gene therapy injections, and follows up in view of the damage and economic impact those injections those injections have caused and will cause by prompting Congress to take it out of the hide of Big Pharma and Big Health, while ripping into the DC Swamp, the Deep State, and the globalist antipopulation stormtroopers for their obvious role in all of this? Will that cause you to get back on the Trump Train?


18 posted on 02/27/2022 7:00:38 AM PST by one guy in new jersey
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To: jerod

“Trump is now persona non grata. “

The only people he is persona non grata to are the people he was persona non grata to prior to his Putin evaluation.

There are still 80 million of us that love Trump and want him back in office. Any supporters that fell off the Trump Wall after his comment...we’re never firmly attached to that wall in the first place.


19 posted on 02/27/2022 7:05:02 AM PST by moovova
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To: marktwain; Kaslin

“President Trump has repeatedly shown that he has the best grasp of geopolitics of any American politician.”

That’s not “geopolitics”, it’s just the most basic of common sense.

Who in their right mind would wilfully make themselves dependent on their potential enemy?

The reason Trump has so much support from the common people is because he uses common sense, which has worked rather well for millenia.


20 posted on 02/27/2022 7:12:14 AM PST by aquila48 (Do not let them make you "care" ! Guilting you is how they control you. )
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