Turning on Putin would fit Trump’s trend of second-term wins.

Atlantic Council ^ | July 11, 2025 | Frederick Kempe

[Words Matter]

-SNIP-

... In his second term thus far, Trump has defied his critics with several major international wins, and he’s relished the results. His green light for the June 22 US strikes on Iranian nuclear-related targets was a stunning interpretation of what defines “America first.” At the NATO Summit in The Hague days later, he pivoted from years of lambasting European partners to securing a historic agreement to lift Alliance-wide defense and defense-related spending to 5 percent of gross domestic product by 2035, while reaffirming shared security guarantees.

Both the Iran and NATO moves are legacy-defining, peace-through-strength actions. They could transform the geopolitical landscape in the Middle East and Europe in ways that would have eluded either a more cautious or a more reckless president.

The next link in this potential chain of positive disruption should be Russia. There are signs Trump is steering in that direction. It wasn’t too long ago that Trump praised Putin’s peace-making intentions, his smarts, and his strength. Then, this week, Trump said at a cabinet meeting, with media recording every word, “We get a lot of bullshit thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth. He’s very nice all of the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.”

Also this week, Trump reversed a brief pause in weapons shipments to Ukraine, which Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth reportedly okayed without informing the White House. In the cabinet meeting on Tuesday, the US president praised Ukraine’s soldiers, for the first time putting US investments in Kyiv in a more positive light. The Ukrainians, Trump said, “whether you think it’s unfair that we gave all that money or not, they were very brave, because somebody had to operate that stuff. And a lot of people I know wouldn’t be operating it—they wouldn’t have the courage to do it.”

[SmokingJoe]

NOPE!

[PGR88]

It would be nice if we could take care of the actual communists running places like Los Angeles and Washington DC, or poised to take over NY City - instead of finding reasons to engage former communists 5000 miles away.

[packagingguy]

Trump loves making deals and probably thought he could help negotiate an agreement between Russia and Ukraine.

Unfortunately it looks like he couldn’t and he plans to force Russia into negotiations.

[Captain Walker]

What a shock.

The Atlantic Council likes prolonging the war in Ukraine.

[GrumpyOldGuy]

What a load of crap.

[ifinnegan]

Putin stooges poohing their pants.

[Old West Conservative]

“Take care” of homeland commies: how, precisely?

[Mariner]

Anything published by The Atlantic Council is designed to make stupid people stupider.

[Kazan]

No, it would fit the recent trend of pandering to the Swamp like has been done in the Epstein case.

There is nothing American First about wasting anymore money or resources on a war that is irrelevant to our national security.

[billakay]

Anything other than forcing Ukraine to settle is going to be a huge disappointment for me (and I'm the biggest Trumpist around).

I DO NOT support pressure on Russia. The pressure needs to be on Ukraine and only Ukraine.

[dennisw]

Your clown Putin turned on the very friendly and accommodating Donald Trump. Who slammed only Zelensky. Trump can now see how Putin really is. A maniacal warmonger.

This is why Putin was jettisoned by Trump.

[dennisw]

Why? You swallowed the Russian propaganda.

[daniel1212]

, if you want to know the truth. He’s very nice all of the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.”

That Presidents (GWB: "I looked the man in the eye. I found him to be very straightforward and trustworthy") have been played by Putin, or operate as supporters, as are so many FReepers here,is tragic.

The Ukrainians, Trump said, “whether you think it’s unfair that we gave all that money or not, they were very brave, because somebody had to operate that stuff. And a lot of people I know wouldn’t be operating it—they wouldn’t have the courage to do it.”

Credit where credit is due.

What (among other things() could be done without Western troops on the ground is to enable Ukraine to knock out Iranian (at least) drone factories, as well as develop multiple drone targeting and disabling systems for them and for us. Yet the President needs to reprove any of Ukraine's adoption of liberal Western ideology, and state that US support of Ukraine is in no way an affirmation of such, and tell the same to NATO.

[daniel1212]

There is nothing American First about wasting anymore money or resources on a war that is irrelevant to our national security.

irrational 1939 isolationism. How much more is deterring the expansion of a major enemy which has an extensive arsenal of nukes pointed at the USA, with multiple delivery systems, and repeated threats to use them, and with which the US has fought proxy wars for over 70 years. Of course, such are means of chastising the US and West for also being at war against God.

[daniel1212]

they were very brave,

As a higher example of bravery in physical combat was this soldier:

On April 14, 2004, the battalion commander's convoy came under attack near Husaybah, Iraq, and 4th Platoon was dispatched on patrol to investigate. Dunham and his squad intercepted a number of cars spotted near the scene of the attack, which the patrol detained to search for weapons.[4] When the squad approached a white Toyota Land Cruiser and discovered AK-47s, the driver exited and attacked the Marines in an attempt to flee. Dunham responded by closing in for hand-to-hand combat to subdue him. During the fighting, the individual dropped an armed Mills 36M hand grenade.

Dunham, to save the rest of his men, deliberately threw himself on the grenade, attempting to use his PASGT helmet to shield himself and others from the explosion,[2] warning the others to "watch his hands."[4] Dunham, the insurgent, and two other Marines nearby were all wounded by grenade fragments.

Dunham was severely wounded by the grenade blast, and was immediately evacuated. Within days, he arrived at National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, in a coma, where he was being treated for his injuries. After being diagnosed with brain damage and deemed unlikely to recover, he was taken off life support eight days later, on April 22, 2004.[4][5][6] Shortly beforehand, Commandant of the Marine Corps, General Michael Hagee, presented Dunham with the Purple Heart. Dunham's parents were at his bedside when he died.[5]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Dunham

[hinckley buzzard]

I think it is sort of obvious. Trump believed that he could entice Putin into making a deal which would be of benefit to both Russia and Ukraine, by ending the bloody conflict. He approached Putin with a positive attitude, praising him for leadership etc., while expressing criticism of Zelinskyy. If one hopes to have a successful negotiation, these would be natural tactics. I’m not sure why he thought Putin would want peace. This appears to have been a misjudgment of Putin, which Trumpnow realizes.

[tlozo]

He approached Putin with a positive attitude, praising him for leadership etc., while expressing criticism of Zelinskyy.

Yup, Trump tried all carrot with Putin even offering to rebuild Russian oil infrastructure.

After six months, Trump is now being forced to use the stick by Putin who refuses to stop invading Ukraine.

[StAnDeliver]

What has happened is what smart people who know war, greatly feared.

Every single country in the world that sells war machinery is on the ground jammed into about 100,000 square clicks of a hot grid, free-for-all testing autonomous / automated / AI weaponry against people, against installations, and against embedded forces.

Even you dumb Putlims should want Chemobrain to stop his war tomorrow. Why do you FReeptards think the Globalists embraced this war and perpetuate it?

Because the war machine dopes playing in the Donbas dirt are going to end up providing the Globalists with an untraceable, asymmetrical, nuke delivery system.

And that is how they will trigger the Reset, with the Plandemic test script in hand.