“Since Putin took power, I’ve viewed him as a new Czar. A Czar without the pomp and circumstance but a Czar, nonetheless. And no that doesn’t make him our buddy or even automatically our enemy. He just needs to be watched, countered when necessary, and cooperated with when circumstances call for it.”
Well said. Putin seems to care about Russia and its future. I wish the same could be said for US politicians. This makes him someone that can be dealt with in some degree of rationality unlike the leaders most of of the EU countries who seem intent on wrecking their own nations.
Putin is not our friend but he doesn’t have to be our enemy. Pushing him into alliance with China is the most boneheaded political move since Stalin thought he could work with Hitler.