Trump tries to rewrite the story because he will “deceive” Putin

Cnn
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It remains to be seen how permanent and severe President Donald Trump will be against Vladimir Putin.

Trump has criticized the Russian president unexpectedly in the past few days and signaled that he will send vital weapons to Ukraine. But he also has a lot more time – 50 days – before he really drops the hammer with economic punishment.

To the extent to which this shift is real, it comes with a healthy dose of new writing history.

This week Trump repeatedly proposed that Putin never really trusts Putin.

“He deceived a lot of people,” said Trump on Monday in the White House and added: “He has Clinton, Bush, Obama, Biden.

The president repeated the point in a new interview with the BBC. When asked whether he trusted Putin, he supposedly made a little.

“I don't trust almost anyone to be honest,” he finally replied.

This break seems instructive. In fact, Trump has repeatedly classified Putin over the years and even in the past few months, despite all the evidence that undermines his credibility.

Five months ago Trump said he said act Trust Putin in the most central topics – whether he wanted to peace in Ukraine. Trump now suggests that the Russian president is not serious about this view.

“I think he wants peace,” said Trump on February 14th and added: “I mean, I know him very well. Yes, I think he wants peace. I think he would tell me if he didn't do it. … I trust him on this topic.”

It was a fairly breathtaking and full testimony for the former KGB officer.

Two weeks later, Trump was asked about the view that Putin violated the conditions of a business contract – something that Putin has done many times. He released the idea.

“I think he will keep his word,” said Trump, before suggesting that he had an affinity with Putin because both had to endure Russia investigations during his first term.

And asked Time Magazine in April whether Putin could make peace and separated Trump that this was likely.

“I think Putin will make peace, he said.

The US President sings a completely different melody today. In fact, on Monday, he said that he had the feeling that they had a deal three or four times, just so that Putin got the carpet out of them and continued to hit Ukraine hard.

(Despite these comments, Trump decided to give Putin more time before implementing secondary sanctions against countries that buy Russian oil.)

The trust of the administration in her negotiations with Putin was also what was triggered in the Oval Office in February with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

After the Vice President JD Vance agreed to “diplomacy” to breast fascing, Zelensky threw to ask whether Putin could be familiar with the fact that they actually faithfully involve discussions.

“We signed ceasefire” in 2019, said Zelensky. “Waffe arrest. Everyone told me that he will never go [into Ukraine]. We signed him with gas contract – gas contract, yes, but after that he broke the ceasefire, he killed our people and he exchanged no prisoners. We signed the exchange of prisoners, but he didn't do it. ”

Zelensky continued: “What diplomacy, JD that you are talking about?”

Vance called it “disrespectful” that the Ukrainian leader led this problem to the media, and things quickly went off the rails.

Ultimately, Trump was asked in this meeting what happens when Putin violates the conditions of a ceasefire, and he was blowing again with the proposal.

“What if 'something?” Said Trump. “What if a bomb falls upside down at the moment, ok, what if you break it? I don't know. You broke it with bidies because bidges did not respect. They did not respect Obama. They respect me.”

Trump says four and a half months later, Putin tells him very nice things during her calls, but does not support this with actions.

“I go home, I tell the first lady,” you know, I spoke to Vladimir today and we had a wonderful conversation, “said Trump on Monday.” She said: “Oh really? Another city was only hit.” ”

And that's a familiar story. Trump has often classified for controversial foreign, strong men with very different agendas, and sometimes it has blown into the air in his face.

At the beginning of 2020, Trump repeated for China and the control of President Xi Jinping on the Covid outbreak. He rejected the idea that China distributed the spread and praised his transparency, although reports that he had rejected the idea that he should exert more pressure.

Trump made these comments despite China's history to cover up such events and the internal administrative concerns that had happened again.

Soon, when the outbreak in the United States under control, Trump would blame China. The White House accused China of the same cover -up that Trump had used doubts.

Trump has repeatedly defended Putin in the past, in particular his rejection of Russian interference in the US elections in 2016. He even accepted Putin about his own secret service group.

During a press conference with Putin in Helsinki, Finland, Trump said in 2018 that he saw no reason why Russia would have been involved.

“I have great confidence in my intelligence, but I will tell you that President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his rejection today,” said Trump.

He later claimed that he had spoken wrong and he wanted to say that he saw no reason why Russia would not Did that. But the President has repeatedly had doubts about the idea that Russia has also supported the results of the secret service community as an investigation in the Senate.

Another politician could look at this and ask himself whether they have invested too much trust in XI and Putin. But instead, Trump suggests that it is other American presidents who were the dupes.

However, if you look closely, you can tacitly recognize Trump's own misjudgment. He repeatedly pointed out how Putin says beautiful things, but then does not stand by them. Even in his anecdote about the First Lady, Trump was apparently too focused on things that Putin says to him, and not on site.

It is normal in diplomacy to say nice things about your colleagues, even if you don't believe you. But usually you do that much more with allies than with opponents.

In a certain level, they give someone their credibility and legitimacy to someone who may not reward it. In Putin's case there was many reason to assume that this could ultimately be the case.

And here we are.