Washington Post columnist David Ignatius blamed world-regions‘s ongoing aggression towards conflicts on former donald-trump” target=”_blank”>President Trump< actions were “encouraged by Trump.”
“In this move toward defiance of international norms, Putin has been subtly encouraged by former president Donald Trump, a fellow traveler in recklessness,” Ignatius wrote Thursday. “We don’t need any conspiratorial analysis of Trump’s links with Russia to make this case. We just need look at the facts. Trump has been sympathetic to Putin in public statements for nearly a decade. As for Ukraine, Trump was so heedless of its security that he conditioned U.S. military aid on political favors in the famous 2019 phone call that resulted in his first impeachment.”
President Donald Trump, right, shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan, Friday, June 28, 2019. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Ignatius went on to list various remarks Trump made about Putin and Russia over the years, suggesting his soft rhetoric towards the global adversary was emboldening.
“Trump has been doing Putin’s work of destabilization for him. Russia historically has dreamed of strengthening polarization in the United States and weakening our democracy. That turned out to be Trump’s approach to governing — to the point of trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election result. Now, as Putin contemplates a move into Ukraine, he beholds an America weakened by political division bordering on dysfunction. He sees a moment of opportunity,” Ignatius wrote.
The Washington Post columnist went on to praise joe-biden” target=”_blank”>President Biden<, adding “Just incredible stuff.”
“Ignatius is one of the greats, but even the greats can be wrong,” Bloomberg columnist Eli Lake wrote. “This column attempts to blame Trump for Putin’s aggression at Ukraine’s border. It’s true that Trump’s rhetorical sycophancy towards Putin was awful. But his policies were strong.”
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“He armed Ukraine when Obama wouldn’t. He enforced sanctions on Nordstream 2, when Biden doesn’t. He appointed hawks to his nat sec cabinet. He shut down Russia’s consulate/spy station in San Francisco. He withdrew from INF and recognized Juan Guaido,” Lake continued. “So yes, it’s fair to criticize Trump’s rhetoric as provocative and dangerous. But Biden is the president now. Putin’s brinksmanship is challenging Biden. And Biden’s response is to offer diplomatic concessions in exchange for de-escalation.”
