The Trump–Putin Summit: The U.S. President Must Be Strong, Clear, and Consistent

Tony Branco

Russia’s actions today have their roots in the failure of the Obama Administration’s “reset,” combined with Putin’s imperial ambitions. Russia has been able to exploit the situation to its own benefit, calculating that the West will not respond in any significant way. Putin cannot be a partner to the U.S. under current conditions. The sooner President Trump understands this, the safer America and her allies will be.

Heritage  "On July 16, President Donald Trump will meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, Finland. President Trump should go into this summit with his eyes wide open. Since coming to power in 1999, Putin has never shown that he can be a trusted partner of the United States. At almost every opportunity, he has pursued policies that undermine America’s national interests and those of its closest partners. President Trump should use this meeting as an opportunity to press Putin on issues like aggression against Ukraine and Georgia, Moscow’s support for Syria and Iran, and meddling in the election campaigns of Western democracies.

Key Takeaways:

• "Putin has not been good for Russia. To distract his people from their many woes, he has pursued a dangerously aggressive and expansionist foreign policy.
• "Since coming to power in 1999, Putin has pursued policies that undermine America’s national interests and those of its closest partners.
• "At the summit in Helsinki, President Trump should reiterate U.S. commitment to Europe, and be clear about which behaviors are unacceptable.

. . .

Same liberal media called Reagan ‘war-monger’ and Trump ‘accommodationist’ on Russia  . . . "The only way it makes sense is to look at what is good for liberals. Liberals had a not-so-secret crush on the Soviet Union because it was a communist country. Liberals loved, and still love, communism, even as they rebrand it KFC and IHOP-style with names like "progressivism" and "socialism".

"But liberals hate Russia because Russia tried to interfere in our elections against Hillary. Liberals feel that a bunch of Twitter and Facebook bots tossed the election to Donald Trump. They really believe this. Perhaps they felt that all the Russian-originated Facebook posts somehow counteracted the legions of illegal aliens who voted for Hillary. So liberals hate Russia because they think that Russia tried to stop Hillary from winning the election." . . .

Never forget this: