No, Trump Isn’t Good for Putin

Dr. Notte is an expert on Russian foreign and security policy. She wrote from Berlin.

Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 was many things — brazen land grab, fantasy bred in isolation, czarist cosplay. It was also a plea for respect. After three decades of perceived Western encroachment, Mr. Putin sought to strike back at the agent of Russia’s confinement, the United States. A blitzkrieg, he surely surmised, would put America in its place and give Russia the power to shape Europe’s destiny. When Mr. Putin spoke, the United States would have to listen.

With President Trump’s return to the White House, Mr. Putin’s bet finally seemed close — after years of failure — to paying off. Mr. Trump appeared eager to wash his hands of the war in Ukraine, claiming he could end it in “24 hours.” Even if Mr. Trump did not........

© The New York Times