Inventing a nonexistent Ukrainian assassination attempt against Russian President Vladimir Putin, Russian officials have damaged their credibility and Putin’s diplomatic strategy about the war in Ukraine. Past experience makes it improbable that Trump will increase sanctions and other pressure on Russia in relation to this deception. Still, this incident illustrates the risks of the Kremlin’s reflex to use deception to solve any challenge.

Deception is a favorite pastime of Putin’s court and, indeed, of the Russian national security apparatus. Inculcated with the training he received at the KGB’s Red Banner Institute, now the academy for Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, Putin revels in personal manipulation. Deception plays an especially important role in these efforts, allowing Putin to redirect negative attention onto his adversaries while advancing his own interests under the cover of self-righteous indignation. But Putin has significantly overplayed his hand with the invented Ukraine assassination plot.

The timing was the first indicator of deception. Coming immediately after Sunday’s largely positive meeting between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, a failed Ukrainian drone attack on Putin’s Moscow suburb residence offered a clear way for the Russian leader to dilute Trump and Zelensky’s improving rapport. This is a key........

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