Vladimir Putin has every reason to believe that the man he installed in the Oval Office will turn a blind eye to Russia’s expansionist ambitions in Easter Europe. But how far is the Trump administration willing to go to signal its submissiveness to Putin?
Embedded in a disturbing story from AP reporter Julie Pace (about two-thirds of the way down the page) is the news that... “Senior officials have been soliciting guidance from national security agencies on how to improve relations with Russia, asking what Washington could offer Moscow”.
The story goes on to reveal this deeply disturbing news about just what Trump is willing to offer:
According to one U.S. official, national security aides have sought information about Polish incursions in Belarus, an eyebrow-raising request because little evidence of such activities appears to exist. Poland is among the Eastern European nations worried about Trump's friendlier tone on Russia.
It’s hard to understate how alarming this news is - helping Russia lie about fake Polish incursions could potentially give Russia the pretext it would need to take military action against Poland, a possibility that is very real in the minds of many Poles.
After Russia’s military takeover of Crimea, its military build-ups and warplane flyovers along Baltic country borders, its heavily-financed pro-Russian propaganda campaigns in Eastern Europe and Scandinavia, and its cyber-attacks on countries with borders along or near Russia, it is astonishingly irresponsible for Trump to curry Russia’s favor by providing fake proof of non-existent Polish aggression.
After the Muslim ban, the DeVos confirmation, and the Gorsuch nomination, one might wonder if it could get any worse. Turns out it really, really could.