saltwind 78 Loc: Murrells Inlet, South Carolina

For me, a big surprise. I was beginning to think that Trump was in Putin's pocket. This rather serious deportation of sixty of their diplomats as a sanction for the assassination that took place in Britain. The question for me is why this sudden change in the Trump- Putin mutual admiration society?
1. Trump's foreign policy experts insisted on this action.
2. Trump finally came to recognize the danger of Russia.
3.Trump took this action because he wants to sanction Russia without really hurting them.
4. He has given up hope of any real deals for his business in Russia.
What other explanations can you speculate?

JFlorio Loc: Seminole Florida

That's what's wrong with you guys. Trump didn't think the sanctions abdicated before did much damage. They hurt individual companies more than Putin. Likewise if your allies don't go along they are meaningless. He hurt Russia where it counts. Missiles, defensive and otherwise to Poland. Beefing up our presence in the Baltic's. These are the kinds of moves Putin h**es. You guys h**e Trump so much you're unhinged. I get it. I don't like him and I v**ed for him. The lefts constant unsubstantiated attacks on this president hurts our country. I'm pissed at him for not vetoing that omnibus bill. At least that's a reason backed up by facts. There was a bill. I saw it. He signed it. I didn't like it. Russian collusion. No facts, just innuendo and professional whining from losers. If you want to say talking to Russians is collusion well go ahead. Because that in itself is not a crime.

woodguru

I don't think it changes a thing, a week or two before I was thinking Putin (who has a better understanding of US sentiments than Trump does) was going to be wanting to tell Trump that he was going to have to take some controlled actions or it wouldn't look good.

So one Russian enclave was closed, so what, you think that's the only one? There are a raft of other elements of sanctions that are not being enforced. Exxon, ever wonder whether Exxon fulfilled their purchase and involvement in the Russian Rosnoft deal? Who knows, Trump's first day saw the requirement that corporations disclose any payments to foreign countries.

I just shake my head and think people are hopelessly clueless if they think this means anything to do with Trump taking any kind of hard forceful attitude with Russia.

Congratulating Putin was far more than that, Trump beaming about how he'd be getting together with Putin real soon says it all. Putin told Trump he had things to talk about that needed to be said face to face. Trump has already seen Putin more times without witnesses than Obama, who never found face to face meetings with Putin to be necessary. This president has business with Putin that he does not want documented to the normal standards that go along with diplomatic relations.

If Trump wants to be seen as acting as he should be toward Russia, he would be coming down hard on hacking, saying it stops. He would have denounced Putin's sham of an e******n, not congratulated him on a well played r****d e******n.

Give me a break with the Conway "see, Trump is tough on Russia".

And what about the battle in Syria between our soldiers and Russian mercenaries supporting the Taliban where we k**led 200 of the Russians? Silence, nothing, nada, it didn't even happen for all the air it's getting. Russia is backing, supplying arms in virtually every country we are involved in to the opposition forces, exactly as was the case in Afghanistan when Russia was involved.

woodguru

That's all Obama stuff from before Trump took office.

Trump can talk to Putin under normal diplomatic channels, there isn't a damn thing he needs to discuss with the dictator in charge of the country that has been and still is our enemy. And you trust that everything Trump has going on with Putin is on the up and up, and Putin has nothing on Trump even though it's well known that Kompromat is how they do business?

Kevyn

He had to take a small action or Putin’s puppetry would be too obvious. He still has not imposed the vast majority of congressional sanctions that would damage Putin and his criminal enablers. It is likely he consulted with Putin and agreed on the most paltry response. Putin then griped about the US influence giving his Pumpkinfuhrer a modem of credibility with his suckered base.

vernon

This isn't the first time he sent a bunch of diplomats home and he is slowly clamping down on their imports and exports.I suggest you quit listening to a bunch of lying demoRATS .

rebob14

Maybe he’s on a different page in People Magazine