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Originally Posted by Pete F.
Breaking it or saying that they no longer think that being tied tightly to the US is the best move for them?
This is a statement from the end of September
“We, some countries more than others, gave up on our strategic independence by depending too much on American weapons systems,” Macron said at a debate at the University of Vilnius in Lithuania, adding, “We cannot accept to live in a bipolar world made up of the U.S. and China.”
While Macron meets with Putin and continues a dialogue, he will call out Russia for it's election manipulation, disinformation and attacks on. Shortly after he was elected, and standing next to Putin in Versailles, he singled out Russia Today and Sputnik as disinformation outfits. He also often references the hacking of his presidential campaign. He has denounced the poisoning of Navalny, and met with Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya in Vilnius.
Perhaps the sound of crickets in the White House concerns him.
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From the article, it sounds like Macron and Putin are working pretty well together. But that's not important or meaningful to you because he has made some criticisms of Russia. But Trump is in Putin's pocket because he tries to work with Russia. Even though he has probably done more against Russia than Macron has.
Trump has said “We urge Russia to cease its destabilizing activities in Ukraine and elsewhere and its support for hostile regimes including Syria and Iran,"
Here are some examples of what Trump has done against Russia:
* Imposed sanctions on Russian companies and Russian entities, blocking at least $3 billion worth of deals from going into Russian coffers.
* Placed harsh economic restrictions on a group of Russian oligarchs which effectively puts more pressure on Vladimir Putin. The Russian leader has illegally amassed enormous wealth – exceeding $25 billion – in the last two decades, but he can't hold all that wealth in his own name, so he appointed oligarch cronies to be his trustees. Putting his oligarchs on sanctions hurts Putin big time.
* Levied considerable financial sanctions and travel restrictions on 50-plus individuals who have been accused of human-rights abuses and corruption under both the Magnitsky Act and the Global Magnitsky Act.
* Criticized NATO allies for not spending enough on defense (and was accused by the lamestream media of encouraging Russia to test alliance resolve). NATO allies, however, have taken steps to pay more, and NATO appears stronger than before, which is decidedly not the outcome Putin wanted.
* Authorized the expulsion of 60 Russian diplomats from the U.S. in the wake of nerve agent attack on British soil, allegedly at the hands of the Kremlin.
* Approved the export of lethal weapons, including American-made Javelin antitank missiles, to help Ukraine shore up its eastern defenses against separatists backed by Moscow. More defense cooperation with Ukraine, as well as weapons sales are on the near horizon.
* Killed more than 200 Russian soldiers in Syria – U.S. troops are present as in Syria as much to limit Russian and Iranian influence on the country’s future as to fight the remnants of the Islamic State.
* Facilitated U.S. sales of more coal to energy-strapped Ukraine, while weakening Russia's hold on oil exports.
* Ramped up militarily to pressure the Russian Federation as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the Defense Secretary work to strengthen alliances and military cooperation with Baltic states that share borders with Russia.
* Offered a proposal to Poland to host a permanent contingent of U.S. troops, in the way that Germany and Italy have done since World War II, to help secure Poland’s 180-mile long border with Russia.
* Discussed with Ukraine’s president the enhancement of cooperation in security and defense sectors, and the importance of keeping tight sanctions on Russia – to Putin a most unwelcome development.
* Pressured Germany over its status as the largest buyer of Russian natural gas, and as a huge buyer of Russia coal and mineral oil.
* Sanctioned four Russian entities and seven individuals in response to a 2018 attempt to interfere in U.S. midterm elections, including Russian financier Yevgeniy Prigozhin, a wealthy loyalist nicknamed "Putin's chef" who has his mitts in many pies.
* Suspended its obligations under the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty because Russia was not complying with it.
"In all, as a Brookings Institute analysis revealed, the Trump administration has enacted more than 50 sanctions or policy actions on Russia, many being severe, from May 15, 2017 – four months after Trump took office – to the present day. But the Left would much prefer that you remain ignorant about these."