Siding With Putin Is a Huge Mistake

President Trump’s inexplicable decision to waive some sanctions on Russia, announced late Friday, essentially gives a pass to the forces of evil in the Kremlin.

The move effectively nullifies legislation that was named after the late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, passed by huge bipartisan majorities in both the House and Senate, and signed by the president.

This decision is the latest in a long series that this administration has taken to appease or accommodate the Russians in misguided attempts to get them to negotiate.

Russian President Vladimir Putin pockets these naive offerings and still refuses to talk.

Surveys show that most Americans stand with Ukraine as it defends itself against Russia, view Putin as a dangerous threat who shouldn’t be trusted, and want to see the United States offer more assistance to Ukraine.

Few wars in recent history have been so black-and-white: Russia is the guilty party that invaded Ukraine for no good reason.

Ukraine is, for its part, defending its freedom, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.

And yet there is much misinformation and disinformation circulating that blurs the picture.

To address the problem of phony narratives, it is useful to contrast Russia and Putin with Ukraine and its president, Volodymyr Zelensky.

Putin came to power in August 1999, when his predecessor, Boris Yeltsin, designated him prime minister and his preferred successor; Yeltsin resigned from office at the end of that year and named Putin acting president, three months before the next presidential election.

Putin had used his time as prime minister to deploy brutal force against the Chechens in 1999.

Zelensky became the leader of Ukraine in 2019, when he won by a landslide in a free and fair election certified by domestic and international observers.

Putin hasn’t won a legitimate election throughout his two-plus decades in power.

Putin is a murderous dictator who kills his own citizens as well as those of his neighbors.