I can't help but wonder-- was Putin goaded by TFG?

[IzzaNuDay]

to invade Ukraine? It sounds like something TFG would do as a Putin admirer. And recalling his disdain for Ukraine while in office.

[elleng]

1. Doubt it; likely he was planning/hoping for many years,

and the 2 came together, was 'working' TFG at the same time.

[Raine]

2. Putin didn't need to be goaded, he's been planning this for decades. nt

[intrepidity]

3. If anything, it's the reverse

TFG adopted Putin's attitudes.

But I *do* believe TFG contributed towards Putin's erroneous belief that it would be a cakewalk to invade.

[FreepFryer]

4. What? Nah. (Nt)

[Bucky]

5. Putin was goaded by natural gas deposits found in the Black Sea

[maxrandb]

6. Losing his useful idiot and enabler in the White House

just sped up Putin's timeline

He was counting on 4 more years of Donnie Dipshit kissing his ass and making fascism great again.

When that didn't pan out, he decided to shoot his wad. You can tell by the performance of Russian military that he was not ready.

If Putin was younger, he would have waited to install his next Retrumplican fascist in the White House in 2024.

Putin never learned the lesson that whatever Donnie Dipshit touches dies.

Hopefully, America is strong enough, and worth saving enough to overcome the damage done.

But seriously Vlad, everything that orange piece of amphibian shit touches dies!

America has one...maybe two...elections to break that cycle.

[C_U_L8R]

7. Perhaps the Intelligence Services gave Trump bad intel.

Who in turn, passed it onto his master in Moscow.