Why didn't Putin do this when his puppet, TFG, was president?

[Cyrano]

Just asking.

Seems to me that Trump would have backed him all the way and even tried to find ways to help him.

Seriously, why did Putin wait 'til now, when he previously owned an American president?

Answers? Anyone?

[cilla4progress]

1. HE DIDN'T NEED TO

Loser was handing him everything he wanted with no cost or exposure!

[relayerbob]

2. This

[LakeArenal]

11. ✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️

[blm]

3. It would've guaranteed Trump's loss. Why mess with a formula

that was giving Putin what he wanted AND further dividing the US at the same time.

[tavernier]

4. Pretty sure that was the plan.

He probably thought the fix was in with the election and then it would be smooth sailing for him to take them all back.

That’s why Trump was desperate to overturn the election results. We spoiled their plans.

[Cyrano]

8. He had four years to do whatever the fuck he wanted to do

My question stands. Why did he wait until now?

[relayerbob]

5. No need to

They expected Trump to take the White House, one way or another, and use Hunter Biden's "corruption" as a pretext to overthrow Ukraine. That didn't work out so well, so now, it's on to Plan B.

Add to that, the Jan 6 and other investigations may well be preparing to out the links between the GQP and Putin, so he needs a distraction

[underpants]

6. It was in the works. Could've been a two-fer to at least weaken NATO

possibly effectively end it. Trump wouldn’t have done much and he certainly wouldn’t have engaged our allies. He was a the midst of a fit over them (gee wonder why).

Plus it’s Putin’s long term goal.

[allegorical oracle]

14. And don't forget how tfg constantly harangued the NATO countries about not paying their bills.

[underpants]

16. That was the fit I meant.

Gee wonder who benefited from the turmoil.

[allegorical oracle]

20. Yeah, it's plausible the two of them agreed to weaken NATO at Helsinki when nobody

was around and no notes were taken. Not a conspiracy, exactly, just a meeting of the authoritarian minds.

[Mr.Bill]

7. What we are seeing now

is Plan B.

[rso]

9. Putin

For one thing, Trump was destroying NATO and thus doing Putin a great service, so of course Putin stayed quiet because had he made moves against Ukraine, NATO would react by becoming more unified, and that is the opposite of what Putin wanted. In short, don’t interfere when your enemy (NATO) is being destroyed by Trump.

[Jim__]

10. Trump was helping Putin break-up NATO.

It would have been easier for Putin to divide any opposition to his seizure of territory after NATO was broken up. Putin wanted to begin any seizure of territory after the anticipated break-up of NATO.

[kskiska]

12. At any rate, the way things are right now,

all systems are GO for Putin to invade the U.S. The Repubublican Commie Party is paving the way and no one there is complaining. No more "Evil Empire." Putin will probably put his designated puppet in place as Premier.

[LakeArenal]

13. Because he can.

[Doodley]

15. Putin had his eye on bigger fish--taking control of America via his puppet.

[Irish_Dem]

18. Right, Putin was too busy invading the US.

He had to capture the GOP and half of the US population.
Which is now the case.

[Irish_Dem]

17. Putin didn't have all of the pieces lined up yet?

He wasn't ready for some reason.

[allegorical oracle]

19. It's possible that both men have dirt on each other so they reached an amicable stalemate. Like

two scorpions circling each other in a bottle.

[FrankTC]

21. Good Question

NATO would have been weakened by Trump's love affair with Putin. Meaningful sanctions and forceful responses would have been less likely. Maybe Putin didn't think that Trump would ever leave office?

[pecosbob]

22. Putin was busy trying to orchestrate a southern gas pipeline through Syria

ostensibly as an alternate route for Russian gas shipments. Nuclear tech for the Sunnis was the quid pro quo. The Syrian civil war and ISIS and Trump's egotism screwed that all up. This is the fall back plan.

Beyond the issue of oil and gas, Putin and his cronies' greatest vulnerability and fear is losing control of the populace. In the 1970s the unauthorized use of a photocopier would get you sent to the Gulag...these days it's texting.