Why Putin 'sees Trump as an asset' and longs for his return to the White House: ex-NSC official

During a December 16 campaign speech in New Hampshire, 2024 GOP presidential frontrunner Donald Trump praised authoritarian leaders like Russian President Vladimir Putin and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and doubled down on his claim that immigrants are "poisoning the blood of our country." Trump, according to critics, was expressing his admiration for autocrats while using rhetoric that Adolf Hitler employed in 1924's "Mein Kampf" (Hitler said that Jews were "poisoning the blood" of Germany).

President Joe Biden, in contrast, has been vehemently critical of Putin and is calling for more military aid to Ukraine, which has been fighting a war against Russian invaders.

Former National Security Council (NSC) official Fiona Hill, according to The Guardian's Martin Pengelly, is warning that Putin is hoping Trump returns to the White House in January 2025 and would love to see Biden voted out office.

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During an appearance on the "One Decision Podcast," Hill stressed that Putin "knows how to manipulate" Trump and explained, "The anticipation that Trump's going to come back is something for Putin of a boon.… He can play with that. He can use it as kind of a warning.… scare the Ukrainians, the Europeans, the rest of the world. Putin is pretty confident, given his experiences with Trump in the past, that Trump will be quick to try to resolve the.… war in Ukraine in his favor."

Hill continued, "And, you know, obviously, Putin has had Trump's number for some time…. He has been very good at the art of flattery with Trump. He sees Trump as an asset in many respects."

The former NSC official also alluded to the fact a Trump victory over Biden in 2024 could be a major blow for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Trump threated to withdraw from NATO during his presidency, while Biden has been aggressively pro-NATO and applauded Sweden and Finland's desire to join the alliance.

Hill, during her "One Decision Podcast" appearance, told listeners, "Putin is pretty confident that he can stoke up the culture wars here, there and everywhere.… In any case, everything that Trump surrogates or Trump himself says about NATO…. about Europe and European security, about world and global affairs, about Ukraine, everything that's happening on Capitol Hill.… for Putin, this is just for him a sign that again, everything is going to rapidly switch in in his direction, his favor."

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