Trump thought Putin was 'his true friend.' Analysis details what happened next.

In some late May posts on his Truth Social platform, U.S. President Donald Trump was more openly critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin than he had been the past.

Disappointed that Russian forces continue to attack Ukraine, Trump posted, "What Vladimir Putin doesn’t realize is that if it weren’t for me, lots of really bad things would have already happened to Russia, and I mean REALLY BAD. He's playing with fire!"

In a Truth Social post on May 25, Trump wrote, "I've always had a good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He has gone absolutely CRAZY! He is needlessly killing a lot of people, and I’m not just talking about soldiers. Missiles and drones are being shot into Cities in Ukraine, for no reason whatsoever."

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Compared to the scathing criticism of Putin that came from the late Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona), those comments were mild. But they came as a surprise in light of how favorable to Putin Trump was in the past.

In an article published on May 30, Salon's Heather Digby Parton lays out some reasons why Trump is being more critical of Putin.

"I think in the beginning," Parton argues, "Trump's adoration for Putin was really just about his strongman image — which Trump loves — and also, a very obvious pecuniary interest in currying favor with the man who might grease the skids for him to build a Trump Tower in Moscow just in case the whole presidential thing didn't work out…. But I think all that changed after it became clear that Russia had helped him win the 2016 election with the hacking of the (Hillary) Clinton campaign's e-mails."

Parton continues, "His ego is so huge that he took that to mean Putin really respected him and wanted him to be president, so they could work together to make great deals for their countries."

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In his recent Truth Social posts about Putin, Trump sounds disappointed — like he had high hopes but feels let down.

"Trump apparently believed that Vladimir Putin was his true friend, and I think he also truly believed that he could just pick up the phone once he was elected — and his buddy would congratulate him and tell him that he couldn't wait to do a deal to end the war," Parton explains. "As a gesture of good faith, he'd probably initiate a ceasefire there and then on Day 1. Unfortunately for all concerned, Trump was wrong about that, as any sentient being could have told him."

Parton adds, "He was right that Putin was thrilled that he was back in the White House, but only because he knew that Trump would divide the allies, favor him over Ukraine and essentially help him achieve his goal…. He's playing Trump like a Stradivarius, and this past week, Trump seemed to realize for the first time that Vladimir isn't the loyal best pal he thought he was."

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Heather Digby Parton's full article for Salon is available at this link.