However, Trump has been tough on Russia in the past. In 2019, he approved anti-tank missile sales to Ukraine. He also withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty blaming Russian violations. And he issued economic sanctions against a Russian ship involved inbuilding the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.

Authoritarians like Putin often concoct ridiculous pretexts for starting wars. It's not often that an American president appears to accept them.

After Trump called Zelensky a “dictator” and began talks with Russia, even some of Zelensky’s harshest domestic critics have begun defending him.