From Russia, With Diesel

The one consistency of Donald Trump’s administration is inconsistency. Principles expire whenever his mood changes or political advantage beckons.

Consider Russia. Trump has relaxed sanctions to allow Russian diesel imports, offering Vladimir Putin a financial lifeline while his forces continue ravaging Ukraine. Apparently, punishing aggression becomes negotiable when fuel prices threaten Republican prospects.

Could the approaching midterm elections explain this sudden flexibility? The timing certainly invites that conclusion. Americans deserve affordable fuel. They also deserve a president whose foreign policy extends beyond the next election.

Every dollar flowing into Russia’s energy industry helps sustain the economy underwriting Putin’s war. Ukrainian families pay the price for his territorial ambitions. Russian soldiers die pursuing them. Hundreds of thousands have been killed, and for what? To satisfy a dictator’s imperial nostalgia?

Trump routinely promises strength, yet continually treats Putin as someone to accommodate. Where is the pressure to withdraw? Where is the accountability for invading a sovereign country?

Instead, the aggressor gets another customer, another concession and another reason to believe American resolve has a price.

The cartoon captures this dependency perfectly: Putin holds the bottle, and Trump drinks.

For a president obsessed with looking powerful, he seems remarkably comfortable being fed by a tyrant.