There are those including the impeached former guy (TFG), his family members, GOP politicians, right wing media and talking heads who say that the Russian Federation president (VP) did not attack Ukraine because of the former guy's strength, and if TFG had been elected to a second term that the invasion of Ukraine would not have happened.
* VP already had an asset in the US White House which is why he did not invade Ukraine at that time. *TFG promoted Kremlin talking points that it was Ukraine that interfered in the 2016 election and not the Kremlin. This started after a little side meeting, without aids and only translators, with VP at the Helsinki Summit in 2018. It was dubbed the "Treason Summit" because TFG publicly sided with VP over U.S. and Western Intelligence while standing next to VP at a presser. *TFG publicly stated that Crimea (illegally invaded and annexed by VP in 2014) was part of Russia, contrary to U.S. policy. * In 2019 TFG said that Ukraine should work with VP to resolve the eastern border crisis, and he blocked U.S. military aid to Ukraine. TFG attempts to extort Ukraine into investigating the energy company Burisma and the Bidens, in exchange for receiving military aid. This led to his first of two impeachments. *TFG also threatened to withhold military aid to Ukraine unless cooperation in the investigation into Paul Manafort was blocked. *VP wanted to weaken NATO, and he has aspirations to rebuild to the former USSR like status, to cement his legacy as he ages and loses rationality. TFG was aiding and abetting him. *TFG evidently said he would pull out of NATO, and possibly end the alliance with South Korea if he was elected to a second term. No doubt, that would have been welcomed by VP, and who knows, he may have already known that, and was counting on it. https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/6/29/1776326/-Will-Trump-pull-the-United-States-out-of-NATO-As-the-summit-approaches-it-s-a-real-possibility https://politicalwire.com/2022/02/24/trump-planned-to-pull-out-of-nato/ *If TFG had been elected to a second term he would have no doubt turned a blind eye, and there might not have been any involvement with or leadership to coordinate any response with U.S allies or with NATO to give what assistance they can and to head off any expanded aggression to NATO countries or neutral countries.
