Putin Backs Trump's Decision To Pull Troops Out Of Syria, Says "Donald Is right"

[demmiblue]

Source: Newsweek

The Russian president Vladimir Putin has said that the U.S. is correct to withdraw its troops from Syria.

During his annual Q&A with domestic and foreign media, Putin was asked by The Chicago Tribune what he thought of the decision by President Donald Trump and his claims that the war against the Islamic State had been won.

"Donald is right and I agree with him," Putin said.

Putin reiterated Moscow’s view that the U.S. presence in Syria is illegitimate because it has not been agreed by the U.N. Security Council or approved by Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government.

Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/putin-backs-trumps-decision-pull-troops-out-syria-says-donald-right-1266460

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MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin praised President Trump’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria, describing the American presence there as illegitimate and the Islamic State as largely defeated on the ground.

Putin told journalists at his annual year-end news conference that the Islamic State has suffered “serious blows” in Syria.

“On this, Donald is right. I agree with him,” Putin said.

Trump said Wednesday that the Islamic State has been defeated in Syria, although analysts say the militant group remains a deadly force.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/putin-welcomes-the-us-decision-to-withdraw-its-military-from-syria/2018/12/20/4a7a0c32-0445-11e9-958c-0a601226ff6b_story.html

[olegramps]

1. Does anyone need more evidence that Trump has sold out his county?

[RVN VET71]

2. No rational human being would doubt it

And there are other issues of payback Individual-1 owes to Vladimir Putin, issues which will be brazenly revealed by the failed mob boss over the next very few months. Sadly, even as those debts are paid and the smile on Putin's face grows more arachnoid, a spider contemplating its victim wrapped hopelessly in a cocoon of webbing, there'll be 30,000,000 Americans -- and most of the GOP -- supporting his every bizarre and treasonous act as proof he wants to MAGA!

The more obvious his treason becomes, the more I find myself hoping that, far from prison, Individual-1 simply "escapes" to Russia, there to languish in humiliation and obscurity until death comes for him.

[watoos]

12. He just removed sanctions from Oleg Derapaska,

the guy who Manafort owes money to.

[olegramps]

19. He could choose Bendict Arnold's plan and escape to Russia like Arnold escaped to England.

[Botany]

3. We have a Russian Agent in the White House

n/t

[Baitball Blogger]

11. +1

Republican military brass have been duped if they supported this dope.

Actually, betrayed would be a better word.

[watoos]

13. The military loves him.

He gives them everything they ask for.

[olegramps]

20. The military brass has been in the Republican's pocket for years on end.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

21. Trump lie-tweeted "Russia doesn't like (exit)" to deflect the "agent" accusation. . . . nt

[olegramps]

22. Putin owns Trump. We will find out what he has on him when Trump is no longer useful.

Putin will squeeze him dry and then throw him in the garbage dump. The major problem is that the Republican Party's senators and representatives have unconditionally committed themselves to the destruction of the Democrats. They have engaged in spreading hatred and division so extensively that they would have to make a major change to stop the destruction that is taking place. Their dilemma is that their program has been resounding success. Their constituency has been so deeply brainwashed with the 24/7 hate propaganda that if they oppose Trump and his insane policies they will face defeat at the polls. They have made a pact with the devil that is having devastating repercussions throughout American society. Meanwhile the oligarchs are steadily working to transform the presidency into a authoritarian dictatorship that they can control at will. Good luck citizens. While we slept they were busy undermining every article of the constitution. A democracy is a government of the people and when they fail to be informed and properly utilize their right to vote it is in its death throes.

[Botany]

23. The depth to which "they" have sown their hatred can be seen in how upset some people are at the ...

.... the "NFL kneeling thing." Trump is on record telling people to go to websites that
are out of Russia to learn "the truth" and the web sites were: Stand for the flag, Stand for
the troops, and Stand for the anthem. Trump/Russia/GOP/Coal Companies have also sold
ignorance and hatred to the coal people of Appalachia and even though they know down deep
that coal is a dying business they have had their hatred stoked by years of hate talk and
and pure lies by the coal companies and others. In W.V. one of the big factors in the spreading
of this ignorance is by people'e "pastors."

We are up against something so big it is hard to understand.

[olegramps]

24. Yes. It is a double barreled attack. Hate radio propaganda reinforced from the pulpits.

I attended two fundamentalist maga-churches. The control of the congregations was alarming at best. Both had rallies after the services that were addressed by local Republican pols who attacked the Democratic candidates, local, state and federal, as enemies of stolid god fearing Christians. They were in lockstep agreement to vote straight Republicans tickets. There was no descent and a lot of amen.

[Botany]

25. Evangelicals are Christians who have skipped the teachings of Christ.

But they do love their JEEE=zus! And bring him out as their hammer.

[yuiyoshida]

4. Well, that settles it than....

(rolls eyes)

[mobeau69]

5. No matter what side of the issue one's on, this decision, and the way it was made and implemented,

is terrifying on so many levels.

He's shooting from the hip on a critical nationality security issue for perceived domestic political purposes! We're not out of the woods yet, America.

Thanks, deplorables.

[watoos]

14. I mean, are his Tweets, orders?

The military has failed to act on several of his previous Tweets.

You know how he got elected president (other than with help from Russia). He listened to the people's gripes who were calling in to AM radio and he used those issues in his campaign.

[mobeau69]

8. As I understand it

we were never invited into Germany and Japan.

[watoos]

15. I would agree with you 99.9% of the time, but..

once we pull out, our allies, the Kurds, who did the ground fighting for us and we supplied air support, in our fight against ISIS, are going to get slaughtered. We made a promise to them that we would stick by them. What message is that going to send to other people, to other countries? It will send the message to not trust the United States, our word is no good.

[Achilleaze]

7. The republican misleader* has sold out America

* aka republican Draft-Dodger-in-Chief

[Racerdog1]

10. Pootins Puppet

Piece of shit is going down one way or another.

[LittleGirl]

16. We have a russian agent

in the white house. When is the military going to take him out of there?

[Nitram]

17. Oh, well then. If Papa Pootie says it's okay then I guess we shouldn't worry about it.

I suspect Putin just delivered an ultimatum to the Trumpster: "deliver, or we release the video."

[Codeine]

18. Who's a good boy?!

Yes! You are such a good boy, aren’t you Donald! Ready for walkies?!

[MFGsunny]

26. Sock puppet obeys Spymaster

[More_Cowbell]

27. "Donald," not "President Trump"

I bet Donald hated that.

[xor]

28. I'm sure I'm in the minority here, but I have to wonder what our end goal for Syria has been

As in, what our overall objective is and what was the criteria for completion. I understand the goals of helping our Kurdish friends defeat ISIS and others of their ilk. For the most part that seems to be mostly complete. Not that ISIS is gone, of course, but their little wanna be country has been beaten down.

So, are we now there to protect our Kurdish friends from the Sryian/Russians and the Turks? If so, what is the scope of this and how long should we be there? What is the criteria for us to leave the region? We don't seem to be pushing for any political solutions like a Kurdish state. So, it seems like the plan is to stay indefinitely without any real timeline or goals.

If our continued goal is put pressure on Assad so that his regime falls, then I'm not sure I can support that. Assad is an asshole who should be tossed out, but if that happens then we risk ISIS or a similar group rising again. If Assad is gone and Syria goes to complete hell, then I doubt the Russians would stick around. That means US men and women will likely be the ones who will be brunt of any force to try to regain control. Iraq was/is bad enough. I don't want to see another 5,000 Americans die over there. Nor do I want to see millions of Syrians suffer more than they would have because of it.

I get that people will suffer under Assad, and that really sucks. Similar to how many suffered under Saddam's rule and would have continued to suffer under him if the US didn't invade. But how much more suffering was caused by our invasion? Most of us acknowledge that ISIS has its roots from the our Iraq adventures.

I am by no means an expert (on anything), so I could be wrong on this. I'm trying not to let my dislike for Trump and relationship with Russia influence my opinion too much.