Things are looking up, following the election of President Trump. While the Middle East conflict has the potential to spiral into World War III, at least the Ukrainian war may get wound down, with Trump wanting peace talks between Russia and the Ukraine. We have covered the Russian threats made earlier this year, that Russia was quite prepared to use nukes if they faced an existential threat. The use of NATO supplied long-range missiles to strike deep into Russia was one line that should not be crossed. As noted below, Putin respected the way Trump was courageous at his assassination attempt, seeing this as a display of manhood:
"Mr Putin noted that what Mr Trump said "about the desire to restore relations with Russia, to help end the Ukrainian crisis, in my opinion, deserves attention at least."
″I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate him on his election as president of the United States of America," Mr Putin said in a question-and-answer session at the conference in Sochi.
When asked what he expects from a second Trump presidency, Mr Putin said, "I don't know what will happen now, I have no idea."
"For him, this is still his last presidential term. What he will do is his matter."
Earlier Mr Putin called the president-elect a "courageous man" for surviving an assassination attempt on him in Pennsylvania in July, Reuters reports.
"His behavior at the time of the attempt on his life made an impression on me," Mr Putin said. "He turned out to be a courageous man."
"And it's not just about the raised hand and the call to fight for his and their common ideals ... He behaved, in my opinion, in a very correct way, courageously, like a man,"
This indicates respect, and that is a good foundation for the "art of the deal."
https://www.amazon.com.au/Trump-Art-Deal-Donald-J/dp/0399594493