Trump: Only 'stupid' people think warm ties with Russia are a bad thing

[spanone]

(CNN)President-elect Donald Trump is continuing to resist conclusions reached by US intelligence agencies on Russian involvement in the 2016 election, and on Saturday defended his long-held belief that closer ties with Russia would be good for the US.

Trump's comments come one day after he received intelligence stating that the Russian government hacked Democratic Party groups and individuals during the election, and that Moscow acted to hurt Hillary Clinton's campaign to benefit Trump.

"Having a good relationship with Russia is a good thing, not a bad thing. Only 'stupid' people, or fools, would think that it is bad, We have enough problems around the world without yet another one. When I am President, Russia will respect us far more than they do now and both countries will, perhaps, work together to solve some of the many great and pressing problems and issues of the WORLD!" Trump tweeted.

The US intelligence community concluded in a report publicly released Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an "influence campaign" to harm Clinton's chances of being elected president.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/07/politics/donald-trump-russia-relationship/index.html

[guillaumeb]

1. Better ties with Russia are good things. eom

[blue cat]

4. Especially for the Russians

But not for their neighbors.

[guillaumeb]

5. Russia is actually surrounded by US and NATO bases.

What would the US response be if Russia announced plans to construct bases in Cuba, and Mexico, and Canada?

[Generator]

11. There is a reason for that

Putin wants everything he can get. If he was democratic it would be different. Do you know anything about the life of the people in Russia? Last month in Nat Geo magazine there was a good article. Putin has stolen the resources of his country and his people are suffering.

[guillaumeb]

18. I am not speaking about Putin, or about the Russian people.

I am speaking about the power politics behind surrounding Russia, and the same power politics that caused the "pivot to Asia" that seeks to marginalize China. And the beneficiaries of this surrounding and marginalizing are the 1% who control the US.

[CentralMass]

14. A few links to put NATO's presence in the region into perspective .

Here is the main link to the article.

http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_111767.htm

Here is a link within it to clsims that NATO is encircling Russia.

http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_111767.htm#cl101

Pardon thd long quote.

"Claim: NATO is trying to encircle Russia
Fact: This claim ignores the facts of geography. Russia's land border is just over 20,000 kilometres long. Of that, 1,215 kilometres, or less than one-sixteenth, face current NATO members.

Russia shares land borders with 14 countries (Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China, North Korea). Only five of them are NATO members.

Claims that NATO is building bases around Russia are similarly groundless. Outside the territory of NATO nations, NATO only maintains a significant military presence in three places: Kosovo, Afghanistan, and at sea off the Horn of Africa. All three operations are carried out under United Nations mandate, and thus carry the approval of Russia, along with all other Security Council members. Before Russia's aggressive actions in Ukraine began, Russia provided logistical support to the Afghan mission, and cooperated directly with the counter-piracy operation, showing clearly that Russia viewed them as a benefit, not a threat.

With respect to the permanent stationing of U.S. and other Allied forces on the territory of other Allies in Europe, NATO has full abided by the commitments made in the NATO-Russia Founding Act. There has been no permanent stationing of additional combat forces on the territory of other allies; and total force levels have, in fact, been substantially reduced since the end of the Cold War

NATO has partnership relationships with many countries in Europe and Asia, as can be seen from this interactive map. Such partnerships, which are requested by the partners in question, focus exclusively on issues agreed with them, such as disaster preparedness and relief, transparency, armed forces reform, and counter-terrorism. These partnerships cannot legitimately be considered a threat to Russia, or to any other country in the region, let alone an attempt at encirclement.*

Back to top

[guillaumeb]

19. As you pointed out:

Russia shares land borders with 14 countries (Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China, North Korea). Only five of them are NATO members.

If we look at NATO membership, we find:

Twelve countries were part of the founding of NATO: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In 1952, Greece and Turkey became members of the Alliance, joined later by West Germany (in 1955) and Spain (in 1982).

Given that NATO stands for North Atlantic Treaty Organization, perhaps you can explain why Spain, Greece and Turkey are members. None of them are in the North Atlantic, but Spain is strategically placed at the western Mediterranean, and Greece and Turkey are strategically placed in the eastern Mediterranean.

In addition, there is a training center, as it is described, in Georgia. Also bases in Afghanistan. SO while these facilities are not called NATO bases, that is a semantical argument that avoids the fact that NATO is encircling Russia. And the Russian Government is obviously aware of that, and aware of the propensity of the US to interfere in the internal affairs of many countries.

And none of this is offered as an excuse for Russian interference, but it is good to know why nations act as they do.

[spanone]

17. true, but how can you have better ties when they are hacking our elections?

[guillaumeb]

20. What had more consequence?

Russian hacking, or GOP suppression?

[spanone]

21. we'll never know how the hacking influenced the election.

it's hard to have 'warm ties' with someone who's cheating.

[guillaumeb]

22. I do not think great powers can have warm ties.

Perhaps alliances based on mutual interests.

[spanone]

23. agreed

[DemocratSinceBirth]

30. Not for the Russian people, especially dissidents anf gltbtq people.

[guillaumeb]

33. Better in the sense that a lower level of animosity is generally better.

Less chance of state violence.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

34. We should leave Putin alone and he should leave us alone.

I no more want him as a "friend" than I want Marine Le Pen as a "friend".

He is a bad guy. He kills or poisons his political opponents, persecutes glbtq people, bullies his smaller neighbors, and demands "tributes" to do business in Russia.

[guillaumeb]

35. Agreed on all of those things. eom

[lapfog_1]

2. hey Ukraine... Baltic States...

Welcome Back... back in the US... back in the US.. back in the USSR!

[HipChick]

3. So...basically the US intelligence community is stupid?

[BeyondGeography]

6. Only stupid people think Trump doesn't have financial ties to Russia

[shraby]

7. His first mistake is thinking Russia will respect him or us. His second is that "stupid" people

will think ties are a bad thing.
Get a brain Ferd!

[enough]

8. He thinks they respect him? NT

[HassleCat]

9. Trump is right!

He and his good friend Putin already solved a big problem, too many Democrats getting elected.

[Wellstone ruled]

10. Thank you Mr. Trump for calling

54% of the US population Stupid People. Love you too. What a Idiot.

[TubbersUK]

12. But why doesn't he take the same conciliatory approach to

China , Mexico ....... etc ?

Why Russia ?

[spanone]

15. those other countries didn't help him get elected.

[TubbersUK]

16. Yes n/t

[Penn Voter]

13. Close ties to Russia

have certainly worked for Rex Tillerson. I would love to know what Putin has on Don the Con.

[tavernier]

24. Only stupid people can be so easily manipulated

by a murderous, soulless dictator, driven by ego and power lust.

[gulliver]

25. The only thing Russia can give us is what the mob gives local businesses.

We don't need warm relations with Russia. They have a mob/goon economy, very similar to places like Saudi Arabia. The only thing we can get from Russia is through bribes and protection money. We give them something or they cause trouble.

Someone should ask Trump exactly what America gets out of warm relations with Russia. Maybe if we have warm relations with Russia they won't trick America into electing assholes to be president? I don't think that's necessarily what Trump would say though.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

29. Putin went from out of work to amassing a 40 billion dollar fortune.

[onecaliberal]

26. Classic projection from the worlds biggest dumb fuck.

[spanone]

27. he's also a royal asshole. kids call each other 'stupid'..... presidents?

[erpowers]

28. Why Does the U.S. Need Warm Relations With Russia

I do not see why the United States needs warm relations with Russia. What would the United States get out of warm relations with Russia? How has not having warm relations with Russia hurt the United States? It seems to me that Donald Trump needs warm relations with Russia.

[Cha]

31. Said the big ol stupid pervert

[LaydeeBug]

32. He said he didn't talk to them during the campaign, right before he COMMITS TREASON RIGHT HERE: