Charlie Sykes: ‘One of Putin’s Big Victories Was to Get One-On-One Negotiations with Donald Trump’

EXCERPT:

SYKES: “And, frankly, there’s nothing new about it. You know, Mitch McConnell says we’re seeing the new kind of presidency, but this relationship is not new. And it’s been characterized by Donald Trump’s refusal ever to criticize Vladimir Putin. He continues to make one concession after another. Putin makes no concession whatsoever. I don’t know what Trump expected was going to happen, but one of Putin’s big victories was to get one-on-one negotiations with Donald Trump, be able to play upon his ego and those weaknesses because Donald Trump’s negotiating skills, I think, despite all the hype are notoriously weak because he is so susceptible to flattery and the fact that they apparently included some references to U.S.-Russia hockey games. You can just — I mean, the lack of seriousness there. But just keep in mind, though, that Vladimir Putin has made no concessions. We have demanded no concessions from him.”