Trump’s Putin Pushback He invites Montenegro to join NATO and keeps up the Syria pressure.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/trumps-putin-pushback-1491954081
The theory, popular with the media, that President Trump is a political prisoner of Vladimir Putin is looking less credible by the day. The latest evidence arrived Tuesday as White House officials accused Russia of trying to cover up Bashar Assad’s chemical-weapons assault in Syria, and Mr. Trump formally invited Montenegro to join NATO.
As Mr. Putin was refusing to meet Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Moscow, White House officials said Russia is conducting a “disinformation campaign” to shield Mr. Assad from accountability for last week’s sarin attack that killed at least 85 people. The officials also said they suspect Russia knew about the attack in advance given how closely the two militaries work together in Syria—though there isn’t definitive evidence. This public truth-telling is welcome and helps to keep diplomatic pressure on Mr. Assad and Russia as his accomplice.
Meanwhile, the White House announced that Mr. Trump signed the U.S. “instrument of ratification” for Montenegro to become the 29th member of NATO. The decision paves the way for the tiny Eastern Europe nation to join at the NATO summit in May if other nations agree.
Montenegro won’t count for much militarily, but its entry is important as a rebuke to Mr. Putin, who opposes any expansion of the Western alliance close to Russia’s borders. Last year Russian agents tried but failed to orchestrate a coup to overthrow Montenegro’s pro-Western government. “President Trump congratulates the Montenegrin people for their resilience and their demonstrated commitment to NATO’s democratic values,” said the White House statement, in a clear reference to the coup attempt.
The investigations into ties between Russia and the Trump presidential campaign have a long way to go, but Mr. Trump isn’t acting like someone who is making foreign-policy judgments out of fear of Russia’s response. This is reassuring and will strengthen his leverage with the Russian strongman.
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