President Donald Trump on Wednesday tweeted a bizarre and ominous defense of his widely criticized decision to congratulate Russian leader Vladimir Putin, who was re-elected on Sunday. Despite an explicit, all-caps warning from his advisers to “NOT CONGRATULATE” Putin ― likely because Trump’s campaign aides are under investigation for alleged collusion with Moscow ― Trump called him up and the pair had what he described as “a very good call.”“Getting along with Russia (and others) is a good thing, not a bad thing,” Trump tweeted. “They can help solve problems with North Korea, Syria, Ukraine, ISIS, Iran and even the coming Arms Race ... PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH!”It’s not clear what “coming arms race” he’s referring to ― rising tensions between Washington and Pyongyang have started to simmer since Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arranged a meeting to be held in May to negotiate the isolated nation’s denuclearization. Meanwhile, Putin unveiled his country’s new, “invincible” nuclear weapons earlier this month and claimed they could reach “anywhere in the world.” He used visual presentations to show off their purported strength, including one that appeared to show missiles raining down over Florida. The U.S. State Department responded by saying the veiled threat did not represent “the behavior of a responsible international player.”

Source: Huffington Post March 21, 2018 21:22 UTC