Sen. John McCain reached out to Donald Trump on Twitter, seeing a rare opportunity to cooperate as the spectre of Russian influence is pushing Trump toward a more antagonistic approach to Putin — at least publicly. McCain asked the president to continue US sanctions against Russia and to arm Ukraine against further Russian incursions. Or as McCain put it, the US should give Ukraine “defensive lethal assistance.”
The Trump administration, like those preceding it, have sought to reset Russian relations — with Trump expressing admiration for Putin and favoring greater cooperation between the nations. But with the resignation of Michael Flynn as National Security Advisor (upon revelations of illicit Russian contacts) McCain listed four specific reasons the president should refrain from “suggesting moral equivalence between the United States and Russia.” In a note on Flynn’s resignation, McCain enumerated Russian activities adverse to US interests:
1) “its invasion of Ukraine”
2) “annexation of Crimea”
3) “threats to our NATO allies”
4) “attempted interference in American elections”
