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[timelets]

WSJ has an extensive article about Trump's fascination with Putin. If you don't have a subscription you can read a cached version here https://archive.is/y5r30

When President Trump met Russia’s Vladimir Putin for their first bilateral summit, in the Finnish capital of Helsinki in July 2018, the two men cloistered themselves for hours with no advisers present.

Once they emerged to a packed news conference, Trump tossed a gift from the Russian president—a soccer ball meant for Trump’s son Barron—to the front row where America’s senior-most officials sat. Trump then stunned his team by saying he believed Putin, and not America’s own intelligence services, about whether Russia interfered in the 2016 elections that brought him to power.
At the time, the public outcry in Washington—including by the Republican leadership in Congress and his own aides on Air Force One—forced Trump to change course within 24 hours. Soon, new sanctions against Russia went into effect.

Openly embracing Russia was still toxic at the time. After all, Trump’s first choice for national security adviser, Mike Flynn, had been forced to resign over discussing sanctions relief with the Russian ambassador before the inauguration, and Russia hawks assumed key positions in the new administration.

Those guardrails —in Congress or inside the administration— barely exist today.
https://www.wsj.com/world/russia/donald-trump-vladimir-putin-relationship-4decfe96