I'm not sure the public appreciates how much of Putin's longterm agenda has been accomplished by Trump moves in just 1000 days. The 2016 attack paid off for Putin tens times over.
It's not fun to say that and it's not a commentary on Putin or Russia but rather an objective look at studies and expert sentiment.
A longterm goal of Putin's: Chaos in Democracies like the US. Anyone who pays attention to politics know that this is one of the most polarized times in modern US history. Trump's attacks on the FBI and CIA (entrapment during 2016 nonsense) are music to Putin's ears, as well.
A longterm goal of Putin's: Weaken NATO. Trump's decision to abruptly withdraw from Syria allowed Turkey to invade Syria and commit war crimes. Putin has immediately cozied up to Erdogan because he knows that the move into Syria will likely weak NATO's partnership with Turkey.
A longterm goal of Putin's: Demonize US intel agencies on the world stage. Bill Barr has been flying to foreign countries and meeting with foreign intelligence agencies in order to disprove and diminish what every US intel agency concluded: Russia attacked the electoral process.
A longterm goal of Putin's: Make Ukraine leadership look weak to strengthen Russia's positioning in the war. Trump as soon as Ukraine's new President took office, began pressuring him to investigate Democrats in an apparent quid pro quo. Zelensky immediately on the ropes as Prez.
A longterm goal of Putin's: Strengthen relations with Iran to the best degree possible. Trump's actions in Syria have seen an axis of Iran-Russia-Syria take back land at a rapid pace. Russia has built its military cooperation and coordination with Iran in this respect.
I'd encourage everyone to take a look at Aleksandr Dugin's Foundations of Geopolitics (1997). Dugin is often described as the "philosopher" or "brains" behind Putin's motivations. It will give you an insight into how much Trump has checked off of the longterm list for Putin.
What does a compromised President get you? Well... This.
