President Donald Trump is on the receiving end of widespread bipartisan backlash for his decision to abandon Kurdish allies backed by U.S. Special Forces in Northern Syria, paving the way for aggression from neighboring Turkey.
While the backlash may be resounding in the United States, Russian media personalities are celebrating the President's subservience to Turkey and Russia, which has been trying to gain a foothold in the region for some time.
Julia Davis of The Daily Beast covered the numerous Russian journalists and pundits laughing at the ease with which the United States withdrew from Northern Syria to clear the way for Turkey and Russia.
Mikhail Rostovsky of the newspaper Moskovsky Komsomolets wrote:
“Those who were convinced of Trump’s uselessness for Russia ought to think again...What Washington got out of this strange move is completely unclear. To the contrary, what Moscow gained from this is self-evident...Trump’s mistake in Syria is the unexpected ‘lottery win’ that further strengthened Moscow’s position in the Middle East and undermined America’s prestige as a rational political player and a reliable partner.”
Maksim Yusin, a prominent international politics editor, said on Russia's 60 Minutes:
“You know, I’ve been watching Trump’s behavior lately and get seditious thoughts: maybe he really is a Russian agent? He is laboring so hard to strengthen the international image of Russia in general—and Putin in particular...In this situation, Americans—to their chagrin and our enjoyment—are the only losers in this situation.”
Host Olga Skabeeva later echoed his claims:
“This is such a pleasure. Russian soldiers have taken an American base under our complete control, without a fight!”
Her co-host Evgeny Popov concurred:
“Suddenly, we have defeated everyone. This is an American base—and they just ran away! Trump ran away!”
While the Mueller Report found insufficient evidence to bring allegations of conspiracy between Trump's 2016 campaign and Russian agents to trial, no one was surprised that—once again—Trump was acting in the interests of Russia, masking them as the interests of the United States.
As U.S. Special Forces continue to leave Northern Syria and the five day cease fire negotiated between Turkish and American delegations draws to a close, Kurds left behind in the region are decrying the U.S. for abandoning them after Kurdish forces played an instrumental role in containing ISIS.
Meanwhile, Russia cheers.