This is worth taking seriously as political analysis. Here's how I'd frame it:
Putin's known strategic wishlist for America:
Russia's two long-standing strategic goals are dominion over Ukraine and the weakening of U.S. power, especially in Europe -- both embedded in its ambition to undo the post-Cold War order. More specifically, Putin knows his military can't defeat NATO conventionally, but he can create enough division from within its ranks to fracture trust across the 32-member alliance.
And beyond Ukraine, his goal is to regain the position of the Soviet Union of his youth: control over Eastern Europe, most of Central Europe, and at least parts of Southeastern Europe -- in a Europe largely abandoned by the United States. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace + 2
So the script Putin would hand an American Speaker would look something like this:
Europeans have been taken aback by Trump's refusal to commit additional assistance to Ukraine and the pressure placed on Kyiv to accept Russian demands, including the formal ceding of sovereignty over seized territory and the abandonment of NATO membership aspirations.
Putin himself pointed out that Trump's national security strategy doesn't name Russia as a direct adversary, asking pointedly:
"How can you prepare NATO for a war with Russia if the main member of NATO doesn't consider us an enemy?"
That's Putin not complaining -- that's Putin gloating publicly.
On the domestic chaos front, Johnson's tenure has been marked by few legislative accomplishments and a series of internal splits that consistently stymied his party's own agenda.
The House Republican conference is so consumed by factional performance politics that basic governance has become nearly impossible -- which is exactly the kind of dysfunction that makes America look weak and ungovernable to the world.
Where would Putin change the script?
Honestly, very little.
If Putin were actually advising Johnson, the additions would be marginal -- maybe push harder on dismantling the intelligence community's Russia-tracking capacity (DOGE cuts to the IC have already helped here), perhaps push for formal U.S. recognition of Russian territorial gains in Ukraine, and encourage more friction with the Baltic states specifically.
But the core program -- institutional erosion, NATO skepticism, Ukraine abandonment, culture war distraction, authoritarian executive consolidation, media delegitimization -- is already running.
Putin wouldn't need to issue new instructions so much as send a thank-you note.
The uncomfortable conclusion: the gap between "what Putin would want" and "what Trump/Johnson/MaGA are doing" is so narrow it barely constitutes a gap.
It's the kind of convergence that doesn't require a conspiracy to explain -- it just requires shared interests in weakening the liberal democratic order, for very different stated reasons.
They don't need to be coordinated to be useful to Moscow.
Any more than those under Trump need a direct call to his illiberal, or illegal actions. They know what he expects. It's what they telegraphed to him for selection. It's what they were hired to do.
So the script Putin would hand an American Speaker would look something like this:
- Abandon Ukraine or force humiliating terms on Zelensky
- Hollow out NATO's credibility, especially the Article 5 mutual defense commitment
- Create internal American chaos that consumes all political oxygen
- Erode trust in democratic institutions, courts, press, elections
- Alienate European allies so they can't coordinate against Moscow
- Keep America turned inward on culture war and grievance politics
- Weaken the intelligence community's ability to counter Russian ops
Europeans have been taken aback by Trump's refusal to commit additional assistance to Ukraine and the pressure placed on Kyiv to accept Russian demands, including the formal ceding of sovereignty over seized territory and the abandonment of NATO membership aspirations.
Putin himself pointed out that Trump's national security strategy doesn't name Russia as a direct adversary, asking pointedly:
"How can you prepare NATO for a war with Russia if the main member of NATO doesn't consider us an enemy?"
That's Putin not complaining -- that's Putin gloating publicly.
On the domestic chaos front, Johnson's tenure has been marked by few legislative accomplishments and a series of internal splits that consistently stymied his party's own agenda.
The House Republican conference is so consumed by factional performance politics that basic governance has become nearly impossible -- which is exactly the kind of dysfunction that makes America look weak and ungovernable to the world.
Where would Putin change the script?
Honestly, very little.
If Putin were actually advising Johnson, the additions would be marginal -- maybe push harder on dismantling the intelligence community's Russia-tracking capacity (DOGE cuts to the IC have already helped here), perhaps push for formal U.S. recognition of Russian territorial gains in Ukraine, and encourage more friction with the Baltic states specifically.
But the core program -- institutional erosion, NATO skepticism, Ukraine abandonment, culture war distraction, authoritarian executive consolidation, media delegitimization -- is already running.
Putin wouldn't need to issue new instructions so much as send a thank-you note.
The uncomfortable conclusion: the gap between "what Putin would want" and "what Trump/Johnson/MaGA are doing" is so narrow it barely constitutes a gap.
It's the kind of convergence that doesn't require a conspiracy to explain -- it just requires shared interests in weakening the liberal democratic order, for very different stated reasons.
They don't need to be coordinated to be useful to Moscow.
Any more than those under Trump need a direct call to his illiberal, or illegal actions. They know what he expects. It's what they telegraphed to him for selection. It's what they were hired to do.
It's also how the Mafia worked. It's how criminal organizations work.
It's Why RICO was created to deal with that criminal universe.
They just need to keep doing exactly what they're doing.
It's Why RICO was created to deal with that criminal universe.
They just need to keep doing exactly what they're doing.
This isn't rocket science. It's not complicated.
They're not even any longer trying to hide it, any of it.
Cheers! Sláinte! Na zdravie!
JZ Murdock is a retired Senior Technical Writer/IT administrator, and an active award-winning author/ filmmaker, documentarian, and writer based in Bremerton, Washington.
He publishes commentary on the state of things at murdockinations.com and on his creative works over at Substack. He also posts on Slasher.com on the horror genre.
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