The Russian Roots of Trump's Venezuela and Greenland Operations- Very good read. [View all]

An investigation by America 2.0 has revealed that Vladimir Putin has been attempting to influence Donald Trump to seize both Venezuela and Greenland since at least 2017. The effort, rooted in Putin's ambitions in Ukraine, hinged on American embrace of the Monroe Doctrine, the 1823 policy framework that focused American influence within the Western Hemisphere.

Putin's reasoning, according to witnesses familiar with the proposals, is simple: if Trump would agree to disengage in Ukraine, Putin would agree to give Trump control in Venezuela. Each country is in the other's “backyard,” the story went, so if Trump got relief in his backyard, Putin could expect reciprocation in his.

Rather than approach Trump outright with an explicit quid-pro-quo arrangement, Putin arranged a series of dangles and provocations that he hoped might prompt Trump to follow Putin's plan.