Since Putin kicked out Yeltsin in 1999, the West has been on an anti-Putin, anti-Russia terror. Not only have careers been made, but entire industries created in the service of seeing Russia as enemy. This has only increased over time with vicious and mendacious propaganda attacking Putin and Russia. Examples would be the characterization of Aleppo as a "war crime" (see: http://www.globalresearch.ca/media-disinformation-war-crimes-and-the-liberation-of-aleppo/5562729) and Russia's absorption of Crimea as an "invasion"(see https://www.quora.com/Why-did-Russia-annex-Crimea). Furthermore, various military figures claim "Russia is an existential threat" (see: https://www.rt.com/usa/355053-airforce-secretary-russia-threat-us/). So, NATO gets expanded, troops move into Estonia, missiles into Poland. Lots of money gets appropriated.
Along comes Trump, who wants to deescalate the conflict and restore relations. Now, sanctions dropping will surely benefit Exxon, but Trump's policy scares the Washington Consensus into desperately exerting their considerable powers to delegitimize Trump and stop his foreign policy. Billions of dollars in defense and thousands of careerists are at stake. Extraordinary efforts have gone into neutering Trump. I don't buy it.
Trump appears to be a disaster generally, but his foreign policy in regard to Russia seems sound, and it is a major improvement over what he now have. However, if the spooks and ideologues destroy this aspect of his foreign policy, we all lose.
