--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If Russia were to do something that it…" description: "\"If Russia were to do something that it could do, it looks like it might even be preparing to do, to invade Ukraine and essentially to dismember it, thi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fc/charles-krauthammer-1232_putin_if-russia-were-to-do-something-that-it-c_2298115.png" --- # If Russia were to do something that it could do, it looks… ![“If Russia were to do something that it could do, it looks like it might even be preparing to do, to invade Ukraine and essentially to dismember it, this would be the one item that could reflect really badly on Trump because of the warm way he spoke about Putin.” quote by Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fc/charles-krauthammer-1232_putin_if-russia-were-to-do-something-that-it-c_2298115.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fc/charles-krauthammer-1232_putin_if-russia-were-to-do-something-that-it-c_2298115.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fc/charles-krauthammer-1232_putin_if-russia-were-to-do-something-that-it-c_2298115.png) > “If Russia were to do something that it could do, it looks like it might even be preparing to do, to invade Ukraine and essentially to dismember it, this would be the one item that could reflect really badly on Trump because of the warm way he spoke about Putin.” [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. If Russia invades Ukraine, it could damage Trump’s reputation because of his warm remarks about Putin, showing political risk in foreign policy statements. **In simple terms:** A potential invasion would hurt Trump’s image due to his comments on Putin. Key Takeaway Consider diplomatic implications before speaking. Themes politics foreign policy reputation Mood cautious analytical Type political critical When to use this quote - election campaigns - policy analysis - media commentary Key Concepts risk leadership geopolitics Questions to Reflect On - How should leaders address past statements when crises arise? - What safeguards can prevent diplomatic fallout? A Different Perspective Complex geopolitics may not be solely defined by a single comment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Invade Ukraine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invade-ukraine-798306/) [Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/putin/) [Russia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/russia/) [Russia Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/russia-looks-5425212/) [Spoke Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spoke-putin-465213/) [Ukraine Essentially](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ukraine-essentially-3502322/) ## Related quotes > [I spoke to Putin twice. He called me on the election. Vladimir Putin called me on the inauguration. We had a very good talk,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-spoke-to-putin-twice-he-called-me-on-the-election-vladimir-putin/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [The crisis in Ukraine is all the European Union’s fault. Its leaders negotiated a trade deal with Ukraine, which essentially blackmailed the country to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marine-le-pen/the-crisis-in-ukraine-is-all-the-european-union-s-fault-its-leaders/) [Marine Le Pen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marine-le-pen/) > [If the Russians make the decision to invade Ukraine, this is an attack on the entire U.N. Charter. It is an attack on peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-thomas-greenfield/if-the-russians-make-the-decision-to-invade-ukraine-this-is-an-attack/) [Linda Thomas-Greenfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-thomas-greenfield/) > [There are no checks on Mr. Putin. Just as he made the irresponsible decision to invade Ukraine, you know, he could make another decision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lloyd-austin/there-are-no-checks-on-mr-putin-just-as-he-made-the-irresponsible/) [Lloyd Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lloyd-austin/) > [“Russia will invade Ukraine, probably within the next few weeks. They will annex the Crimea. From there, if they meet no resistance from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/russia-will-invade-ukraine-probably-within-the-next-few-weeks-they/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [I would like to see Russia not invade Ukraine or put pressure on and threaten Baltic states. But we live in the real and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-remnick/i-would-like-to-see-russia-not-invade-ukraine-or-put-pressure-on-and/) [David Remnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-remnick/) > [Contrary to the conventional wisdom in the West, Moscow did not invade Ukraine to conquer it and make it part of a Greater Russia.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mearsheimer/contrary-to-the-conventional-wisdom-in-the-west-moscow-did-not-invade/) [John Mearsheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mearsheimer/) > [U.S. adversaries exploit power gaps. It's easier for Russia to invade Ukraine with irregular forces out of uniform, the so-called 'little green men,' than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ignatius/u-s-adversaries-exploit-power-gaps-it-s-easier-for-russia-to-invade/) [David Ignatius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ignatius/) > [Putin has had many positive experiences working with Western political leaders whose business interests made them more disposed to deal with Russia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-franken/putin-has-had-many-positive-experiences-working-with-western/) [Al Franken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-franken/) > [You cannot compare any leaders in our country to what Vladimir Putin has done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-klobuchar/you-cannot-compare-any-leaders-in-our-country-to-what-vladimir-putin/) [Amy Klobuchar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-klobuchar/) > [Sunday was the normal day for the political awareness session at sea. Ordinarily Putin would have officiated, reading some Pravada editorials, followed by selected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/sunday-was-the-normal-day-for-the-political-awareness-session-at-sea/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [Putin is a better leader than Obama, because Obama's not a leader, so he's certainly doing a better job than Obama is, and that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/putin-is-a-better-leader-than-obama-because-obama-s-not-a-leader-so/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [I don't know Putin. He said nice things about me. If we got along well, that would be good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-don-t-know-putin-he-said-nice-things-about-me-if-we-got-along-well/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [“Putin has positioned himself as the leader of an authoritarian, xenophobic international movement that wants to expel immigrants, break up the European Union, weaken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-rodham-clinton/putin-has-positioned-himself-as-the-leader-of-an-authoritarian/) [Hillary Rodham Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-rodham-clinton/) > [ \[Putin\] is a bully. And bullies only understand when we punch them in the nose, but we need to do that economically. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-ayotte/putin-is-a-bully-and-bullies-only-understand-when-we-punch-them-in/) [Kelly Ayotte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-ayotte/) ## More by Charles Krauthammer > [Obama and the Democrats were so critical of what Bush did, the interrogations, the secret prisons, Guantanamo and all of that, and even the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/obama-and-the-democrats-were-so-critical-of-what-bush-did-the/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [“America is the most welcoming, religiously tolerant, philo-semitic country in the world. No nation since Cyrus the Great’s Persia has done more for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/america-is-the-most-welcoming-religiously-tolerant-philo-semitic/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [I believe in what I believe, and I think after all these years I've heard a lot of arguments, and I'm convinced by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/i-believe-in-what-i-believe-and-i-think-after-all-these-years-i-ve/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [With our financial house on fire, Obama makes clear both in in his speech and his budget that the essence of his presidency will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/with-our-financial-house-on-fire-obama-makes-clear-both-in-in-his/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [The conservative idea is not that government has no role. You might have argued that in the thirties when conservatives opposed the New Deal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/the-conservative-idea-is-not-that-government-has-no-role-you-might/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [The war is not going well and it is time to say why. It has been fought with half-measures. It has been fought with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/the-war-is-not-going-well-and-it-is-time-to-say-why-it-has-been/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [“International stability is never a given. It is never the norm. When achieved, it is the product of self-conscious action by the great powers,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/international-stability-is-never-a-given-it-is-never-the-norm-when/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [Look, I don't mind if the President sends a budget which he knows is not going to achieve anything. But when he prefaces his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/look-i-don-t-mind-if-the-president-sends-a-budget-which-he-knows-is/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [“Politics is the moat, the walls, beyond which lie the barbarians. Fail to keep them at bay, and everything burns.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/politics-is-the-moat-the-walls-beyond-which-lie-the-barbarians-fail/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [Don't touch my junk, you airport security goon--my package belongs to no one but me, and do you really think I'm a Nigerian nut…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/don-t-touch-my-junk-you-airport-security-goon-my-package-belongs-to/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [“The Russian Revolution and its imitators (Chinese, Cuban, Vietnamese, Cambodian) tried to atomize society so thoroughly--to war against the mediating structures that stand between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/the-russian-revolution-and-its-imitators-chinese-cuban-vietnamese/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [Where religion is trivialized, one is unlikely to find persecution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/where-religion-is-trivialized-one-is-unlikely-to-find-persecution/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [We must now brace ourselves for disquisitions on peer pressure, adolescent anomie, and rage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/we-must-now-brace-ourselves-for-disquisitions-on-peer-pressure/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [Post-Watergate morality, by which anything left private is taken as presumptive evidence of wrongdoing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/post-watergate-morality-by-which-anything-left-private-is-taken-as/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [“The largest threat to freedom, democracy, the market economy and prosperity,' warns Czech president Vaclav Klaus, 'is no longer socialism. It is, instead, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/the-largest-threat-to-freedom-democracy-the-market-economy-and/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) [Explore all 268 Charles Krauthammer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) ## More Putin quotes > [I genuinely did not expect more than half our nation to choose to walk away from our long-term allies into the arms of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-reade/i-genuinely-did-not-expect-more-than-half-our-nation-to-choose-to/) [Brian Reade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-reade/) > [ \[Putin\] is a bully. And bullies only understand when we punch them in the nose, but we need to do that economically. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-ayotte/putin-is-a-bully-and-bullies-only-understand-when-we-punch-them-in/) [Kelly Ayotte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-ayotte/) > [“Putin has positioned himself as the leader of an authoritarian, xenophobic international movement that wants to expel immigrants, break up the European Union, weaken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-rodham-clinton/putin-has-positioned-himself-as-the-leader-of-an-authoritarian/) [Hillary Rodham Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-rodham-clinton/) > [Candidate Trump held out his hand to Vladimir Putin. He rejected further U.S. intervention in Syria other than to smash ISIS.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/candidate-trump-held-out-his-hand-to-vladimir-putin-he-rejected/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) > [I don't know Putin. He said nice things about me. If we got along well, that would be good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-don-t-know-putin-he-said-nice-things-about-me-if-we-got-along-well/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [Putin is a better leader than Obama, because Obama's not a leader, so he's certainly doing a better job than Obama is, and that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/putin-is-a-better-leader-than-obama-because-obama-s-not-a-leader-so/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [Sunday was the normal day for the political awareness session at sea. Ordinarily Putin would have officiated, reading some Pravada editorials, followed by selected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/sunday-was-the-normal-day-for-the-political-awareness-session-at-sea/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [Every Russian emperor from Peter the Great to Stalin and Putin knows a leader and his security agencies must never be parted. His safety…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sebag-montefiore/every-russian-emperor-from-peter-the-great-to-stalin-and-putin-knows/) [Simon Sebag Montefiore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sebag-montefiore/) > [You cannot compare any leaders in our country to what Vladimir Putin has done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-klobuchar/you-cannot-compare-any-leaders-in-our-country-to-what-vladimir-putin/) [Amy Klobuchar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-klobuchar/) > [“Trebuie sa te departezi putin de tine ca sa te poti apropia de ceilalti.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-plesu/trebuie-sa-te-departezi-putin-de-tine-ca-sa-te-poti-apropia-de/) [Andrei Plesu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-plesu/) > [Putin has had many positive experiences working with Western political leaders whose business interests made them more disposed to deal with Russia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-franken/putin-has-had-many-positive-experiences-working-with-western/) [Al Franken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-franken/) > [Vladimir Putin is a smart guy. I don't like him, smart guy. He is going to advance the cause of Russia until he hits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-kinzinger/vladimir-putin-is-a-smart-guy-i-don-t-like-him-smart-guy-he-is-going/) [Adam Kinzinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-kinzinger/) > [President Obama and Vladimir Putin are both in China attending the same economic summit. Obama saw Putin and said, 'After those midterms, it's nice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/president-obama-and-vladimir-putin-are-both-in-china-attending-the/) [Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/) > [ By needlessly provoking him \[Vladimir Putin\] and humiliating him, we empower far worse possibilities in Russia. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/by-needlessly-provoking-him-vladimir-putin-and-humiliating-him-we/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [Obviously, guys don't deal with the same level of criticism if they show off their bodies. Russian President Vladimir Putin literally staged a goofy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-kasparian/obviously-guys-don-t-deal-with-the-same-level-of-criticism-if-they/) [Ana Kasparian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-kasparian/) [Browse all 733 Putin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/putin/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If Russia were to do something that it could do, it looks like it might even be preparing to do, to invade Ukraine and essentially to dismember it, this would be the one item that could reflect really badly on Trump because of the warm way he spoke about Putin.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Charles Krauthammer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/if-russia-were-to-do-something-that-it-could-do-it-looks-like-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Putin" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/if-russia-were-to-do-something-that-it-could-do-it-looks-like-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fc/charles-krauthammer-1232_putin_if-russia-were-to-do-something-that-it-c_2298115.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fc/charles-krauthammer-1232_putin_if-russia-were-to-do-something-that-it-c_2298115.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fc/charles-krauthammer-1232_putin_if-russia-were-to-do-something-that-it-c_2298115.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If Russia were to do something that it could do, it looks like it might even be preparing to do, to invade…” — Charles Krauthammer", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Charles Krauthammer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If Russia were to do something...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/if-russia-were-to-do-something-that-it-could-do-it-looks-like-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/if-russia-were-to-do-something-that-it-could-do-it-looks-like-it/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```