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Yesterday, President Trump sought to quash speculation that the United States was caving to Russia on critical issues and abandoning allies in Syria and Ukraine.  President Trump explained his interactions with President Putin, culminating in a promise to resolve the conflicts in Syria and Ukraine:

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/884027201804488704

This reaffirmation of the president's commitment to our allies follows U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley's recent condemnation of Russia.  In her remarks last week, Ambassador Haley praised the president for pressing Vladimir Putin hard concerning hacking allegations.  Since her appointment, Ambassador Haley has worked hard to help push back against unfair allegations of collusion between Trump and Russia, while working to repair the damage caused by years of American inaction.

At the same time, President Trump and Ambassador Haley appear to be trying to redirect the conversation from baseless media speculation to the important commitments Trump made in his speech to the people of Poland, which was harshly condemned by the left (See Jonah Goldberg's criticism of leftist hatred for Western Civilization and Trump's Poland speech here).

NATO, Western Civilization

Many ethnic nationalists, with the eager support of the mainstream media, have claimed Trump's Polish speech as their own. While the inability of either group to distinguish between Western Civilization and white supremacy is telling, this focus misses the important foreign policy implications of Trump's speech.  Western Civilization draws from Judea, Egypt, and Northern Africa.  In the present, it both draws from many cultures and includes people of every race.

Conservatives and Republicans with very different worldviews likely worked together to produce Trump's speech.  However, the use of history and present circumstances during the speech serves a very important purpose.  Trump praised the Poles for their struggle for survival throughout history.  He noted the many times in their history when they suffered at Russia's hands.  He noted the times in which Poland suffered at the hands of great powers, including the U.S.S.R. and Czarist Russia.

Response to Russia

At the same time, President Trump suggested that America would return to its dominant role, ready to lead The West.  The speech was a reminder to Poland, and all of Eastern Europe.  President Trump let the Poles, Lithuanians, Finns, and Ukrainians know that America has their back once again.

In the midst of this, he spoke out against Russia's activities in the present, saying, "We urge Russia to cease its destabilizing activities in Ukraine and elsewhere, and its support for hostile regimes -- including Syria and Iran -- and to instead join the community of responsible nations in our fight against common enemies and in defense of civilization itself."