I don’t think Putin is an idiot. If he does like what Trump is doing, why would he say it and potentially make things harder for him? Putin must know that quite a few Republicans (whether they have the spine to say it or not) are at least uneasy about “aligning” with Russia. So why?

Is it a “whatcha gonna do about it” sort of power move? Is he trying to delay these “peace talks” because he actually wants to end things with Ukraine while Trump is effectively holding Zelensky’s arms behind his back?