There's more than one. To me, the most plausible one is that Putin has played on his insecurities. He probably told Trump that a president / king / emperor is remembered when they expand their territory, otherwise they're forgotten. So, off Trump goes, trying to cement his legacy as a great president by expanding US territory. By doing that, he plays right into Putin's hands by destabilizing the world.

[–] humanspiral@lemmy.ca 1 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Trump is evil. Overthinking his motivations for evil to conform to your previous worldview harms you. America is "greater" with greater threat it can impose on Europe.

[–] merc@sh.itjust.works 2 points 3 days ago

"Evil" people have motivations too. There's no overthinking needed. He's frequently played by Putin, and this makes the most sense.