SO HAS TRUMP ACTUALLY DONE ANYTHING TO SUPPORT THE NOTION THAT HE’S A RUSSIAN STOOGE? Still Waiting for Trump’s Russia Reset.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met with his Ukrainian counterpart Pavlo Klimkin on Tuesday, and according to the readout, the new administration intends to toe the line on Ukraine and uphold sanctions against Russia. . . .

Meanwhile, Reuters reports that the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has officially rebuked the Russians for their recent missile launch in violation of the INF treaty. . . .

Under normal circumstances, neither item would be particularly newsworthy; reaffirming commitments and calling out rivals for treaty violations are rudimentary elements of statecraft. But in a charged media landscape fixated on Trump’s Russia ties, it is worth noting once again that the administration has so far done nothing to tilt foreign policy in Russia’s favor. If Tillerson sticks to the commitment expressed to Klimkin, then sanctions are here to stay, and if advisors like General Selva hold sway in Trump’s security team, we can expect a conventionally hawkish policy toward Russia. This is hardly good news for Moscow, but it does cast further doubt on the dubious Manchurian candidate thesis.

Dubious indeed.