Former White House adviser: Putin manipulates Trump through his ego.

According to ТСН: U.S. President Donald Trump believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin is a "cool guy," and therefore receives his flattery with particular pleasure. This allows Putin to manipulate Trump.

This was stated by former White House adviser Fiona Hill in an interview.

According to Hill, Trump enjoys communicating with the authoritarian leader, as he considers such relationships prestigious. She noted:

"He [Putin] is exactly who Trump would like to be. Trump looks at people who are in charge, who essentially have style. And that's who he wants to be. And he believes that he elevates himself in the eyes of everyone by communicating with them".

Hill believes that Putin is aware of this and uses it to manipulate Trump. She said:

"Putin has figured him out. Putin understands that this is a person with a very fragile ego, and that he can be manipulated in this way".

Fiona Hill mentioned that Trump is so enamored with Putin that he sometimes interprets his mockery as flattery. As an example, she cited their communication at the G20 summit in Osaka in 2019:

"They were both boasting about how much they do for Israel... Trump said: 'No, Russia can't be a bigger supporter of Israel than I am.' And [he] talked about everything he did for Israel: [recognition of the capital] Jerusalem, the new embassy, etc... Trump said that in his honor [in Israel] everything has been named after him, and Putin said: 'Well, Donald, maybe they should just name the country after you?'"

Hill also noted that Trump did not understand the irony in Putin's comment and took his words literally:

"Ignoring how Putin said it, and body language, and how he squirmed in his chair, Trump responded: 'Oh no, that would be too much.'"

According to her, Putin often joked towards Trump, but the translators "smoothed over" the language and intentions of the Russian president.

Furthermore, it was previously reported that "Trump's peace plan" had clear Russian footprints, and this is related to the scandalous contacts of Vitkoff with Ushakov. Trump's special representative not only provided information to Putin's aide but also advised on how to interact with the U.S. president.

These statements by Fiona Hill highlight the particular dynamics between Trump and Putin, where communication becomes a tool of manipulation. Such cases raise questions about how clearly Trump understands the true intentions of his Russian counterpart. In the realm of international politics, the importance of understanding the nuances of leader interactions becomes even more relevant.