Take a good look at the lists of prisoners exchanged between Kremlin and the White House last week. If, after that, you still find yourself admiring President Vladimir Putin for his strength and despising U.S. alliances for their "weak” liberalism, you need help.

Putin went in person to Moscow’s Vnukovo airport to hug Vadim Krasikov as he stepped off the plane that brought him home. This is the "patriot” Putin has sought to free ever since he was convicted and jailed in Germany for the 2019 assassination of a Georgian citizen who had fought against Russian forces in Chechnya more than 20 years ago.

Also among those released to Russia were people convicted by independent courts of cybercrimes, insider trading and breaking sanctions. A couple convicted in Slovenia of operating across Europe as deep-cover Russian spies had pled guilty.