What explains Trump’s
accommodation of Putin?

Keep the claim
close to the evidence.

Documented links to a primary record or transcript. A government’s statement proves what it said, not necessarily the underlying assertion.

Reported preserves attribution to journalism or research. Scenario is a prospective risk or analytical question.

Occam’s razor: when explanations fit the evidence comparably well, prefer fewer unsupported assumptions. Ordinary motives also need evidence. Simplicity is not proof, and multiple mechanisms can coexist.