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Trump has long been a fan of Vladimir Putin but seems to be unaware that Russia's goal in Syria is simply the maintenance of its longtime ally President Bashar al-Assad in power. Indeed, Moscow has hitherto shown little appetite to focus on ISIS.

Putin is playing the long game. He has a strategic plan in mind: the Eurasian Union, which would be in competition to Europe.

Putin stands for the opposite of a universal ideology; he has become an arch-nationalist of a pre-Cold War type, making mystic appeals to motherland and religion.

Vladimir Putin is only going to respond to action, strength, and resolve. He's not going to respond to words.

Putin needs strong moves to keep the country as one. There is some criticism that he is centralizing power, but in Russia, if you don't centralize power, you have the risk of losing the country.

Putin believes Russia is back, and he may be right.

Russia - having sat across the table from Vladimir Putin, it's pretty clear when you meet him that he has an almost limitless ambition for power. And he's been very good at acquiring it - political power, economic power, military power, territorial power.

Russia isn't likely to have any more military success in Syria and Iraq than has the United States.

Stalin's policies pushed the world into the Cold War. Putin has the potential to be equally as dangerous.

Russia is emerging as an essential diplomatic and security partner for the U.S. in Syria, despite the Obama administration's opposition to Moscow's support for President Bashar al-Assad.