Columnist Pat Buchanan wondered, “What is the matter with this country?” While commenting on strained relations between the US and Russia on Friday’s “McLaughlin Group.”

Buchanan said Putin is “a tough autocratic ruler of Russia. We — they’ve always had that. Every tsar has been that, and we can’t get along with these people? What is the matter with this country?”

Buchanan later added, in response to criticism of Putin’s territorial ventures outside of Russia “The Crimea is closer to him than Puerto Rico is to us.” And “What are we doing giving war guarantees to the three little Baltic countries?”

After he was accused of defending Putin, Buchanan responded that he wasn’t, but “You’ve got to deal with the guy, as one of the people in the world.”

Buchanan further stated, “Putin is an ally of ours against ISIS. He doesn’t give — have any problem with us bombing ISIS.”

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