In 2014, the Republican Congress passed the loftily named Ukrainian Freedom Support Act, which permitted the sale of lethal weapons to Ukraine. President Barack Obama signed the bill into law, but as The Washington Post reported, he “never authorized large commercial or government sales, a move widely seen as a de facto decision not to provide lethal weapons to the Ukraine military.” That policy has now changed, as President Donald Trump has approved a large commercial sale of weapons to the former Soviet state, where the fight against Russia-backed militants in the east has intensified lately. “The move was heavily supported by top Trump national security Cabinet officials and Congress,” the Post reported, “but may complicate President Trump’s stated ambition to work with Russian President Vladimir Putin.” A senior congressional official told the paper, “We have crossed the Rubicon, this is lethal weapons and I predict more will be coming.”

Some conservatives are arguing that the arms sale proves that Trump didn’t collude with the Russian government to interfere in last year’s presidential election. “NO PUPPET” ran an exultant Twitchy headline.

But yet Democrats still call @realDonaldTrump Putin's puppet. Opinion | Trump administration approves lethal arms sales to Ukraine https://t.co/D7Cg1B3CMF — C.S. Walker (@Cain_de_Madrid) December 21, 2017

While being an undercover Russian agent, Trump approves arms sales to Ukraine — who the Russians invaded. 500-D chess in space https://t.co/VGmbnOSr3F pic.twitter.com/52GLntFFpB — Harry Khachatrian (@Harry1T6) December 20, 2017

In reality, the decision on arming Ukraine illustrates something different: The United States has two wildly divergent foreign policies toward Russia. Trump is pursuing a policy of conciliation, while the national security establishment, including Secretary of Defense James Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, have pursued a policy of aggressive containment. Trump sees Russia as a potential ally, while many in his cabinet and in Congress consider Russia a rival that is actively threatening American democracy. This contradictory policy could send mixed signals, leading to war.

On Monday, the Trump administration released its national security strategy, which portrayed Russia and China as rival superpowers. The document made the argument shared by centrist Democrats and Republicans, that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s government tried to subvert American democracy:

A democracy is only as resilient as its people. An informed and engaged citizenry is the fundamental requirement for a free and resilient nation. For generations, our society has protected free press, free speech, and free thought. Today, actors such as Russia are using information tools in an attempt to undermine the legitimacy of democracies. Adversaries target media, political processes, financial networks, and personal data. The American public and private sectors must recognize this and work together to defend our way of life.

And yet, in a speech introducing this document, Trump veered off of his prepared remarks and spoke about the need to “build a great partnership” with Russia and China. Trump also described a friendly conversation he had with Putin, who thanked the United States for recently helping to thwart a planned terrorist attack against Russia by the Islamic State. “That’s a great thing, and the way it’s supposed to work,” Trump said.