President Trump's decision on Monday to expel 60 Russian intelligence officers from the United States is welcome and apt. It is a proper response in support of an ally to Russia's March 4 poisoning of a British intelligence agent, his daughter, and a police officer.

"With these steps," the White House said, "the United States and our allies and partners make clear to Russia that its actions have consequences, the United States stands ready to cooperate to build a better relationship with Russia, but this can only happen with a change in the Russian government’s behavior."

This sound statement should serve as the lodestar for Trump's strategy toward Russian President Vladimir Putin, which to date has been inconsistent and weak.

In countering Russia, Trump has authorized strikes against Putin's ally Bashar Assad and enabled U.S. military commanders in Syria to defend themselves aggressively. That led to February airstrikes that killed and wounded hundreds of Russian contractors serving Putin's intelligence service, the GRU. It is also noteworthy that the president authorized the supply of advanced weapons to Ukraine for use against Russian aggression, and in January he was directly critical of the Kremlin, saying "Russia is not helping us at all with North Korea."

Yet alongside these welcome tokens of resolve in dealing with Russia, Trump has also been excessively deferential to Putin personally. Even when the Russian leader's top subordinates criticized Trump as an "incompetent player" of "complete impotence," Trump has not unsheathed his Twitter feed to defend himself and attack his detractors as he has in almost every other circumstance.

He has also been reluctant to hit Russia with the sanctions Congress approved. He continues to wave away high-confidence American intelligence assessments that Russia meddled in 2016 presidential election. And Trump also unnecessarily congratulated Putin on his re-election this month, giving credibility to a tyrant cementing his position in power with a vote that was neither free nor fair.

Most concerning is Trump's excuses for Putin's brutality. Interviewed by Fox News shortly after taking office, Trump defended Putin's assassinations; exactly the kind of actions that led to Monday's diplomatic expulsions. "We've got a lot of killers, you think our country's so innocent? You think our country's so innocent?" Trump asked rhetorically, and embarrassingly.

Trump has continued former President Barack Obama's lack of strategic clarity of purpose. Let's hope Monday's diplomatic expulsions will herald a change in direction, perhaps under the more decisive advice of Mike Pompeo, the incoming secretary of state, and John Bolton, the new national security adviser.

It is fair enough for Trump to avoid directly criticizing Putin, so long as that restraint is coupled to a clear-eyed recognition of the Russian leaders malign intentions and actions. Sometimes one has to sup with the devil, but it's important not to pretend he's better than he is.

Trump must recognize that Putin's poisonings, military aggression, cyber war, and broader efforts to undercut the international order are renderings of Putin's deeper strategic agenda to work against our national interests, disrupt our security, and displace us on the international stage.

As he awaits Putin's response to Monday's diplomatic expulsions, Trump must retain the initiative he has gained. Only by doing so will Putin believe that Trump really has the attribute of which he most often boasts: strength. Only thus will Trump be able both to defend and advance American interests and build a more effective relationship with Moscow.