Vladimir Putin is in a Middle Eastern wonderland this week. With perfect timing, his regional interests are all coming together.

Precipitously betraying those who suffered thousands killed in action to defeat the Islamic State, President Trump has painted himself as unreliable and America as unworthy of alliance. Visiting the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia on Monday, Putin will have offered those erstwhile U.S. allies a simple message: “You can’t trust Trump, but you can trust me.”‘ Putin will try to persuade them and Egypt to realign out of America’s orbit and towards Russia. “I can control your nemesis, Iran,” Putin will say. But, he’ll add, “It will cost you. You must buy more Russian military equipment and push OPEC to drive up oil prices.”