Editorial: The death of Navalny is a reminder of President Putin's repression and the need for victory in Ukraine

Recently an American talkshow host called Tucker Carlson disgraced himself with a gentle interview with Vladimir Putin.

Mr Carlson, a Donald Trump apologist and a fierce critic of American support for either Ukraine or Israel, lobbed softball questions at the Russian dictator, who has invaded his neighbour and plunged Europe into its most bloody war since 1945.

Mr Putin, a thug and man implicated in the brutal suppression, indeed murder, of opponents, later mocked Mr Carlson for not asking him difficult questions. What a journalistic legacy to pander to such a character.

Mr Carlson represents the worst of the isolationist, America First tradition which did not even want the US to join the war against Hitler. Thank goodness such thinking did not prevail.

Unfortunately, however, Mr Trump has lurched in and out of such isolationist thinking. Like in many other key policy areas Mr Trump’s thinking and moves are entirely unpredictable.

Sometimes he is nice about the Russian tyranny, sometimes not, sometimes he is friendly with the Chinese autocrats, sometimes critical, sometimes he is harsh about the Saudis, then gushing about their golf funding. Above all, Mr Trump is nice if any of these wretched leaders flatter him.

Mr Carlson might only be an TV personality but he gives a clue as to the possible direction of a Trump presidency, if he wins this year’s election, which is more than possible.

The death of the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is being blamed on Mr Putin, even though we do not know the details of the death. We don’t know the details of it because of Putin repression.

It is fashionable to say that it costs too much to support Ukraine. But it is in the interests of the free world that Kyiv triumphs in its resistance to the aggression of Russia’s current president.