The Guardian view on the US, Russia and the international criminal court: Trump’s assault on the rule of law intensifies | Editorial

A fuel deal with Vladimir Putin, and sanctions against the legal institution, ram home the president's belief that might is right

On Friday, Donald Trump drove home his belief that might is right and the rule of law is an obstacle rather than an essential foundation stone of international order. First came the escalated assault on the international criminal court (ICC), sanctioning the body itself. Then he announced a deal with Russia tobuy diesel.

The US has long chafed at the notion of being boundby the rule of law that it espoused publicly. Thathypocrisy now appears as a lesser vice. The president has declared that my own morality" is all that constrains him. His brazen flouting of the law, embrace of dictators and rhetorical attacks all undermine global standards.

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