Even against the staggeringly grotesque day-to-day reality of Trump's corruption and malfeasance, this urge he apparently has to try to come to the rescue of foreign politicians rightly facing consequences for their own corruption and malfeasance really stands out.

It sounds glib, but it really does appear thst he simply, genuinely believes that corrupt sacks of shit have to stick together, and he's trying to do his part (and, no doubt, end up owed a favor).