Trump, Putin vow reset of ties Trump angry at video showing attack on Florida
BLAMING PAST POLICY US prez denounces ‘stupidity’ of predecessors for plunging ties to their present low
Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin began a historic summit on Monday vowing their determination to forge a reset of troubled relations between the world’s greatest nuclear powers.
Trump, bent on forging a personal bond with the Kremlin chief despite allegations of Russian meddling in US politics, went into the summit blaming “stupidity” by his predecessors for plunging ties to their present low.
Looking sombre, the two leaders exchanged a few opening remarks in front of the press at the start of their summit in Helsinki.
Putin, basking in congratulations from Trump and other world leaders for the successful staging of the World Cup in Russia, said: “The time has come to talk in a substantive way about our relations and problem areas of the world.”
Before the two leaders went into a first session between just themselves and their interpreters, Trump said the summit would cover “everything from trade to military to missiles to nuclear to China”.
“Frankly, we have not been getting along for the last number of years. And I really think the world wants to see us get along. We are the two great nuclear powers,” he said.
Shortly before the summit opened, Trump was asked if he would press Putin over Russia’s alleged manipulation of the 2016 election that brought the mercurial property tycoon to power. He said only: “We’ll do just fine.”
Many US critics had called for the summit’s cancellation after new revelations surrounding the alleged election meddling.
But Trump has insisted it is “a good thing to meet”, as he attempts to replicate with Putin the personal rapport he proclaims with the autocratic leaders of China and North Korea.
If the pair do find common ground, the summit may take the heat out of some of the world’s most dangerous conflicts, including Syria.
But there are many points of friction that could yet spoil Trump’s hoped-for friendship with the former KGB spymaster.
Trump began the day by firing a Twitter broadside at his domestic opponents, blaming the diplomatic chill on the investigation into alleged Russian election meddling.
“Our relationship with Russia has NEVER been worse thanks to many years of U.S. foolishness and stupidity and now, the Rigged Witch Hunt!” Trump tweeted.
Russia’s foreign ministry tweeted in response: “We agree.” Trump’s US opponents tried, in turn, to gain traction for the hashtag #BAF (Blame America First).
After a stormy Nato summit in Brussels last week, Trump was accused by critics of cosying up to Putin while undermining the transatlantic alliance. But over breakfast with Finland’s President Sauli Niinisto, he insisted Nato “has never been stronger” and “never been more together” thanks to his insistence on all allies paying their fair share.
HELSINKI:
US President Donald Trump (left) and Russian President Vladimir Putin arrive for their meeting in Helsinki on Monday. and
The two met to discuss a number of issues, with a divided Berlin at the top of the agenda. However, the talks were a disaster, and construction of the Berlin Wall began two months later
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The two leaders had a successful summit, resulting in the US and the Soviet Union signing the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT I), and the US–Soviet Incidents at Sea agreement
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The two leaders signed a joint communiqué on the limitation of strategic offensive arms. This meet also paved the way for the Helsinki accords, which called for respect for human rights and for the inviolability of European borders. A member of Ford's policy team later stated Brezhnev secretly told the US leader that the Soviets supported his re-election and would "do everything” to make that happen
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With Moscow uneasy with the eastward expansion of Nato, the two leaders met, with Russia agreeing to negotiate a pact with the alliance. The two sides also agreed to a sharp reduction in their nuclear arsenals
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The two presidents met in Slovenia's capital, with Bush infamously remarking that he was able to look Putin in the eye and had "found him to be very straight forward and trustworthy... I was able to get a sense of his soul"
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The two leaders signed the INF Treaty, which banned intermediaterange nuclear missiles, leading to the destruction of 2,692 missiles by 1991
A propaganda video released by President Vladimir Putin which touted Russia’s weaponry and its ability to strike the US state of Florida left President Donald Trump enraged, according to a media report.
The video, made for Putin’s recent re-election campaign, promoted Russia’s new generation of nuclear weapons, but a scene allegedly showing missiles raining down on Florida caught Trump’s eye, Axios reported.
Though publically silent, Trump “raged”, telling his aides “he understood this was Putin playing up to the crowds for his election but even so it was ‘over the line’”, Axios quoted a source familiar with Trump’s private comments as saying.
Trump would later lash out at Putin during a phone call on March 20. Axios reported this was the same phone call for which Trump’s advisors gave him briefing materials with instructions not to congratulate Putin for his election win. Trump ignored the advice and congratulated Putin anyway.
The source told Axios that Trump’s criticism of Putin during that phone call was “unprecedented” as his usual conversations with his Russian counterpart were “a bit of a love fest”. Trump raised the issue with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and UK Prime Minister Theresa May, and they agreed about the “outrageous” nature of the video.
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