Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
THE PEACE SHAKERS?
Syria ceasefire after Trump and Putin meet Surprise deal after big leaders’ photo op
DONALD Trump and Vladimir Putin shook hands on a Syrian ceasefire after they met for the first time.
The pair gripped firmly and stared intently into each other’s eyes as they came face to face at the G20 in Hamburg.
And, keen to establish rapport, the US President patted the Russian leader’s arm and his back before they sat down to talk.
“It’s an honour to be with you,” Mr Trump told Mr Putin.
It was predicted there would be no substance to the meeting and that it would end up as one big photo opportunity for the superpower chiefs.
But then came the news of the ceasefire for southwest Syria, to take effect from noon tomorrow.
It was a surprise bid to broker an end to Syria’s six-year civil war.
Until now, Russian forces have backed President Bashar al-assad’s regime and US planes have been pounding Islamic State extremists.
Mr Trump and Mr Putin, famed for their big egos, poured praise on each other after talks on the fringes of the world’s top 20 nations.
The US President called it an “honour” to meet his Russian rival and said he looked forward to a positive relationship between the former Cold War enemies.
“Putin and I have been discussing various things, and I think it’s going very well,” beaming Mr Trump gushed to reporters. “We’ve had some very, very good talks. We’re going to have a talk now and obviously that will continue.
“We look forward to a lot of very positive things happening for Russia, for the US and for everybody concerned.”
And the feeling was mutual. Mr Putin began by saying how good he felt to finally meet Mr Trump in the flesh.
Speaking through an interpreter, he said: “We’ve spoken over the phone... but phone conversations are never enough, definitely. I’m delighted to be able to meet you personally, and I hope that, as you have said, our meetings will yield positive results.”
Tweeting before his encounter with the Russian Premier, Mr Trump said: “I look forward to all meetings today with world leaders, including my meeting with Vladimir Putin. Much to discuss.”
Moscow has faced repeated accusations it meddled in last year’s White House race, where Mr Trump delivered a surprise victory over Hillary Clinton.
The FBI is probing links between the Kremlin and Mr Trump’s campaign. The US President earlier claimed that “no-one knows for sure” whether Russia interfered with the election.
Trump also faced being marginalised at the G20 because of his rejection of the Paris climate agreement – which was a focus of protesters outside.
But the conference has become overshadowed by the North Korea missile crisis, after the rogue regime test fired a rocket capable of hitting America this week. Theresa May will discuss the international response to the pariah state when she meets Mr Trump for 30 minutes this morning.
The US President might also give the PM a rundown of his Putin meeting, believed to have included North Korea. But neither leader confirmed it. And no tweet on that, so far, from Mr Trump
He had said on Thursday that he was considering a “pretty severe” response.
But, speaking in the US, British Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon tried to ease fears of war. He said: “I think it’s premature to start talking about military options. I understand why the United States wants to review those, but that’s premature at the moment.
“The first thing is to get the international community to respond much more closely now. We’ve had six or seven UN resolutions.
“They didn’t have the impact we need – so we might need a fresh one. Then we must enforce existing sanctions.”
German Chancellor Angela Merkel admitted there were “great global challenges” as she welcomed leaders. At one point she had her face in her hands as she chatted to Mr Trump
She said: “We know that time is short and therefore solutions very often can only be found if we are ready to compromise and work together without bending over backwards too much because, of course, we can express different views on some issues.”
Mr Putin and Mr Trump ducked out for their private session as presidents, prime ministers and chancellors debated climate change and energy.
This morning world leaders will discuss Africa, migration and health.
We’ve spoken on the phone... but phone conversations are never enough, definitely VLADIMIR PUTIN AFTER MEETING DONALD TRUMP