High-five in Helsinki
Unlike people who are severe critics of President Trump, including the media, I found no problem with his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki. In fact I thought it was a great move for the following reasons:
• To sit with an adversary, no matter how bad or evil you may think them to be, is a smart thing to do. It gives you an opportunity to get to know your adversary personally. When both parties/countries have a major impact upon the world there may still be some areas of common ground that can be found. The meeting may ease tensions, set up lines of communication and avoid serious conflict in the future, including military or even war.
• Those who expected specific major results from a first meeting simply don’t know what the hell they are talking about. I can show you several first historical meetings of U.S. presidents with other heads of state where there were no major intended outcomes other than getting acquainted, with further meetings planned possibly leading to results.
How about President John F. Kennedy’s meeting with Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev in Vienna in 1963? This was an informal exchange of views with no agenda. How about President Obama’s meeting with Russian President Dmitri Medvedev in Moscow in 2009, and his meeting with Putin in 2016 in Hangzhou, China? The major theme of these meetings had the profound goal of “resetting” relationships. That really worked, didn’t it? Where was the criticism of the media?
Yet President Trump did cover a broad range of relative topics, including interfering with U.S. elections; looking for a solution to the mess in Syria; terrorism; better protection for Israel, our ally; Iran; and more. Those were all great first steps. The attacks and distortions on Trump were totally unwarranted, orchestrated by hateful political opponents and the media.
Don’t let yourselves be led around by your noses by those who hate Trump. Think rationally for yourselves. A great first meeting in Helsinki.
— Al DiLascia, Chicopee