6 THINGS TO WATCH AS TRUMP MEETS PUTIN
Leaders have traded compliments — and condemnation
President Trump holds his first formal meeting with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Friday. The highly anticipated private conference on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Hamburg comes amid U.S. investigations into suspected Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election and whether Trump associates were involved. Among the things to watch:
1 WILL TRUMP BRING UP THE ELECTION?
Though Trump has cast doubts on the conclusion of U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia sought to influence the election by hacking Democrats close to his opponent Hillary Clinton, Trump aides have not ruled out the possibility that he could bring up the investigations by congressional committees and a special counsel appointed by the Justice Department.
Trump has said Russia was probably behind the hacking campaign, but he said Thursday in Poland that “nobody really knows for sure” what happened — and he hasn’t condemned Moscow over the hacking. How will he handle the issue with Putin? As Germany, France and other European governments accuse Russia of trying to interfere in their elections, the pressure is on Trump to be more assertive.
2 WILL TRUMP SEEK TO REDUCE SANCTIONS?
Given Trump’s kind words for Putin — calling him a “strong leader” — lawmakers in both parties are concerned that he may try to ease or even end sanctions on Russia over its military activities in neighboring
As other nations accuse Russia of trying to interfere in their elections, the pressure is on Trump to be more assertive.
Ukraine and its annexation of the Crimean region of that country.
In December after the election, President Obama sanctioned Russian intelligence officials, expelled 35 Russian diplomats suspected of being spies and shut down two Russian facilities in the USA.
There have been multiple news reports that the Trump team has explored ways to roll back some of those punitive measures. But in his speech Thursday in Poland, the president suggested he might not go down that path so easily: “We urge Russia to cease its destabilizing activities in Ukraine and elsewhere, and its support for hostile regimes, including Syria and Iran.”
Last month, the Senate voted 98-2 on legislation that would require congressional review of any move by the president to remove sanctions on Russia.
3 WHAT IS THE PLAN FOR SYRIA?
Russian involvement in the Syrian civil war — and its support for Syrian President Bashar Assad — has caused friction with the United States and the Trump administration. U.S. officials criticized the Russians for failing to stop a chemical weapons attack on rebels by the Assad government. Putin criticized the United States for shooting down a Syrian warplane.
Though both countries say they want to battle encroachment by the Islamic State, some U.S. officials say Russia is more interested in defeating Assad opponents under the guise of attacking terrorists.
4 WILL THE TWO LEADERS REMAIN AT ODDS ON NORTH KOREA?
Russia blocked a U.S.-backed resolution before the United Nations calling for “significant measures” in response to North Korea’s test of an intercontinental ballistic missile. Trump said Thursday, “We have some pretty severe things we’re thinking about” in response to the test.
The president is intent on pressuring China to rein in its neighbor in Pyongyang. Russia and China are major trading partners, so that is likely to be another question on which Trump and Putin diverge.
5 WILL NATO TENSIONS CONTINUE?
Putin has criticized expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to countries close to Russia’s border, seeing it as a threat to Russian influence in the region. NATO says Putin is trying to destabilize its members by interfering with their elections. The alliance is also wary of Trump after he declined to specifically endorse the organization’s Article 5 commitment of mutual defense while he was in Europe six weeks ago. (Trump did endorse the commitment that an attack on one member country is an attack on all during his speech Thursday in Poland, but he demanded that NATO members spend more for mutual defense.)
Trump’s trip reflects these concerns. In Poland, a rival of Russia, Trump met with Central and Eastern European allies concerned about Russian designs in the region.
6 WHAT WILL THE BODY LANGUAGE SAY?
Trump took major heat over photos in May showing him laughing and joking with visiting Russian diplomats in the Oval Office. Will he and Putin look like they are getting along? Will there be obvious tension? What kind of handshake will there be? Will hugging be involved?