The US is still adversarial to Russia
onciliation in Syria, remains to be seen.
Putin, while appreciating Trump’s initiative on North Korea, stressed that international guarantees would be necessary for complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.the Iranian nuclear issue was discussed with divergent views on the Iran nuclear agreement which Trump has abandoned. Economic cooperation also figured in the talks even though US sanctions continue.putin said that the two leaders had agreed to create a high-level working group that would bring captains of Russian and American business together to make suggestions towards this end. In an interview, he cited the failure of sanctions and the business advantage that this gave to competitors of the United States. Representatives of the National Security Councils of the two sides are to meet to follow-up on the discussions and carry them forward.
Does the summit mark the beginning of the end of the western policy of isolating Russia which began with the crisis in Ukraine? India,which is a strategic partner of both the US and Russia, would welcome an easing of tensions and a resumption of engagement between them.the growing confrontation has exacerbated regional crises and, to India’s discomfort, pushed Russia closer to China.
What remains in question is Trump’s ability to overcome internal political constraints within the US. Deep suspicion of Russia continues, including among Trump’s own aides, and the fallout of the issue of alleged Russian interference in the US Presidential election continues to unfold with the indictment of 12 Russian military intelligence officials for hacking the Democratic Party’s e-mail account on the eve of the summit. Trump’s clumsy handling of questions on this issue where he seemed to give greater credence to Putin’s denials over the conclusions of his own intelligence agencies unleashed a firestorm of criticism in the US not only among Democratic Party opponents but also among some Republican Party legislators and Trump’s supporters in the media. His maladroit handling of the G-7 and NATO Summits has unsettled US allies. Building domestic support for a policy of engagement with Russia in a deeply divided polity will be a challenge.
Meera Shankar is former Indian Ambassador to the United States of America The views expressed are personal