Trump, Putin test ties in summit
Summit may take the heat out of some of the world’s most dangerous conflicts
HELSINKI— US President Donald Trump headed into a summit with Vladimir Putin on Monday, determined to overcome diplomatic tensions and forge a personal bond with the Kremlin chief. The brash billionaire property magnate has been president for 18 months, while the 65year-old former KGB officer has run Russia for the past 18 years. “I think it’s a good thing to meet,” Trump said.
HELSINKI— US President Donald Trump headed into a summit with Vladimir Putin on Monday, determined to overcome diplomatic tensions and forge a personal bond with the Kremlin chief.
If Trump’s instinct proves right and the pair find common ground, then the Helsinki summit may take the heat out of some of the world’s most dangerous conflicts.
But the Washington-Moscow rivalry has rarely been more bitter and there are many points of friction that could yet spoil Trump’s hoped-for friendship.
Broadside
Trump began the day’s talks by meeting with Finland’s President Sauli Niinisto, who has loaned his harbor-front palace for the occasion.
But first he took a moment to fire a Twitter broadside at his domestic opponents, blaming the diplomatic chill on the investigation into Russian election meddling.
“Our relationship with Russia has NEVER been worse thanks to many years of US foolishness and stupidity and now, the Rigged Witch Hunt!” Trump tweeted.
After a stormy Nato summit in Brussels last week, Trump was accused by critics of cozying up to Putin while undermining the alliance.
But, over breakfast with Niinisto, he insisted Nato “has never been stronger” and “never been more together” thanks to his insistence on all allies paying their fair share.
With Washington and Moscowat loggerheads over Syria, Ukraine and election interference, even Trump has cautioned that he is not approaching the Putin summit “with high expectations.”
‘A good thing to meet’
The brash billionaire property magnate has been president for 18 months, while the 65year-old former KGB officer has run Russia for the past 18 years.
But the 72-year-old US leader nevertheless has a high opinion of his ability to woo tough opponents, such as North Korea’s Kim Jong-un, whom he met at a summit last month.
“I think it’s a good thing to meet. I do believe in meetings,” Trump insisted in an interview with CBS News that aired before he touched down in Helsinki.
Russia remains a foe
In the same interview, Trump admitted that Russia remained a foe, but he put Moscow on a par with China and the European Union as economic and diplomatic rivals.
The Kremlin has also played down hopes that the odd couple will emerge from their first formal one-on-one summit with a breakthrough.
Putin, who played host at the World Cup final in Moscow on Sunday and was due to arrive in Finland later on Monday, has remained terse in the run-up to the summit.
On Friday, his adviser, Yuri Ushakov, also played down-expectations, saying: “The state of bilateral relations is very bad ... We have to start to set them right.”
Indeed, after the bad-tempered Nato summit and a contentious trip by Trump to Britain, anxious European leaders may be relieved if not much comes of the Helsinki meeting.