Trump likely to handle Putin with kid gloves
President Trump has signaled that he will take a much softer approach to his bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin than he did with U.S. allies at this week’s NATO summit and in London — something that experts and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle warned plays right into the hands of the Kremlin.
Asked at a press conference in Brussels if he would confront the Russian leader at their Monday head-tohead about interfering in the 2016 election or other Russian acts designed to destabilize the U.S. government or weaken alliances between the U.S. and its Western allies, Trump demurred.
“You know, what am I going to do? He may deny it,” Trump said. “I mean, it’s one of those things. So all I can do is say, ‘Did you?’ and ‘Don’t do it again.’ ”
It would be a far departure from the combative tone Trump took with NATO allies, where he vilified Germany as “controlled by Russia” for its gas pipeline from Russia set to go online next year, excoriated member nations for not meeting its 2 percent gross domestic product defense spending benchmark six years ahead of schedule and suggesting that they should pay twice as much.
It also falls far short of his criticisms of Great Britain and Prime Minister Teresa May, who is hosting him today. Trump said of May’s plan for a “soft Brexit” as opposed to a hard break from the European Union: “I don’t know if that’s what they voted for.”
Failing to take as tough a tone with Putin — whose leadership Trump frequently compliments and praises, underscoring his desire for a friendly relationship — could be perilous.
“The way the president portrays himself, and how seriously he takes this and the significance he teaches to it is a real matter of concern because it will have a strategic impact,” said Bradley P. Moss, a national security litigator.
Arizona U.S. Sen. John McCain echoed the sentiment.
“It is up to President Trump to hold #Putin accountable for his actions during the meeting in #Helsinki,” McCain tweeted yesterday. “Failure to do so would be a serious indictment of his stewardship of American leadership in the world.”
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi told reporters that Trump needs to get something more than, “I asked him, he said no and that was that,” from Putin.
“What do the Russians have on Donald Trump, politically, financially and personally?” Pelosi asked reporters on Capitol Hill, adding that “there is no way to explain the disrespect” to NATO allies or the “lack of understanding” that Putin does not hold U.S. interests at heart.