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WASHINGTON – The US ambbadador to Russia on Thursday described the one-on-one meeting between Russian President Donald Trump and Russian Vladimir Putin as an achievement "in itself".
Jon Huntsman was asked what the president hoped to accomplish by meeting again with the leader of a country. The US secret service concluded that American democracy had been shaken by the 2016 elections to help Trump win a long list of hostile actions. "You know, I think the fact that we have a peak at this level, at this point in history, is a deliverable in itself," Huntsman said, adding that he "will not downplay anything. the importance of actually sitting for the first time in a meeting-summit environment and discussing the issues that matter most. "
The meeting comes on the heels of the president's summit last month with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un – a meeting that critics dreaded to legitimize one of the most hostile actors in the world, while earning few concessions. The United States has agreed to end joint military exercises with South Korea in exchange for Kim 's general commitment to "complete the denuclearization" of the Korean Peninsula, but North Korea continues to say "no. expand its nuclear and missile facilities. Trump's trip will begin Tuesday in Brussels, where he will attend the NATO summit, before traveling to the UK for a meeting with British Prime Minister Theresa May. He is expected to travel to Helsinki on July 15 and hold a face-to-face meeting with Putin, followed by a larger meeting with badistants and a working lunch the following day.
Kay Bailey Hutchison, US Representative to NATO the main theme of the NATO Summit would be the "strength and unity" of the transatlantic alliance, despite Trump's repeated criticism of members of the alliance who have not yet made the commitment to revive their defense spending
the same goal, and it's a powerful way to deterrence; She said: "Russia and the malicious activities of Russia, Russia's efforts to divide our democratic nations" and violations of the FNI treaties are among the most likely to be fought.
"Germany, which is the largest country in the EU, the European Union, Germany, pays 1%, 1%," he said. Trump said. He alluded to Chancellor Angela Merkel saying, "And I said:" You know, Angela, I can not guarantee it, but we protect you and that means a lot more to you than to protect us – because I do not know Trump has repeatedly questioned the conclusion of the US intelligence community that Russia has been ingested in the elections and dismissed the investigation of potential collusion with the members of his campaign as a "witch". "Russia continues to say that they have nothing to do with interference in our election!"
Huntsman said that Trump would look into the issue of electoral interference in his conversations with Putin, as well as a whole series of other issues of national security, including the annexation of Crimea by Russia and its efforts in Syria.
"The President will continue to hold Russia responsible for his malign activities, "he said, describing the meeting as the first occasion for a long conversation on the subject, despite the fact that the two men met several times and spoke at length on the sidelines of various summits, including a meeting that lasted longer. He said that the conversations about "electoral interference, Ukraine, Syria" were conducted "through the diplomatic channel", but there was no full dissemination of the issues in our bilateral relations. matters most to global stability.
He added that Trump hopes the meeting "will help reduce tension and lead to constructive engagement that improves peace and security around the world because you can not solve problems if you".
In Montana, Trump scoffed at information that cast doubt on his preparation for Putin's meeting: "Will I be prepared?" Totally prepared. I have been preparing for these things all my life. Trump added that "I could even end up having a good relationship" with the Russian leader.
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Darlene Superville, Associated Press reporter, contributed to this report 19659019] Copyright 2018 L & # 39; Associated Press All rights reserved, this material may not be published, disseminated, rewritten or redistributed.
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