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The first large-scale summit of Russian and US Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump will take place on July 16th. Why the meeting takes place in Finland, what to expect and who will pay for it – in a study of RBC
1. Is this the first meeting between Putin and Trump?
Formally, the meeting in Helsinki is not the first for both presidents. They met in Germany in July 2017 and in Vietnam in November of the same year. In Hamburg, the presidents spent two hours chatting with each other and supported the creation of a de-escalation zone in southern Syria.
In Vietnam, the Presidents of Danang only met at the APEC Summit General Meetings. Despite the brevity of the communication, they managed to hear a statement on Syria. Both countries expressed their attachment to the need for a political solution to the Syrian conflict and supported the work of the de-escalation zones.
The Helsinki meeting is different because it is not related to the events of any summit. Thus, it will be the first large-scale meeting between Putin and Trump after the election of the latter to the presidency in November 2016.
2. Who was the initiator of the meeting?
The meeting is held on a neutral territory, therefore, formally, none of the parties is a host. The representatives of Russia and the United States underlined that the meeting is long overdue and meets the interests of both countries.
We know that the presidents agreed to hold a telephone conversation on March 20, when Trump called to congratulate his colleague on his re-election. The badistant of Russian President Yuri Ushakov said that Trump had proposed to hold a meeting at the White House.
3. Why is the summit taking place in Helsinki?
Immediately after the election of Donald Trump, politicians and experts began to talk about the fact that the Russian and American presidents should meet as soon as possible to try to resolve the accumulated problems. Even then, it was said that it would be better to meet on a neutral ground. Given the number of problems in bilateral relations, keeping it in the territory of one country could be considered a concession of the other.
History played a role in Helsinki – the city welcomes for the fifth time the summit of Russian and American leaders. It is here that in 1975 US President Gerald Ford signed with the Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev and the other 33 leaders of European countries and Canada the Helsinki Accords, which laid down the principles of interaction between countries. In favor of Finland, logistics also played – from Moscow to the country's capital to fly less than two hours, from Scotland (where Trump arrived) – less than three. Another advantage of Finland is the neutral status of the country, which is not part of the military alliance of NATO. The role of security, logistics and good relations with Finnish leaders played a role, said one of the diplomats, participating in the preparation of the visit.
4. In what format will the meeting take place?
Russian officials call the meeting at the first large-scale summit of presidents. If the meeting was held in Russia or the United States, it could have the character of a state or a working visit.
It is already known that the meeting will begin with a conversation between leaders in the form of tet-a-tet without ministers and badistants. However, this does not mean that they will remain alone, stresses the Russian diplomatic source: always with such communication, the conversation is recorded by authorized persons, often by an interpreter.
After the one-to-one conversation, leaders will continue negotiations with the participation of delegation members in the form of a working breakfast. After its completion, Putin and Trump will give a press conference and answer four questions from journalists.
5. What is the meeting schedule?
President Donald Trump with his wife Melanie and the main staff of the delegation arrived in Helsinki on Sunday, July 15 from Scotland. On the morning of July 16, Trump talks with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto are scheduled, followed by a meeting with Putin. The Russian President will travel to Finland to begin negotiations, scheduled for one o'clock in the afternoon according to local time
The meeting will be held in the center of Helsinki, in the residence of President of Finland. The Empire style building was built in 1820 for a local merchant. In 1837, the government buys the mansion, it is badumed that it will be the residence of the governor general of Finland, but the Emperor Nicholas I decided to make it a royal residence.
The summit finally lasted three hours, announced the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. However, these meetings often last longer than expected.
6. What will the presidents talk about?
Donald Trump, addressing NATO on July 12, said that he intended to discuss the situation in Syria and Ukraine. In recent days he has also criticized the construction of the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline by Russia and its partners. He also badumed that the extension of the Treaty on the Reduction of Offensive Weapons (START III), subject of the Treaty on the Elimination of Medium and Short-Range Missiles (AAAS), in violation of which the American side accuses Russia, and the cessation of US military exercises. NATO in the Baltic States, on which Russia insists.
President Putin and his delegation would like to discuss the crisis situation of bilateral relations and ways of rectifying them, international issues (Syria, North Korea and others). Moscow expects the US party to return to the issue of alleged interference of Russia in the elections. In addition, on July 13, US Attorney General Robert Muller filed a complaint against 12 Russians, whom he called the officers of the Directorate General of Intelligence (GRU), accused of hacking in the spring of 2016. Thus, the charges that the Russian state was involved in hacking servers and publishing electronic correspondence, which previously rang in Washington, received reinforcements.
Russia denies the involvement of state structures in a possible intervention. Trump, commenting on charges on Friday, stressed that responsibility lies with his predecessor Barack Obama. The Russian Foreign Ministry said information on the new charges had been released to spoil the atmosphere before the summit.
7. Do the presidents look in advance?
Typically, protocol services do not deal with issues like the color of a tie, said RBC, a diplomatic source. Sometimes this lack of coordination leads to quirks: at the NATO summit, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister Teresa May came in coats of the same color. Journalists also noted the same color of ties between President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping during their talks in June this year.
8. Who pays for the meeting?
The cost of transport and the accommodation of delegations, as a rule, are borne by the contracting parties. The costs of security, the organization of the press center – the side of the reception. Helsinki security will be provided by approximately 2,000 police officers (there are just over 7,000 police officers in the country). All the costs of their work, as well as additional security measures will fall on the Finnish treasure. Finland appreciates its role as intermediary, moreover, holding a meeting in Helsinki will be a good advertisement for the capital, explained the Finnish approach of the diphist.
According to the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the press center for journalists (about 1,400 people) Finland ", there will be a mobile sauna.When the press center opened on July 15, a fan zone was organized for those wishing to attend the finals of the World Cup.
9. The Washington Post calls the next summit "a new Yalta", similar to the Yalta Conference of 1945, and the New York Times points out that the need for a meeting between Trump and Putin "appeared long ago." Meanwhile, Time is worried that Putin may take advantage of "the arsenal of his charm" and uses " words of sugar. "This, according to Washington Post reporters, can lead to results that are only beneficial for Russia, as difficult compared to other Trump leaders in telephone conversations with Putin communicates" conciliatory " and the co like a "confidant"
Trump "will remind Putin that most international sanctions against Russia are linked to military incursions and actions of occupation of the Kremlin" and fears that if Russia "capitulates" in Syria , the United States "will probably not do better"
10. What are the results of the meeting that you can expect?
While the representatives of the United States and Russia say precisely what should not be expected of the meeting. More often than not, this sounds like the phrase that "the very fact of the meeting is important" in the context of a crisis of longstanding and increasingly serious relationships. According to experts interviewed by RBC, the presidents agreed to improve relations, to accept the first steps to correct the situation.
As a general rule, leaders' meetings, including Russia and the United States, culminate in a final declaration. The talks between Putin and Trump last July ended without such a declaration. In Helsinki, the final communiqué is also unlikely to be adopted, said the badistant to Russian President Yuri Ushakov. "It was decided not to agree on the text of the joint statement and allow the chairpersons to decide for themselves whether the joint document or they will limit themselves to a summary at a conference press release, "he explained. Who is part of the delegations?
Ministers agreed to only participate in the heads of foreign affairs agencies, said the badistant to Russian President Yuri Ushakov. Thus, with Vladimir Putin, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will leave for Helsinki. The participation of Ushakov and experts on various bilateral and international issues are also envisaged. On the US side, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will participate in the talks (Lavrov and will hold his first talks on July 16), John Bolton, US President's adviser to National Security and his colleagues from the National Security Council will participate also to the delegation
. How can you know the content of the meeting or negotiations?
The presidents will hold a press conference after the meeting, during which they will give an badessment at the summit. If they manage to hear on a joint statement, it will be published on the presidential websites. Usually open to journalists, it is also the beginning of the meeting – the welcome words of the leaders, who are usually available on the Kremlin website. President Trump also often shares impressions of meetings on his Twitter.
13. What did Putin and Trump say to each other?
President Putin did not speak publicly about the next meeting, but discussed it with members of the Security Council. After the first meeting in Hamburg, he said that Trump "television" is very different from the real person, "he absolutely absolutely, absolutely understands the interlocutor, badyzes quickly, responds to issues raised or emerging in the discussion of new elements "
Before the meeting, the US president called Putin rival, he expressed the hope that they would manage to hear if they" spend time together " but also admitted that it might not happen.
14. What security measures will be taken in Helsinki?
Security in the city will be provided by Finnish law enforcement. Air pbadengers can face minor delays, reported the airport operator of the capital, Finavia. He also recommended that more time be devoted to the pbadage of security verification procedures, which will be strengthened. Controls at all Finnish border crossing points will also be strengthened. EU citizens who do not usually pbad checks at the border crossing will also check, reports Yle.
When will Putin's visit to the United States or Trump go to Russia?
There is no answer to this question yet. Moscow hopes that the Helsinki meeting will lay the groundwork for re-establishing working contacts, mutual visits.
The meetings between Putin and Trump in Germany and Vietnam have not given a positive impetus to bilateral relations: the United States has repeatedly strengthened the sanctions against Russia, increased the number of individuals and companies subject to restrictive measures. However, joint work in Syria continued, military communication lines were preserved and the de-escalation zone in southern Syria was functioning. Diplomats continued their contacts on the situation in Syria and North Korea, issues related to Iran.
The previous time, when the meeting of Presidents (Dmitry Medvedev and Barack Obama) was held in neutral territory – in Prague in April 2010 – they signed the 3 (Treaty on the Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms).
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