Test of Trump and Putin in the Baltic confrontation

HELSINKI: US President Donald Trump visited the summit with Vladimir Putin on Monday, determined to overcome diplomatic tensions and forge a personal connection with the Kremlin leader

. Trump's Instinct Checks Out But the Washington-Moscow rivalry has rarely been bitter and there are many points of friction that could still spoil Trump's hoped-for friendship.

Trump began the talks by meeting Finnish President Sauli Niinisto, who lent his palace on the seafront.

But he first took a moment to launch a Twitter on his opponents, accusing " Our relationship with Russia has never been worse thanks to many years of stupidity and American stupidity and now, witch hunt! " Trump tweeted.

After a stormy NATO summit in Brussels last week, Trump was accused by critics of getting closer to Putin while undermining the alliance.

But, at breakfast with Niinisto, he insisted that NATO has never been "With Washington and Moscow at loggerheads on Syria, Ukraine and the" 39 Electoral interference, even Trump warned that he was not approaching Putin's summit "with great expectations."

The billionaire property mogul was president for 18 months, while the Former KGB officer, aged 65, has been leading Russia for 18 years.

"A good thing to meet"

But the 72-year-old US leader Nevertheless a high opinion of his ability to seduce fierce opponents, such as Kim Jong Un of North Korea, whom he met at a summit last month. [19659002"Ithinkthereisagoodchancetomeetatthemeetings"RumpusistedaninterviewwithCBSNewscastscurrentlychanginginHelsinki

In the same inter view, Trump admitted that Russia remains an enemy, but he put Moscow on a footing of equality with China and the European Union.

The Kremlin also downplayed the hope that the outgoing couple will emerge from its first formal head-to-head summit with a breakthrough.

Putin, who was the host of the World Cup final in Moscow on Sunday. On Monday, his adviser Yuri Ushakov also downplayed expectations, saying, "The state of bilateral relations is very bad … We

Give up the field?

Indeed, after the bad temperament of the NATO summit and a controversial Trump trip to Britain, anxious European leaders could be relieved so little comes from the meeting in Helsinki.

Many fear that Trump – in his eagerness to prove that he was right to seek the summit with Putin despite the US political opposition – could yield too much ground.

Before the talks, Trump refused to agree. Personally commit to the refusal of the US Recognize the annexation of Crimea by Russia, leaving open the possibility of a descent.

If Washington de facto accepted the stranglehold of Russia in 2014, it would break with decennia American politics would send waves across the exposed Eastern flank of NATO.

Trump's critics in Washington will follow this – and also how he handles the growing evidence that Russian agents have intervened in the 2016 US presidential race.

Extradition requested?

Last week, US special prosecutor Robert Mueller indicted 12 Russian intelligence officers for allegedly hacking Hillary Clinton's computer server, his rival.

There will be outrage at home if Trump does not confronts Putin. the scandal, but the US mercurial leader would not say it would require the extradition of the suspects.

And his last tweet before the meeting suggested that he still sees the Mueller inquiry as more of a threat to him than any tension with Russia

But of all subjects that can arise in meetings is Syria which can prove the most important.

Despite the doubts of his best advisors, Trump wants to withdraw American troops from eastern Syria, where they have reports suggest that he could seek an agreement that Russia is working with Israel to contain the influence of Iran, in exchange for allowing Bashar al-Assad, Putin's ally, to remain in power.

This could free the United States. the troops to withdraw, but would also – as with the Crimea – be considered a triumph for Putin and a betrayal of American allies on the ground. – AFP