Trump and Putin prevent each other

Russian President Vladimir Putin made the impression better prepared and more structured during his meeting with his US counterpart Donald Trump. (Photo: Kevin Lamarque / Reuters)

Big scandal, surprise or even The first and only bilateral meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, missed the breakthrough never before seen on key issues . This applies at least to foreign policy. On the domestic front, Trump should not have made life easier with regard to the "Connection Russia" in the 2016 presidential campaign with a provocative tweet in the morning and his appearance before the media. Both presidents praised the atmosphere and considered the meeting a good first step.

The politically very heavy summit of the Finnish presidential palace began an hour late and ended after nearly four hours of talks; Putin and Trump spent more than half of their time with translators but without advisers. This had led to a lot of speculation and pre-meeting concerns that the politically inexperienced, often irrational, alien-minded US president could be put to the test by Putin, washed with all the intelligence training and two decades of world political experience. At least because of the content of the talks at the closing press conference, all fears of a quick agreement between Moscow and Washington on the spirit of Europeans, given the Ukraine and declarations of Trump on the status of the Crimean peninsula annexed by Russia. Even in the absence of spontaneous rejection of NATO military maneuvers in Europe, Trump was tempted, as he had done a month ago for the Korean peninsula in Singapore.

Putin nevertheless made the print better prepared and better structured. The two sides have not been able to agree on a final communiqué written in recent days. What was discussed in the concrete, Putin listed more carefully than Trump. The Russians seem to have put forward proposals for better management and maintenance of strategic stability – that is, nuclear balance and arms control – which experts from both countries had previously ruled particularly urgent. Moscow seems ready to discuss the extension of the New Start agreement, which expires in 2021, which concerns warheads and launchers, and which was at the heart of President Obama's and Medvedev's attempt to improve the bilateral relations. The mutual allegations surrounding the renewal of the INF Treaty on short-range and medium-range missile restrictions will also be addressed, as well as Russia's concerns about US missile defense and (nuclear) armament in the future. 39; space.

On Monday, July 16, US President Trump and Russian President Kremlin Putin will meet in Helsinki for the first time in a purely bilateral framework. – After a working lunch, the two presidents present themselves to the media. (Photo: Lehtikuva / Antti Aimo-Koivisto / Reuters)

M. Putin greets "the open and confident atmosphere" talks "very successful and useful". You are in a difficult phase of bilateral relations. (Photo: Grigory Dukor / Reuters)

Trump mentions in his statement that relations between the two states are unfortunately "as bad as ever". But that's changing now with this summit meeting. (Photo: Leonhard Foeger / Reuters)

After the two-hour speech (90 minutes agreed), the two presidents began their working lunch, supervised by their advisors. (Photo: Lehtikuva / Heikki Saukkomaa / Reuters)

There will be a photo shoot before the interview. First of all, Putin seems reluctant to shake Trump's hand. (Photo: Kevin Lamarque / Reuters)

So it works with the handshake. – According to Trump's statements before the meeting, the talks will include nuclear weapons, trade issues and relations with China (Photo: Kevin Lamarque / Reuters)

Even body language says a lot about the atmosphere. Among other things, the Russian annexation of Crimea and the interference in American domestic politics weighed on the relationship. (Photo: Lehtikuva / Heikki Saukkomaa / Reuters)

Russia may be more relaxed than the United States in this unpredictable encounter. The Kremlin does not expect revolutionary decisions, but more than beautiful words. (Photo: Sputnik / Alexei Nikolsky / Kremlin)

The private meeting takes place in the presidential palace (on the right) and should take an hour and a half, after which there will be a press conference. – The security contingent is big. The Coast Guard is also waiting around the palace. (Photo: Leonhard Foeger / Reuters)

Discussions began with a delay of 50 minutes. The reason was the late arrival of Putin. – The procession with the Russian representatives leaves the airport of Helsinki. (Photo: Mauri Ratilainen / EPA)

Donald Trump and his wife Melania are greeted by Finnish President Sauli Niinistö and his wife Jenni Haukio. (Photo: Lehtikuva / Martti Kainulainen / Reuters)

Before the meeting with Putin, Trump and his companions are invited by Finnish President Niinistö to his residence for breakfast. V.r.n.l .: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo; Trump; The US ambassador to Finland, Robert Frank Pence, and security advisor John Bolton. (Photo: Kevin Lamarque / Reuters)

A few curious people gathered at the edge of the highway to spot the presidential motorcade. (Photo: Lehtikuva / Seppo Samuli / Reuters)

On Monday morning, Air Force One lands at Helsinki-Vantaa airport. (Photo: Lehtikuva / Heikki Saukkomaa / Reuters)

This US security service officer set up his observation post in one of the limousines. (Photo: Lehtikuva / Heikki Saukkomaa / Reuters)

The fleet of vehicles of the American president and his entourage is ready. (Photo: Lehtikuva / Antti Aimo-Koivisto / Reuters)

Trump Putin's Summit in Helsinki

Trump only commented on this when he mentioned nuclear proliferation and looked at a wreath – confirmed by Putin on targeted denuclearization from the wall of the Korean peninsula. There was also no specific agreement on Syria, only the promise of greater coordination, including the return of refugees and the security of Israel. The last agreement between Putin and Trump on the de-escalation zone around Daraa had already broken Russia. Putin was able to spread the Russian narrative of pure struggle against terrorists without contradiction.

Trump criticizes the United States

Trump was clearly concerned about one thing: to show that, unlike his predecessors, he was able to find a normal and stable working relationship with Putin. However, it was at the expense of any criticism of Putin, whom he described as a competitor, not as an opponent. In a tweet before the start of the summit, Trump described Russian-US relations as never before and only because of the stupidity of the United States: as if Russia's aggressive foreign policy, with all its consequences, does not have the same effect. had never existed. Although he put this statement into perspective at the press conference, he stated that all parties were guilty of it; the four o'clock summit would otherwise have changed that.

But he had already been labeled as a traitor by political opponents in the United States. And he fired against the investigation of Russian interference in the election campaign confirmed by the US intelligence services. Everyone knows that the agreements and interferences that he addressed to Putin never existed. Once again, Putin denied any interference and intent to do so, and he remained faithful to his argument that there were always individuals who intervened one way or the other. If there are such allegations, Russia is ready to cooperate – but expect Russian reproaches to the Americans' address. Then Putin could turn the tables again, and Trump followed him on this turn.

This harmonious summit does not change the fundamental political oppositions and the divergent interests of Russia and the United States, and Putin's reference to not trusting anyone shows very well that Moscow does not think of behaving differently in l & # 39; future.