What could the summit bring between Trump and Putin?

When the US and Russian Presidents meet on Monday, it's still a top heavyweight under special surveillance. Especially when they call Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. At 12:20 pm (CEST), the US President and the Kremlin leader at the Finnish Presidential Palace in Helsinki want to withdraw to a four-eyed meeting

How will the summit expire?

Trump will leave Finland on Monday morning President Sauli Niinistö received at his residence for breakfast. At noon, Trump and Putin will meet separately at the presidential palace. The four-eyed conversation begins at noon. Apart from the presidents, there are only translators in the room. Then the tour will be extended to members of both delegations. For 3:50 pm (CEST), a joint press conference is planned. Later, Putin meets the Finnish president for a bilateral discussion

To what extent the new allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election weigh on the talks?

In fact, this should be the dominant theme of the summit. With the indictment filed by the Justice Ministry on Friday against 12 Russian military intelligence GRU personnel, it is the first time concretely accused of hacker attacks on the computers of Democrats during the election campaign. The GRU is part of the machine of the Russian state and therefore of Putin's responsibility.

It is not known, however, how much space Trump will give to the subject in his personal conversation with the Kremlin leader. When asked in recent days the alleged Russian influence, he often seemed upset. His answers seemed laconic. He left the details open

Is Trump quite well prepared?

You do not know it. He himself downplayed the importance of thorough preparation in similar occasions in the past. Before meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, for example, he said that he did not think that he had to be very prepared, it was about the basic attitude . Last weekend, Trump described the EU as an "enemy" – what's behind it?

Trump does not see the EU as an ally, but as a competitor, and kills itself on it. Again and again, he claimed that the association was only founded to surpass the United States. He does not like the fact that Germany exports a lot more goods to the United States than it gets from it. For example, he regularly calls German cars on the streets of New York. The US president has imposed punitive tariffs on steel for steel and aluminum products. He advocates a course that weakens the EU in several areas

What is the biggest danger that Trump will put Putin too far?

The states of the EU and NATO, in particular, fear that powerful men make an appointment for their country could be burdened. For Europeans, nothing can replace NATO or the US nuclear shield in terms of security policy. But Trump has questioned his allegiance to the Western Alliance throughout his trip to Europe.

"President Trump wants a world order in which America no longer has permanent friends, only changing allies and interests" Donald Tusk of Poland [19659006] There is also concern that Trump may reduce pressure on Russia to stop its attacks on Ukraine. The war in eastern Europe has claimed the lives of more than 10,000 people since 2014.

Trump appears to be trying to reach an agreement on the Syrian war: the United States withdraws its troops if Russia limits the influence of Iran. Even if such an agreement were concluded, one may wonder if it can be applied.

What could be positive about the summit?

Both parties should make the meeting a success. At the same time, Americans and Russians are piling high on tangible results. A breakthrough might be that there is again a dialogue between the two largest nuclear powers. He could then be pursued to a lower level on various topics. It is unlikely that Trump and Putin will address the complex issue of nuclear disarmament beyond statements of intent.

Two things would be easy to organize. Russia, the United States and NATO could conduct reconnaissance flights over the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea in a less provocative manner. This could help to relax – just as Trump announced the renunciation of major military maneuvers with South Korea after the summit with North Korean Kim Jong Un. It would also be easy to resume the mutual expulsions of diplomat closures and of consulates.

(sda / bsh)