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US-RUSSIA-SUMMIT-DIPLOMACY
Trump attacks US ‘foolishness’ heading into Putin showdown
HELSINKI, July 16, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – President Donald Trump headed into his
first summit with Vladimir Putin on Monday determined to forge a personal
bond with the Kremlin chief and adamant that only “stupidity” by prior
administrations had brought US-Russian ties to their present low.
Hours before the Helsinki summit, Trump was asked if he would press Putin
over Russia’s alleged manipulation of the 2016 election that brought the
mercurial property tycoon to power. He said only: “We’ll do just fine.”
Democrats had called for the summit’s cancellation after new revelations
surrounding the election meddling. But Trump has insisted it is “a good thing
to meet”, as he attempts to replicate with Putin the sort of personal rapport
he proclaims with the autocratic leaders of China and North Korea.
If his instinct proves right and the pair find common ground, then the
summit may take the heat out of some of the world’s most dangerous conflicts
including Syria.
But the Washington-Moscow rivalry has rarely been more bitter, and there
are many points of friction that could yet spoil Trump’s hoped-for
friendship.
Trump began the day’s talks by meeting Finland’s President Sauli Niinisto,
who has loaned his harbour-front palace for the occasion. But first he took a
moment to fire a Twitter broadside at his domestic opponents, blaming the
diplomatic chill on the investigation into Russian election meddling.
“Our relationship with Russia has NEVER been worse thanks to many years of
U.S. foolishness and stupidity and now, the Rigged Witch Hunt!” Trump
tweeted.
After a stormy NATO summit in Brussels last week, Trump was accused by
critics of cosying up to Putin while undermining the alliance.
But, over breakfast with Niinisto, he insisted NATO “has never been
stronger” and “never been more together” thanks to his insistence on all
allies paying their fair share.
With Washington and Moscow at loggerheads over Ukraine, Iran and trade
tariffs as well as Syria, even Trump has cautioned that he is not approaching
the Putin summit “with high expectations”.
The 72-year-old brash billionaire has been president for 18 months, while
the former KGB officer, 65, has run Russia for the past 18 years.
In an interview with CBS News that aired before he touched down in
Helsinki, Trump admitted that Russia remains a foe, but he put Moscow on a
par with China and the European Union as economic and diplomatic rivals.
The Kremlin has also played down hopes that the odd couple will emerge from
their first formal one-on-one summit with a breakthrough.
Putin, who played host at the World Cup final in Moscow on Sunday and was
due to arrive in Finland later Monday, has remained terse in the run-up to
the summit.
On Friday his adviser Yuri Ushakov also played down expectations, saying:
“The state of bilateral relations is very bad…. We have to start to set
them right.”
– Giving up ground? –
Indeed, after the bad-tempered NATO summit and a contentious trip by Trump
to Britain, anxious European leaders may be relieved if not much comes out of
the Helsinki meeting.
Those leaders are already fuming over Trump’s imposition of trade tariffs
on various countries, including Russia.
European Union President Donald Tusk called on the United States, China and
Russia to work together to cool the global trade tensions, warning that they
could spiral into violent “conflict and chaos”.
For their part, protesters have been on the streets of Helsinki to denounce
the policies of both Trump and Putin. Greenpeace draped a giant banner down a
church tower urging: “Warm our hearts not our planet.”
Trump is also under pressure from Britain to press Putin over the nerve
agent poisoning of four people in the city of Salisbury.
One of the victims, Dawn Sturgess, has died and her 19-year-old son Ewan
Hope told the Sunday Mirror newspaper: “We need to get justice for my mum.”
– Extradition demand? –
Many fear that Trump — in his eagerness to prove that he was right to seek
the summit with Putin despite US political opposition — may give up too much
ground.
Ahead of the talks, Trump has refused to personally commit to the US
refusal to recognise Russia’s annexation of Crimea, leaving open the
possibility of a climb-down linked to a promise by Putin to somehow rein in
Iranian influence in Syria.
If Washington were to de facto accept Russia’s 2014 land-grab, this would
break with decades of US policy and send tremors through NATO’s exposed
eastern flank.
And there will be outrage at home if Trump does not confront Putin over the
election scandal.
But the US leader would not say whether he would demand the extradition of
12 Russian intelligence officers who were indicted last week by US special
prosecutor Robert Mueller, for allegedly hacking Trump rival Hillary
Clinton’s computer server.
BSS/AFP/MRI/1520 hrs