Six months later scandals: what Putin wants from the first meeting with trump
Neither in Russia nor in the U.S. does not expect breakthrough from the meeting of Vladimir Putin and Donald trump at the G20 summit. But for the Kremlin, this meeting is important: officials expect that it will be a starting point for dialogue after years of deteriorating relations.
By the time this meeting Donald trump will be President for almost six months (to be exact — 168 days). During the election campaign, trump and Putin exchanged pleasantries, showing respect and even like each other. But after joining trump in the position they were limited to phone calls.
Trump during the inauguration managed to receive the Prime Minister of great Britain Teresa may, the Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe, to make a great visit to the middle East. Also the US President had time to talk personally with the leaders of all countries participating in the “channel format” Ukrainian settlement. In March, he took the White house German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the newly elected President of France Emmanuel Makron. In June in Washington meeting with President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko.
Waiting
The talks between Vladimir Putin and Donald trump will be held July 7 on the sidelines of the summit of “Big twenty” in Hamburg. Before the official announcement, the Kremlin emphasized that the meeting format does not matter.
But now the press Secretary of Russian President Dmitry Peskov said: it will take a full “sit-down” meeting, not a quick conversation on her feet.
How much time will be available to the two leaders, neither Moscow nor Washington did not disclose. Finally it is not defined, but “the discussion will be fairly extensive,” he promised Putin aide for international Affairs Yuri Ushakov, although it will be limited in time.
In the Kremlin, “expect a lot” from the meeting, told reporters Ushakov. “Firstly, the first contact is very important, and have something to discuss,” he added.
Since the first meeting, it is the first meeting of presidents, said Dmitry Peskov, answering the question of Bi-bi-si. He expects between the leaders established a working dialogue, which is “vital, perhaps necessary for the solution of a critical mass of conflicts and problems.”
“Political opposition in the United States a serious blow to Russian-American relations. Sometimes I marvel at the ease with which the American political class are willing to sacrifice the normality in our relations,” — confirmed in an interview with TASS in July, leaving his position as Russian Ambassador to Washington Sergey Kislyak.
The Kremlin expects that the meeting could begin the restoration of Russian-American relations, which have steadily deteriorated in 2014. In Moscow is expected that relations will start to improve after the election of President trump, but the situation only worsened, said bi-Bi-si senior Kremlin official, who was not authorized to give official comments to the press. “Trump has become a hostage to internal political heritage given to him by Obama,” explained the unmet hopes of the Russian official.
Syria and sanctions
Recent months relations between Russia and the USA were discussed in the context of the scandals of the election campaign trump (because of the suspicion in contacts with Russian officials in the administration of us President held large-scale reshuffle, and the trump is in the center of the investigation on the possible collusion between Moscow and members of his election headquarters).
Trump intends to raise at the meeting with Putin, the question of alleged Russian interference in the presidential election, told the TV station si-EN-EN.
However, it will not be the key, writes the New York Times.
Russia will focus on issues on Ukraine and Syria, listed the agenda of the meeting of the Sands. Moscow also will talk about arms control and strategic stability, coordination in the fight against drug trafficking and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, said Ushakov.
However, none of the issues countries have no unified position. Dmitry Peskov said that Russia will talk about “no alternative to the Minsk agreements.” And the Secretary of state Rex Tillerson said earlier that the United States would not want to be “bound hand” by the terms of the Minsk agreement and has not ruled out seeking settlements in Ukraine in their framework.
The USA is ready to give Russia the lead in resolving the political situation in Syria and the determination of the future fate of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, wrote with reference to unnamed sources of Foreign Policy.
Washington intends to focus in Syria only on the fight against ISIS (an organization recognized as extremist and banned in Russia, Britain and other countries), noted the sources. About the same in may and said Tillerson.
You cannot make an appointment of presidents to technical issues and we cannot expect that will resolve the issue, which require very serious negotiations, said bi-Bi-si, the former Minister of foreign Affairs of Russia Igor Ivanov. “And the Syrian problem and the problem of Ukrainian do not have simple shapes and solutions. It is important that the presidents have tasked the experts to find solutions. Even during the cold war, the parties argued that when there is political will, it is possible to reach agreement on the most complex problems,” — said Ivanov.
No less complex and unsolvable question is the us sanctions.
The U.S. Senate approved the extension of sanctions against Iran and Russia, but Congress will consider them after the G20 summit.
In addition, the administration trump has expanded the “personal” sanctions list of individuals and organizations. The Kremlin with new sanctions commented “with regret”.
Cottages and weather
Russia needs to confront the issue of closing the access of diplomats-in-residence at the Maryland and new York. Employees of the Russian Embassy stopped to let back in 2016 under the pretext of the Russian side conducting intelligence operations with the country bases. Moscow’s patience running out, spoke recently of the Sands, and soon Russia will discuss a response.
Without addressing the diplomats, without neutrality, and adherence to diplomatic activities, it is impossible to return to the more complex issues of security, policy and others, said the Director of the Kennan Institute Matthew A. rojansky. These themes will be the main agenda of the first meeting of the two presidents, he said.
“When you beat us accredited diplomat outside the Embassy on Russian soil is not the same that the hard questions or the attacks of the press against the Ambassador of Russia. By the way, let me remind you that [former] Ambassador [US Ambassador to Russia Michael] McFaul was faced with something similar when he was working in Moscow. I think that the basis of guarantees from both sides — the proper respect for diplomatic missions in each other. This applies to both people and property,” Rozhansky said.
“Such questions… why are we waiting what will the weather be like?” — he answered the question about expectations from the meeting, the Minister of foreign Affairs of Russia Sergey Lavrov.
Petr Kozlov
Russian service Bi-bi-si.