Scheduled for Friday, July 7, the first meeting of US and Russian presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Hamburg is getting intriguing details. The talks between the two leaders are of great importance both for global problems and for the domestic political life of America. That is why the Washington administration is visibly nervous. As the MC writes, the preparation of the new US president is complicated by the fact that the owner of the White House often disregards the advice of his assistants and consultants.
To date, the format of the future meeting of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin is incomprehensible even approximate to the head of the United States. Obviously, their boss likes to improvise, and not always his experiences in this field are successful. Will Trump, during a meeting with President Putin, only deal with words or choose to go deep into serious problems - nobody knows, except the president himself.
The meeting with Vladimir Putin conceals certain risks for Donald Trump, since the US-Russian interstate relations are at their worst in many years. Pitfalls, by the way, are domestic - many Americans believe that the Russians helped in the presidential campaign of Trump. If we assume that he has special ties with Moscow, the meeting with the Russian leader in any scenario will be perceived ambiguously. At the same time, the alleged interference of the Russian Federation in the US elections is considered by the Democrats almost as a military invasion. A heavy informational background, multiplied by Trump's inclination to unexpected and unforeseen swings, can give unexpected results.
A gray cloud of all sorts of investigations is hanging over the president in connection with a possible deal with Russia, will not this meeting be a gift for Russia? "Explains Stephen Pifer, a former United States ambassador to Ukraine who also worked for the National Security Council and the State Department.
Trump himself does not pretend that he is concerned about the upcoming meeting with Putin. Moreover, he has already stated that he is more concerned with the meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who, for sure, will tell him much unflattering about the decision to withdraw from the Paris agreement on climate.
Another possible scenario, which analysts discuss in Washington - Trump himself will bring charges against Russia in interfering in the elections of 2016. But the likelihood of such a demarche is extremely low, as it casts a shadow on the legitimacy of the election of the US president.
Given these arguments, the relatively safe for the American leader is Syria. He will focus on the issue of Syrian settlement and current ceasefire themes, experts say.. Most likely, Moscow is blamed for the reluctance to stop the government of President Assad from using chemical weapons against the civilian population of Syria. By the way, on the eve of the talks, Secretary of State of the United States Rex Tillerson has already indicated that the US is ready to explore the possibility of expanding cooperation with Moscow in Syria, including the establishment of zones closed for flights.
At the same time, Tillerson noted that there are unresolved contradictions between the US and Russia on a number of issues concerning Syria.
The day before Trump's departure from Washington, the White House said that the meeting with Putin would only be a purely formal two-way discussion, rather than negotiations on the margins of the G-20 summit. This format is the most secure for the new US president, who will meet with a very clever operator in one-on-one talks, the US media notes.. When Vladimir Putin included his Labrador in negotiations with Angela Merkel, knowing full well that the Chancellor is afraid of dogs. I would like less improvisation, the employees of the Trump administration hope..
Trump's pressure on the future meeting with Putin is preached by both Democrats and Republicans. Recall that for the anti-Russian sanctions in the US Senate voted 98 "for" and only 2 "against". At the same time, Trump almost lost the key to sanctions, since their removal is possible only after the approval of legislators.
And it is important for the organizers of the Trump-Putin meeting not to create the appearance of some give-offs to Moscow.
Former Assistant Secretary of Defense Derek Hollett says that this meeting will be a macho battle at the highest Olympic level. Putin will be well prepared for this meeting, he is a master of manipulation, believes Hollet.
And observers have no choice but to read the sign language and judge it by the mood of the meeting participants.