International
Trump blames Washington for poor Russia ties ahead of Putin summit
Trump blames Washington for poor Russia ties ahead of Putin summit
* Trump and Putin to hold first summit in Helsinki* Spotlight on summit after charges of Russian meddling* Fact summit is happening a geopolitical win for Putin* For Trump, meeting is heavy with political risk
Hours before he was due to sit down for his first ever summit with Vladimir Putin, US President Donald Trump blamed "US foolishness" for bad relations between Washington and Moscow, while the Kremlin said it expected a tough meeting.
Trump's comments show how much domestic political pressure he is under over the meeting in the Finnish capital Helsinki, while the Kremlin's gloomy comments reflect its belief that the fact the summit is even happening is a win for Russia.Critics and his own advisers have urged Trump to use the summit to press Putin hard about election meddling and other "malign” activities. But hours before he was due to meet the Russian president, Trump focused his ire on his own country and the investigation into possible links between his 2016 campaign and Russia. The president has denied any collusion took place."Our relationship with Russia has NEVER been worse thanks to many years of US foolishness and stupidity and now, the Rigged Witch Hunt!" wrote Trump on Twitter, referring to the investigation into possible collusion.
Low expectations
Trump has predicted he will be accused of being too soft on Putin no matter how the summit goes. "...If I was given the great city of Moscow as retribution for all of the sins and evils committed by Russia...I would return to criticism that it wasn’t good enough - that I should have gotten Saint Petersburg in addition!" he tweeted on Sunday.He has said he will raise the issue of Russian election meddling with Putin, but does not expect to get anywhere.The most analysts believe the summit could yield, beyond warm words, is an agreement to begin repairing battered US-Russia relations, and maybe a deal to start talks on issues such as nuclear arms control and Syria.The two men could also agree to start restocking their respective embassies and returning confiscated diplomatic property after a wave of expulsions and retaliatory action prompted by the poisoning of a former Russian spy in Britain.The Helsinki summit is the capstone to a nearly week-long trip for Trump during which he has sown doubts about his commitment to the NATO military alliance, Washington's so-called special relationship with Britain, and US relations with the European Union that he called "a foe" on trade.Against that backdrop and swirling uncertainty about what Trump might do or say next, his summit with Putin, which will include a one-on-one session with the Russian leader with only interpreters present, has both US allies and US politicians worried lest he make hasty and sweeping concessions.Some politicians in the West believe the summit is happening at one of the most crucial junctures for the West since the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union. Certain NATO allies fear Putin might seek a grand deal that would undermine the US-led transatlantic alliance.Trump has spoken vaguely about the possibility of halting NATO war games in the Baltic region, and has said repeatedly that it would be good if he could get along with Russia.When asked last month if he would recognise Russia's 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimea, he replied: "Wetarget="_blank"'>Many Western politicians remain angry over Russia's annexation of Crimea, its backing of pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine and its support for Syria's Bashar al-Assad. Other accusations, denied by Moscow, include that it meddled in European politics, supplied the weapon that shot down a passenger plane in 2014 over Ukraine, and was behind the poisoning of the former Russian spy in Britain.