U.S. President Donald Trump, holding a bilateral meeting with Vladimir Putin in Alaska, risks falling into the political trap of the Russian leader again, who, however, may find himself in an awkward position due to the choice of the summit venue.
This was the comment made to Ukrinform by German diplomat, former foreign policy and security advisor for German Chancellor, and Chairman of the Munich Security Conference, Christoph Heusgen, regarding the planned meeting between the U.S. and Russian leaders.
“Trump has always underestimated Putin, repeatedly misunderstanding his objectives. Not to meet at three is again falling into Putin‘s trap. Instead of discussing about Ukraine with Putin, Trump should talk with Zelensky and Putin about how to end the Russian aggression. A meeting at three would be positive, as Putin would finally recognize the legitimate representative of Ukraine. But Trump doesn’t think about legitimacy. And neither does Putin,” Heusgen said.
He also admitted that he was surprised by the choice of Alaska as the venue for the talks, as Russia still considers this territory its former property. Because of this, Heusgen sees the meeting place as a possible sign of weakness on Putin’s part.
“I cannot imagine that Putin will repeat this claim in the presence of Trump. Therefore, I see it as a sign of weakness on Putin‘s side,” Heusgen said. According to the diplomat, he expected the meeting to take place in the United Arab Emirates, a country that is a close ally of both Russia and the U.S. during Trump’s presidency.
According to Ukrinform, U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet on August 15 in Alaska.
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Source: German diplomat: Trump should discuss ending Russian aggression at meeting with Zelensky and Putin
