Just after this meeting, the American president announced that he was going to speak in person with Vladimir Putin. And that was going to follow a second interview to which their Ukrainian counterpart would also join, Volodymyr Zelensky (even if the latter was not accepted by the Kremlin). It has been several weeks since the tenant of the White House mentioned such a discussion, but without any concrete element. The situation now seems to have changed, since the Kremlin has confirmed that Putin and Trump would be “in the coming days”. Obviously, the US administration has boasted of “great progress” towards the end of the war in Ukraine, recalling that a meeting between Russian and American leaders had not taken place since 2021.
Vladimir Putin, winner whatever happens?
On the side of American observers, the tone is very different. We are more reserved, even pessimistic. The press recalls that the Russian president has so far stopped playing with the feet of the tenant tenant, believing that even Trump had realized that Putin had taken him for a fool. This is why experts do not hide their concern about the fact that this interview is a trap set by the Kremlin master. First of all, Putin could use these discussions, during which he would give low guarantees to Trump, to save time and graze important territories on the battlefield. CNN also evokes the possibility that the Russian president will be able to divert the attention of his American counterpart from the conflict in Ukraine. It could thus evoke an agreement on the use of nuclear weapons or an economic agreement.
CNN and the New York Times also recall that the interview between the two presidents would be a victory for Putin. “Such a meeting-which would recall the famous American-Soviets of the Cold War-would mark the return of a pariah leader to the world diplomatic scene. And any meeting would revive the memory of the Helsinki summit of the first mandate of Trump, where Putin had brilliantly manipulated his American counterpart,” said CNN, who consulted several experts.
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After the announcement of his upcoming meeting with Putin, the Republican spoke with several European leaders, who also expressed their doubts about the outcome of such a discussion with the Russian Head of State. As the New York Times reported, the latter were surprised by the process, but ended up accepting it.
There is no doubt in any case that the American president is fond of these big meetings, which give rise to beautiful photos. We remember his historic handshake with the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un. The moment had been followed by the media from around the world. The filmed sequence had toured the canvas. But one can only doubt the real benefits of this interview. Will it be the same for upcoming discussions with Vladimir Putin? Donald Trump seems convinced that he could influence the Russian president to return arms. But this opinion is not unanimous.
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