The G 20 summit is over but it has an important takeaway in the shape of the first Meeting between Donald Trump and Putin. The two leaders had talked over the phone but never met. There was a lot of anticipation and hype about the meeting. Many wondered how it would go as Trump is an unpredictable man and in addition, he is under pressure back home where the so-called "Russian connection" is a hot topic. The meeting went off very well and later when Trump met British prime minister Theresa May he commented that his meeting with Putin was "tremendous," CNN International reported.
The meeting
The meeting was scheduled for 30minutess but once the two got to talk it stretched beyond two hours. The delay meant that Japanese PM Shinzo Abe had to wait. Both leaders apologized to Shinzo later. After one hour the wife of Trump was sent in to remind the President that he had other engagements but the meeting continued as both leaders got on well together and were discussing important matters.
The Putin - Trump meeting was very important as it led to a detailed discussion on many matters. Trump asked the Russian president about the allegations of interference in the American elections. Putin denied it and later the Kremlin said that the U.S. president was satisfied with the reply, although this was contradicted by the White House.
These were small pinpricks as the two leaders hammered out a major agreement for a ceasefire in Syria.
Trump has praised Putin earlier
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin got on well together. The meeting was also attended by the two foreign ministers of Russia and America. The leaders shook hands twice and hopefully, this meeting will be the stepping stone for a reset in U, S.-Russian relations.
Earlier during the election campaign, Trump had praised Putin and the Russian leader had reciprocated. Probably Trump does have some admiration for Putin and this was a factor in the meeting being extended.
The future
Despite the cordial tone of the meeting, there are differences between Russia and America on many matters including expansion of NATO, Iran and North Korea.
The Russian perception about Assad who is their ally is also different. How these will be bridged will have to be seen. Much will depend on domestic politics in the USA, where the opponents of Trump in the GOP and the Democratic party have ganged up against him regarding the Russian connection. A Congressional inquiry is on and the Press is daily making new revelations about Russian interference in the U..S election and collusion by some key members of Donald's team with the Russians.
