Donald Trump and vladimir putin briefly met each other at the Asia-Pacific summit, which is taking place in Vietnam. The meeting between the two leaders would always be likely to raise some questions, as months of speculation rumbles on about alleged Russian collusion into the 2016 U.S Presidential Elections. Following the recent indictment of former campaign manager Paul Manafort, Donald Trump has said that he has repeatedly asked Mr. Putin if the claims are true. According to the BBC Donald Trump said "You can only ask so many times. .
.he said he absolutely did not meddle in our election." Donald Trump went on to day that Putin was "insulted" by the claims, which the Russian president refers to as "political infighting."
Fighting ISIS and bringing back jobs.
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin did not only discuss the topic of Russian collusion during their three brief meetings at the Asia-Pacific summit, they also discussed the ongoing situation regarding ISIS in Syria. Both countries have been conducting operations within the embattled nation and a rare compromise appeared to be reached between the two nations, in which it was agreed that no military solution would be the final answer to the 6 year civil war and that fighting ISIS was both in America and Russia's interests.
The Asia-Pacific summit was also dominated by two opposing messages. One was Donald Trump's reaffirmation of his "America First" philosophy, which he campaigned strongly on to be elected last year. During a speech on Friday, Donald Trump complained that American jobs were being taken abroad in order to capitalise on cheap labour, saying that "America would not be taken advantage of anymore." In a completely different tone, China's President Xi Jinping said that globalization was inevitable and that China would be the future of leading that march between a more global economy as the U.S retreats into a seemingly more insular role.
The economic plan of Donald Trump seems to be paying dividends, as the economy has risen three percent since Donald Trump took office, one of the major successes of his Presidency so far.
The Mueller investigation
The Asia-Pacific summit seems to be a welcome break for the embattled United States President, as the Mueller investigation rumbles on at home.
The three indictments filed by Mueller recently seems to have accelerated the pace of the investigation, with many more expecting further indictments to be passed at any time. President Trump still adamantly denies that he colluded with Russia in anyway during the election, and to this date there doesn't seem to be any proof that connects the President to these claims. Regardless of the truth surrounding the Russia claims, not being able to meet another world leader without such intense debate going on about the circumstances surrounding it must prove a distraction to a President who is trying hard to enact his agenda, but seems to be having to deal with controversy more often than legislation.
