It's
standard procedure in very non-standard times.
he President
of the United States will meet with the
President of Russia at the G20 Summit in Germany next week. This is not, on its
face, unusual: President Obama met with Vladimir Putin many times, including
when—as is the case now—the United States was levying sanctions against Moscow for
its bad behavior, like its interference in Ukraine.
But
President Trump's involvement does add a few extra wrinkles: Trump praised Putin
frequently during the campaign, despite the Russian leader's
autocratic tendencies; the U.S. intelligence community has since concluded
Russia meddled in that campaign; and the president
and his associates are now under investigation for their role
in that effort.
So
a largely routine bilateral powwow might have some extra spice, particularly
because, by most accounts, Trump is normally quite eager to please the people
he gets in a room with. (He's also had his issues
when getting together with the Russians.) Possibly to that end, the
National Security Council has been tasked with preparing
"deliverables" for Trump to bring to the meeting, The Guardian reports,
"including the return of two diplomatic compounds Russians were ordered to vacate by the Obama administration in
response to Moscow's interference in the 2016 election."
The
report adds cheekily, "It is not clear what Putin would be asked to give
in return."
Apparently,
Trump is pushing for a formal bilateral meeting, rather than an informal
"pull-aside"—to the consternation of some on his national security
team. It's unclear, at present, whether more of the sanctions the U.S. has
placed on Russia—for Ukraine and for interference in the 2016 election—are on the
table as part of Trump's "deliverables."
Let's
just hope he doesn't black out and agree to give Alaska back.
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