JRL NEWSWATCH: “An Agenda for the Trump-Putin Summit; To forge a better relationship, Washington and Moscow need to work through the issues that most sharply divide them” – The National Interest/Doug Bandow

July 1, 2018 JRL Russia List JRL NewsBlog, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

Vladirmir Putin and Donald Trump Sitting in Chairs with Flags Behind, adapted from image at whitehouse.gov

“… Trump will meet … Putin next month in Helsinki …. The president should approach the summit with a realistic assessment of Moscow’s capabilities and intentions. Putin is no friend of Western-style liberalism, but then, many U.S. allies are no less authoritarian. There is no evidence that he bears any ideological animus toward America or Europe. KGB officers were among the most worldly and cynical Soviet officials. … Putin regrets the geopolitical wreckage left by the USSR’s collapse … [but] has done little to recreate the Evil Empire. … Putin’s policies suggest … ambitions … of a modern-day czar. … respect for his nation’s interests … secure borders, [he] seeks to deter potential military threats, and desires to sit in global councils of power. * * * … the president’s willingness to meet with nations at odds with America deserves praise. … he should communicate …. [T[he president needs to ensure … Americans and Russians better understand each other and the issues which unite as well as divide us.”