Vladimir Putin has kicked off the new year by inviting the US president Donald Trump to joins talks on the ‘most extensive agenda’ for global security.
Putin’s message was released during a summary of greetings to global leaders; stating that Russia-US relations are the most important factor in stable global security.
This move likely will meet a hostile press in the United States, given the fears on both sides of the Congressional aisle that Donald Trump is too closely aligned with the Russian hierarchy and will concede US security to the nation.
After Trump’s summit with Putin in Helsinki last year, criticism has been heightened with Trump seeming to act like a beta to Putin’s alpha, whilst also continuing to trust the Russian leader’s word over election meddling, despite evidence to the contrary coming from US intelligence.
This also comes shortly after Trump announced a decision to pull troops from Syria, a conflict which saw Russian troops and Americans on opposing sides, with the Russians hoping to prop up the Assad government, whilst the US oppose his brutal leadership.
In the same round of briefings, Putin issued a statement of continued support to Bashar Al-Assad of Syria, stating that Russia will continue to provide all-round assistance to the Syrian government.
By contrast, Trump made his New Years address via Twitter; calling out the ‘haters’ and ‘fake news media’ whilst slamming his critics for having ‘Trump derangement syndrome’, only worsening fears that America’s security could be jeopardised should he enter negotiations with Putin.
Trump’s critics have suggested that by meeting again with Putin, the president could jeopardise US security due to his potential ties to the Russian government which are still being investigated by special counsel Robert Muller.
Many do not want Trump engaging in any serious foreign policy moves until the investigation concludes and his relationship with Putin can be fully understood.
Given Trump’s attacks on Robert Muller’s investigation, however, that is unlikely to occur and it remains to be seen whether the US and Russia will engage in serious diplomatic talks in 2019.
Any views or opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily The Speaker or its team members. Links are informational purposes and are not endorsements. The content of external sites is not the responsibility of The Speaker, in accordance with our Disclaimer and policies.
