What distinguishes Donald Trump? His orange complexion? His oddly sized hands? Or his constant tweets? Well, some Londoners put all those famous features (and a lot more) in a balloon to welcome (see the sarcasm) Donald Trump to the UK. The angry baby Trump floated in the sky as Donald Trump met with the Prime Minister, Theresa May. The balloon kept on floating as Donald Trump greeted the Queen. But, they weren't the only ones Trump would meet on his trip to Europe. Donald Trump also paid a visit to his friend, Mr. Putin in Helsinki, Finland. Donald Trump has already shaken hands with Kim Jong Un, so why not Putin?
Old Friends
Donald Trump had said that his meeting with Putin would probably be the easiest stop on his trip to Europe. That really puts things into perspective. Mr. Trump has shown no regard for his allies, attacking closest trade partner like Canada and refusing to shake hands with Angela Merkel (Chancellor of Germany). While, Trump has always looked upon the likes of the Russian and Chinese president (both have questionable human rights records) with great admiration. Trump's ties to Russia and Putin have come under close scrutiny before. And by meeting the president of Russia, Trump has only further proved his great bias for him. However, there is more to this meeting than just shaking hands.
Oops I messed up
Trump put a lot of people, from both sides of the political spectrum in the US, under shock when he refused to believe his own intelligence agencies at the meeting. “They said, ‘I think it is Russia.’ I have President Putin. He just said it is not Russia,” that is what Trump said after a private meeting with Putin. “I will say this: I do not see any reason why it would be.” Donald Trump's willingness to take Putin's word over that of multiple US agencies goes hand in hand with the decline of US relations with other countries. But, Donald Trump has been known to walk back on his remarks. For example, the time when he labeled the EU a "foe" and called Theresa May "soft". So, it shouldn't come as a shock to many, that Trump walked back on this as well. "In a key sentence in my remarks I said the word 'would' instead of 'wouldn't,'". Yeah sure Trump, whatever you say...
The rest of the meeting
Trump and Putin had a two-hour private talk, followed by a press conference. "As major nuclear powers, we bear special responsibility for maintaining international security," is what Mr. Putin said towards the start of his speech. He sounded extremely sincere and definitely fooled Trump, who looked towards Mr. Putin with a huge smile plastered across his face. But, the Russian President is nothing but all words. Since, his idea of peace is when nobody opposes him or his way of ruling (we already know what happens if you do oppose him). Putin also knows that the best way into Trump's heart, is through is Ego. That is why he praised Trump on his "personal engagement" in helping to "resolve" the conflict in the Korean Peninsula. Trump had a lot to say himself. Of course, all praise for his favorite Putin.
Who is to blame?
Donald Trump emphasized on the so called 'urgent' need for better relations with Russia. He said that relations between the two countries have never been this bad. Although that claim is not verifiable (something true for almost everything the US president says), there may be good reasons for bad relations. Russian espionage in the United States could be an obvious one, the Salisbury attack in the UK (which is an invaluable ally of the United States) is another. There are countless others but, Donald Trump still puts the mistakes of past US governments responsible for the bad weather. When clearly it was Russia’s actions that should be held accountable for the deteriorating relations. All that said, Trump claims to have fixed the problem by just hosting the meeting. But, that may not be a good thing.
Should we be friends?
The question that has proved to be the most controversial is - Should the US be working with a country like Russia? Many thinks that with Trump's tendency to get attracted to Strongmen politicians, can be hard upon the foreign policy of the United States. But, Trump has responded to his "haters" by saying that either they have to work with Putin or go to war with him. But, what he and many others are not understanding is that diplomacy isn't all or nothing. The US can work with Russia on some things, but agreeing with Putin's stance upon everything is just a breeding ground for chaos, and not a good foreign policy. And as far as war goes, some might even say that Russia's cyber espionage and interference in the US elections may be considered war, in the 21st century.
Go Putin? -or- Go Trump?
So, which of these worldly renowned politicians are going to come out this battle as the winner? If Trump continues the way he is going then the Russian President will win by a huge margin. That is because if Trump continues to work with Putin on everything, then the Russian President has the 'Most powerful man on Earth' at his fingertips. But, if not Putin is already winning the so called "war" with successful breaches, infiltrating the security of the US and many other allies. So, the only way to have a so called 'victory' for the United States is to talk with Russia. But, not to corporate upon everything. To continue to be diplomatic but, to be able to hold Russia responsible for its actions, and maintain a strong ground on the values that the US is built upon. If not then the world will be seeing imminent chaos and who should be hold responsible for that? The Naysayers or Donald Trump?