Trump and Putin to Meet Each Other

The President of the United States and his Russian counterpart will meet on July 16 in the capital of Finland. This is the first time the two sides will meet with prior planning for a bilateral dialogue; it is also the first meeting of the leaders of the two countries since April 2010. The one-day meeting in Helsinki comes as media and analysts are already focused on its process and potential outcomes. In addition to Mr. Putin and Trump, the foreign ministers of the two countries, Sergey Lavrov and Mike Pompeo, will also hold talks. Donald Trump arrived in Helsinki late on Sunday. Dozens of police forces accompanied the U.S. President's convoy in a small area of the Finnish capital. The meeting of the two leaders occurs at a time when many analysts view relations between Russia and the West as being in an unprecedented tense situation since the end of the Cold War. The Ukraine crisis, which the West sees as Russia's involvement but Moscow denies, the annexation of Crimea, the Syrian civil war and Russia's significant presence there, accusations against the Kremlin regarding interference in the U.S. elections and other democratic countries, which Moscow has also denied, and even recently accusations against Moscow related to the poisoning of Sergei Skripal in Britain, among other issues, have cast a shadow over the relations between the two sides. The meeting between Putin and Trump is also closely monitored by observers of Iranian issues. Moscow and Tehran are the main supporters of Bashar al-Assad and have close relations, to the extent that the Russian army has used Iranian territory for operations in Syria. Russia is also a supporter of the nuclear agreement or 'JCPOA.' The Trump administration is strongly opposed to Iran's actions in the region, the development of its missile program, the previous administration's nuclear agreement, and other behaviors of the Islamic Republic, has exited the JCPOA, and is calling for new negotiations with the Islamic Republic. However, the Islamic Republic has not yet agreed to any negotiations and has pointed the finger at Washington regarding the potential failure of the JCPOA. Analysts speculate about the discussions surrounding the Trump-Putin dialogue, the historic Trump-Putin meeting; the competition between Tehran and Tel Aviv in the 'Great Game.' Furthermore, the face-to-face meeting of the U.S. and Russian Presidents occurs while legislators and politicians in the United States and its allies are also watching closely. Recently, the U.S. Department of Justice charged 12 Russian intelligence officers with cyberattacks during the 2016 presidential election. Some American figures had called for the cancellation of the meeting, but the White House stated that the indictment of U.S. judicial officials does not constitute an obstacle to the meeting of the two presidents. Meanwhile, the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, quoting his country's security officials, stated that Russia continues its efforts to create 'division' among American citizens using social networks and other means. Mr. Trump, shortly before his trip to Helsinki, referred to the European Union, a Washington ally, alongside Russia and China as 'enemies and competitors' of the U.S. Analysts view the tense atmosphere surrounding NATO. Trump had previously stated that he intends to talk to Putin 'about everything.' Despite all this, both the Kremlin and the White House have distanced themselves from the idea of high expectations surrounding the Trump-Putin meeting in recent days. Mr. Trump stated yesterday, 'We are participating in these negotiations without seeking many results.' The U.S. President, in an interview with CBS News, mentioned that he is going to meet Putin with low expectations, but there is also a possibility that this meeting could yield good results. He also emphasized that his administration is seeking a solution regarding the Syrian crisis. Two days ago, the Russian presidential office stated that Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump would discuss Iran's presence in Syria during their meeting in Helsinki. In addition to Trump's comments on the results and prospects of the negotiations, a similar approach has also been expressed by the Russian government. The Kremlin spokesman, on Sunday, in response to a question about the likelihood of a joint statement by the two presidents, said, 'Issuing a joint statement during such meetings is not a necessity.' Dmitry Peskov, however, confirmed that Mr. Putin and Trump would participate in a joint press conference after their meeting.